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Unrivalled coverage from the Geneva show THE Geneva Motor Show opened its doors this week, and as ever the Auto Express team was on the ground rounding up all the news from the show floor. It was a show packed with new metal; global debuts from Porsche, Audi and Toyota pulled in the crowds. From superminis to supercars, this year�s Geneva show had it all. Head online to our site at www.autoexpress.co.uk to see exclusive pictures, scoops and opinion from our team. For more visit autoexpress.co.uk…

IN the past week I’ve been to two hugely important events for JLR, but one has left a far deeper impression on me than the other. The new Range Rover Velar (above) was launched with typical glitz at the Design Museum in London – an in-depth briefing, followed by a lavish reveal that seemed to focus more on the mystifying range of self-promoting celebrities that could be persuaded (paid?) to attend than the real star of the show, the car. If there’s one recent model that should be allowed to speak for itself, it’s the Velar. However, rather more insightful, important and low-key was another event I attended with JLR CEO Dr Ralf Speth – the Innovista Awards. This is a Tata Group-wide competition that promotes and celebrates innovation and…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn HONDA has taken the wraps off its all-new 316bhp Civic Type R at this week’s Geneva Motor Show. It is based on the new 10th-generation hatchback, and will be built exclusively at the company’s facility in Swindon and exported to markets worldwide including Japan and the USA. Prices will start from round £32,000 when it arrives in UK showrooms in July. This Civic is the 10th model from the Japanese manufacturer to wear the famous Type R badge since 1992, and Honda has targeted an improvement in overall dynamic performance, high-speed stability and on-track ability for this car. Based on the new architecture that underpins the regular Civic hatchback, the Type R is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder VTEC engine, giving 316bhp and 400Nm of torque –…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy THIS is Land Rover’s answer to everything from the Porsche Macan to the BMW X6: the Range Rover Velar, which made its public debut at this week’s Geneva Motor Show, and is due in dealers in early summer. The fourth model in the manufacturer’s luxury line-up is designed to sit between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport. It’s 4,803mm long – or just five centimetres shorter than the Sport. But at its tallest point, the Velar is only 5mm taller than an Evoque and it is more rakish than either the Sport or the full-fat Range Rover. The rest of the exterior look is an evolution of both Evoque cues and elements from the larger Range Rovers. The profile is made cleaner by recessed door handles –…

Sam_Naylor@dennis.co.uk @SamNaylor_AE THE all-new, second-generation Volvo XC60 was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show – and Auto Express has already been given a special preview of the Audi Q5 rival by senior vicepresident of design Thomas Ingenlath. At Volvo headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, Ingenlath told us that the new SUV isn’t just a scaled-down version of the flagship XC90, although both cars share Volvo’s SPA large vehicle platform. “I am relaxed coming out with the XC60, because it isn’t such a revolution [as the XC90 was],” he said. “But it is a big step and improvement with the new platform. I’m tempted to ask: ‘What could go wrong?’” The driver sits lower in the XC60 than its larger brother, and the muscular-looking door creases, extended ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlights and new…

Aston hypercar to be badged Valkyrie ASTON MARTIN has confirmed that its hypercar, co-developed with Red Bull, will be called the Valkyrie. The name is taken from Norse mythology, and continues Aston’s tradition of ‘V’ cars. Deliveries of the Valkyrie will begin in 2019, and all 150 roadgoing models have already been sold at an estimated £2million each. It will be powered by a Cosworth-developed 6.5-litre V12 engine that develops around 900bhp. Three-star crash tests for Ka+, 500 THE Ford Ka+ and facelifted Fiat 500 both failed to impress in the latest Euro NCAP crash test results; they each scored just three stars due to a shortage of standard safety tech. More impressive were the five-star performances from the Audi Q5, Land Rover Discovery and Toyota C-HR. The Discovery did…