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AS you can read on Page 57, I haven’t had the best experience with the UK’s EV charging network recently. If the government’s goal is to get us into electrified vehicles as soon as possible, it needs to do more than just leave it to the private sector. I’ve written to the transport secretary, Grant Shapps MP, about it, but am still awaiting a response; perhaps he’s trying to find a charger that works on the UK’s motorway network… It’s not only the government that needs to step up, though. Car makers aren’t exactly jumping through hoops to make sure one of the remaining barriers to the uptake of electric vehicles is removed. The official response from the industry is that it’s not down to it to deliver a charging…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk ● Alfa Romeo’s third SUV is due to go on sale within two years ● Set to be based on PSA platform, with petrol and electric options “The merger between FCA and PSA gives Alfa access to all it needs to get a compact crossover to market quickly” ALFA Romeo has refocused its future product plan and will launch a new baby crossover designed to rival the Nissan Juke in the next two years. The crossover will also be the Italian company’s first model to be offered with the option of fully electric power, official documents have revealed. The firm was relatively late bringing its first SUV, the Stelvio, to market in 2017 and since then Alfa has yet to broaden its SUV offering. Aware that it is losing…

OFFICIAL documents only show us what Alfa has planned for the next two years. However, there are notable gaps to be plugged in the firm’s product plan, and the recent merger with Groupe PSA creates a wealth of opportunities for the Italian brand. Although there is no official word on a replacement for the Giulietta hatch, it would come as no surprise to see Alfa launch such a model on the EMP2 platform used by the like of the Peugeot 308. A car like this is still key in the European new car market and the ready-made platform gives the opportunity to develop a credible Audi A3 rival quickly and with the option of plug-in hybrid technology. Less likely is a new version of the MiTo supermini. Alfa executives have…

Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk ● New GTS 4.0 models revealed ● 395bhp, six-speed manual box PORSCHE is reintroducing six-cylinder engines to its entry-level sports cars, the 718 Cayman and 718 Boxster. This is the new GTS 4.0, which uses a mildly detuned version of the naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat six already fitted to the hardcore Cayman GT4. It’s a direct replacement for the existing GTS, which was powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, and a riposte to critics of the car’s engine note. However, Porsche hasn’t removed flat-four engines from the range entirely; they will continue to be sold in the standard and S versions of the Boxster and Cayman. The flat six produces 395bhp in the GTS 4.0, which is 19bhp less than the GT4, and the engine revs up to a…

News and features editor IS the move back to six cylinders for the 718 Cayman and Boxster recognition from Porsche that it should have never removed them in the first place? Perhaps. But while the switch to a flat-four angered enthusiasts (and continues to do so), it doesn’t appear to have put off people who actually bought the cars. The sales numbers speak for themselves; UK sales have remained largely consistent before and after the switch, peaking at 2,971 units in 2013 with a low of 2,392 sales last year. For that reason, it’s unlikely Porsche will see a sales spike, but Internet forums will at least be a little quieter. “The switch to flat fours doesn’t actually appear to have put off buyers”…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk ● Sketch released online in China ● Engineering base on the way TESLA has dropped an official hint on how a baby hatchback model could look – just as the company confirmed plans to start engineering cars in China. An unattributed design sketch was issued as part of a string of official communications by Tesla on China’s WeChat social networking service. Roughly translated, one of the statements accompanying the image said, “In the end, it will be interpreted as an original Chinese Tesla, and go global.” The single sketch shows a car with clear current Tesla design cues at the front end, but more complex surfacing along the flanks and a swoopier, taller tail end that hints at the vehicle being a baby hatchback. Such a model would be…