Table of contents for 1877 in Auto Express

I FEEL sad for SEAT. While the other Volkswagen Group bands have exciting new small cars to look forward to – such as the VW ID.1, ID.2 and ID.2 X, Cupra’s Raval, the Skoda Epiq and Audi’s Q2 e-tron – the Spanish stalwart is sat on the outside looking in. And now it’s leaderless, too, with Brit-born CEO Wayne Griffiths’ abrupt departure being announced late last month, only a couple of weeks after saying that he was there for the long haul, and that SEAT and Cupra were in his heart. No word yet on what prompted the decision, but Volvo and Nissan also changed leaders within days of the Griffiths news, so there’s clearly something in the air. “YOU HAVE TO FEAR FOR THE FUTURE OF A CAR COMPANY…

CUPRA’S new Raval small electric car has been confirmed for a September reveal ahead of its arrival in the UK in the first half of 2026. The model, a sister car to Volkswagen’s forthcoming ID.2, will be shown for the first time at Munich’s IAA Mobility Show, with former Cupra boss Wayne Griffiths calling the car a “game changer”. Griffiths, speaking to Auto Express about the car shortly before his departure as CEO late last month, said the Raval, along with the launch of the Cupra brand as a separate entity, were the “two big bets” the firm has made in recent years. Cupra will build the ID.2 and its higher-riding ID.2 X All sibling alongside the Raval, at its Martorell plant near Barcelona with the Cupra expected to cost…

THE all-new Skoda Elroq vRS was first teased only last week, but now the covers have been taken off to reveal the firm’s smallest and fastest vRS model. Unveiled at Milan Design Week 2025, the car gets an athletic makeover, and dual electric motors for all-wheel drive. Probably of greatest significance is what’s under the metal. The Elroq has been referred to as an Enyaq in all but boot space; that is, it shares much – including its platform and wheelbase – with its big brother, sacrificing little more than some cargo capacity. And the same is true of the vRS. The Elroq vRS has the same 335bhp, dual-motor powertrain and 84kWh (79kWh usable) battery as the hottest Enyaq. Yet the lighter Elroq accelerates from 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds –…

THE Vauxhall Corsa Electric has received a boost in range and charging capability to go with the recent changes to trim levels. Originally, the model came with a range of 205 miles from its 50kWh battery, which rose to 252 miles thanks to a larger 54kWh unit. But now the new Corsa Electric Long Range is claimed to reach up to 266 miles on a single charge. Vauxhall says the 14-mile improvement is due to “improved battery cell chemistry and an optimised powertrain”. The firm also says the Long Range will return efficiency of 4.3 miles per kWh via its 154bhp front-mounted electric motor – both figures unchanged from the previous top-spec model. Charging times also remain the same, with a 100kW maximum rate allowing for a 0-80 per cent…

“FOREIGN CHEATERS HAVE RANSACKED OUR FACTORIES, AND FOREIGN SCAVENGERS HAVE TORN APART OUR ONCE BEAUTIFUL AMERICAN DREAMDONALD TRUMP President of the United States of America” HE’S finally done it; President Donald Trump has long said that “tariffs” is his favourite word, threatening to impose them globally in order to boost manufacturing and investment in the US. Now, as part of what Trump has described as the nation’s ‘Liberation Day’, the US has inflicted unprecedented tariffs on imports from around the world (including the UK) in a move that will have a wide-reaching impact on the automotive industry, as well as consumers. To cut through the jargon and confusion, we’ve summarised your most burning questions to explain how these tariffs, as distant and inconsequential to our daily lives as they may…

MANY people have certain expectations of Volvo’s cars – mostly that they’re solid, practical, safe and confidently understated. It’s not always the case, but those things sum up the XC90 very neatly. They also tally well with the typical customer requirements in the seven-seat premium SUV class where this hybrid flagship plies its trade. Volvo launched this Mk2 XC90 in 2014, and it’s still going relatively strong, thanks to updates delivered late in 2024 and now arriving with UK buyers. The firm updated the design, the driving experience and the infotainment, and we’ve had the chance to try the latest package on British roads. The XC90 is no longer the pinnacle of Volvo’s SUV range and now rests in the shadow of the electric EX90. That car, which uses an…

THE Toyota RAV4 has been a staple of the Japanese firm’s line-up for more than 30 years. It set the template for the compact SUV sector, and the current Mk5 model sits above the Yaris Cross and C-HR in Toyota’s UK line-up, and below the Land Cruiser. There’s no nonsense to the RAV4 range, with just one bodystyle offered, and (until recently) hybrid or plug-in petrol powertrains. The former is available in front or four-wheel-drive forms, while the PHEV’s twin electric motor set-up here drives all four wheels. Toyota offers the RAV4 in Design or GR Sport specs, the latter coming with a look that’s inspired by Toyota’s racing division. ENGINES & PERFORMANCE AS you might expect from a family-friendly SUV, the Toyota RAV4 is safe and secure on the…

WE all know the value of smoke alarms in our homes, but have you protected your garage too? Laser has just released a new portable alarm designed for garages and workshops, but it looks expensive in isolation – so we put it up against the cheapest we could find from Tesco and a more sophisticated heat-sensing alarm from Fire Angel. For the test, we tried to create a false alarm by blasting them with dust and placing them above a boiling kettle to see if a hot engine or steam would set them off. We then lit a small fire in a metal bucket inside an empty shed, directly underneath the devices. None of the three were triggered by dust or steam, but correctly alerted us to the real fire.…

AFFORDABLE Audis will live on into the electric era with the launch of a new entry SUV next year. Slotting in below the Q4 e-tron, the newcomer will potentially be badged Q2 e-tron and would give the premium manufacturer a £35,000 starting point for its EV offering, taking on the likes of Volvo’s EX30 and the MINI Aceman. It also means a future for small Audis is back on the cards, after the firm announced that the petrol-powered A1 and Q2 would end production this year. Audi chief executive Gernot Döllner told us: “We won’t step out of these segments; we will end production of the A1 and Q2, and there will be no successor to the A1, but we will see a car that will be going into production…

HYUNDAI has revealed an early facelift for the Ioniq 6 saloon, bringing with it a dramatic new design that should help the car find a wider customer base. Revealed at the 2025 Seoul Mobility show, the Ioniq 6 has been shown in two forms – the base car and the sporty N Line – with the latter previewing the Ioniq 6 N that will share several design elements. The changes start with a totally new front end that replaces the previously rounded headlamps with a new set of slim daytime running lights in their own housing. The main headlamps are hidden away in a gloss-black lower bumper, while the sharper bonnet makes the updated Ioniq 6 look a little sleeker and more aggressive. Base cars have a subtle opening on…

HYUNDAI has also revealed the new Nexo in Seoul, the second generation of its hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV). As with the original, the latest model shows off the leading role the manufacturer is playing in attempting to bring this powertrain technology to the mainstream market. The new Nexo is around the same size as a BMW X3, at 4,750mm long, and sits at the top of Hyundai’s range. It’s a high-priced halo product that also previews the design language of future models from the company. It conforms to Hyundai’s penchant for eclectic design, with a retro style that looks more eighties soft-roader than modern FCEV. But the Nexo is all about its cutting-edge fuel-cell powertrain, which offers considerable improvements over the old model’s. The battery’s capacity has been doubled,…

Renault has revealed its revamped Austral mid-sized SUV, with claims that the facelifted car is “more desirable” and “more assertive” thanks to some major changes to the exterior. The Austral is the maker’s rivals for cars such as the Volkswagen Tiguan and Nissan Qashqai in what is the most popular sector of the UK’s new-car market. At the front, there’s a new bonnet, bumper and grille to create a fresh face, with embossed diamond shapes around the Renault logo and slimmer headlights. The lights themselves feature a new signature with the company’s adaptive ‘LED Vision’ technology now standard fit. The car has 19 or 20-inch wheels, with a new design for the Esprit Alpine model. Fresh rear lights complete the look, while the Austral retains its Shadow Grey, Diamond Black,…

LATEST UK registration figures show electric car sales underwent a mini boom in March, with registrations up by 43.2 per cent and a record 69,313 new EVs hitting the road. Nevertheless, the industry is warning that the numbers fall far short of the target set by the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate for 2025. That stands at 28 per cent, which looks like a tough ask, with part of the mini boom attributed to the fact that April registrations will fall foul of stiff increases in VED/road tax. That is thought to have driven many buyers to beat the rises by registering a new car last month. According to trade body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders: “While EV market share improved significantly, at 19.4% it remains more than eight…

“The overall refinementis superb and wind noise is near non-existent” IF there were any doubt that Hyundai is a car company that should be taken seriously as a premium player, the fact we’re speaking about a new model that’ll start at the thick end of £70,000 and rival Volvo’s flagship seven-seat EX90 SUV says it all. The new Ioniq 9 joins a growing band of Hyundai EVs that have shed their high-value image to become world-leading all-electric models, so how does this latest offering shape up? The Ioniq 9 sits on the company’s E-GMP architecture, and its figures are up there with the industry leaders. All feature a 110kWh battery pack mounted under the floor, paired to either a single rear-mounted motor, or a dual-motor set-up with one on each…

“Regardless of the mode you’re in, the electric motor responds immediately” LEAPMOTOR isn’t the first Chinese car maker to come to the UK hoping to make it big, and it won’t be the last, but there are some things that set this new arrival apart from the rest. The biggest is that it’s backed by Stellantis, which also owns household names such as Vauxhall. Leapmotor has said it will launch six electrified cars here by 2027, and is plotting to go after the core segments for Europeans such as city cars and family hatchbacks, plus small and mid-size SUVs. That’s where the Leapmotor C10 comes in. We first encountered it as an electric family SUV and found it to be a promising entry in a jam-packed class. But among its…

IF you’re looking for a cheap new car, your options aren’t what they used to be. The legislative bar has been raised to a level where manufacturers can’t seem to deliver models that are clean and safe enough at prices that dramatically undercut rivals. We’ve also seen a scramble by established brands to vacate the cheaper end of the market and avoid going head-to-head on price with Chinese newcomers. All that puts the KGM Actyon in an interesting place and makes it a perfect candidate for a long-term test. The brand formerly known as SsangYong has always had value-for-money at its heart in the UK, but with new cars like the Actyon mid-size SUV, it too is trying to shift itself a bit further upmarket. A list price of £36,995…

IF you are at all serious about maintaining your car beyond basic cleaning and waxing, then you’re going to need a decent socket set. Even simple tasks such as changing your spark plugs will require one, so the basic decision on whether or not to buy is easy, but the choice on offer is bewildering. There’s no set combination of extensions and sockets, so your choice will depend on your own needs. While cost is a factor, a socket set is often a one-time purchase, so it can pay to get one that does everything you’re likely to need it to do, rather than looking to shave a few pounds off the price. Plug sockets provide even more opportunities to save money; for example, while you’ll be surprised how often…

“AN INSIDER TOLD US SKODA’S DUCKS WERE IN LINE TO LAUNCH THE EPIQ A HEAD OF THE VW ID. 2 X IN 2026” SKODA will not build a supermini alternative to the Volkswagen ID.1 or ID.2 EVs, instead choosing to focus on getting the Epiq SUV (above) production-ready for 2026. It was previously suspected that Skoda would look to launch an electric hatch alongside the Epiq, but that plan seems to have been shelved. It means that VW, along with sister brand Cupra, will lead the electric supermini project, with Skoda set to focus on its version of the jacked-up ID.2 X, which is due to be revealed in concept form later this year. Likely to be called Epiq, Skoda’s forthcoming smallest SUV will use the VW Group’s MEB Entry…

DESPITE Audi ditching its A1 and Q2, other brands from the Volkswagen Group – VW, SEAT and Skoda – have confirmed their core smaller models will receive tech and styling updates that will carry them through to the end of the decade. With electric-vehicle demand not hitting the heights expected five years ago, the VW Polo, SEAT Ibiza and Arona, plus Skoda’s Fabia, Scala and Kamiq will all be taken beyond their natural seven or eight-year life cycle to give the firms more time to develop electric alternatives. “Because combustion cars have a run-out date, 2035 according to European legislation, you’re not going to do a new combustion-car; you’d never make it feasible because you wouldn’t have the volume to recoup the investment,” SEAT and Cupra’s former chief executive Wayne…

HYUNDAI has teased its long-awaited Ioniq 6 N at the Seoul Mobility Show, along with new details about the high-performance electric vehicle. Hyundai’s head of design Simon Loasby told Auto Express: “With the Ioniq 6 N we had the chance to widen the fenders front and rear, which we couldn’t do on the 5 N, and who doesn’t like a wide body?” To ensure that the Ioniq 6’s streamlined body will cope with the much higher speeds and stronger performance on the N, more changes were required. “On the Ioniq 6, with all those curves over the top, We’re pulling the air down, which means we’re lifting the car up,” Loasby said. “When you’re counteracting lift, when we’ve got 600bhp-plus, you need a spoiler.” Adjustments to the powertrain software that…

GENESIS has revealed two stunning near-production concepts that preview just how serious the Korean brand is at lifting itself up to the level of Mercedes and BMW. Called the X Gran Coupe and X Gran Convertible, the pair are new derivatives of the full-sized G90 saloon sold in overseas markets, yet enter a segment that even the Germans have largely left behind. The pair are similar in size to the former Mercedes S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet and BMW 8 Series, and push the brand into an exclusive, low-volume segment. While billed as concepts for now, the pair are close to production in terms of their execution, with functional door handles, lighting, mirrors and a retractable rear parking camera. While using the same design language as the saloon – which itself…

THERE’S a significant trust gap opening up between drivers and the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) fitted to their cars, with widespread confusion about the capabilities and limitations of the increasingly prevalent tech. The lack of understanding among drivers is eroding public confidence in ADAS, and creating safety concerns, according to mobility experts at DG Cities. A survey they’ve carried out shows 40 per cent of drivers aren’t getting sufficient information about the systems when buying their cars. The investigation found sales staff at dealerships lacked clear knowledge and sometimes exaggerated the capabilities of the features. The roster of ADAS tech includes Lane Keep Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking and Intelligent Speed Assist, and because they’ve been mandatory in new vehicles sold in the European single market since July 2024, drivers…

GENERAL Motors has opened a design studio in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, to create its interpretation of a future Corvette. While the striking concept might wear a Corvette badge, GM says “there is no production intent” behind the new car, with the goal being to “rethink the Corvette nameplate”. The concept’s reveal coincided with the official opening of the new site the fifth styling base for the American giant after its studios in Michigan and California, US, plus Shanghai, China, and Incheon, Korea. The Midlands studio is the smallest, with 35 staff, but there’s plenty of room to grow. It’s led by Julian Thomson – who has the Lotus Elise S1 and Land Rover LRX (latterly Evoque) in his back catalogue. Having worked for Jaguar Land Rover for over 20 years…

ORDERS have opened for Citroen’s new C3 Hybrid, which the company says will offer the best comfort in its class, along with excellent value for money. Like the all-electric e-C3, the 2024 Auto Express Car of the Year, the C3 Hybrid comes in two trim levels: entry-level Plus and better equipped Max. The former starts from £20,115 (making it £1,810 more than the pure-petrol C3), while the latter starts at £21,815. Powering the new variant is Citroen’s Hybrid 110 set-up. This mates a 1.2-litre turbo-charged petrol engine with a 48V electric motor, and power goes through a six-speed dual-clutch auto gearbox. Despite having 109bhp (10bhp more than the pure petrol car), the hybrid reaches the same 99mph top speed.…

THE full-sized Audi A6 has been a stalwart in the executive segment for over 30 years, and while it hasn’t typically dominated the segment like the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class, it has always stood out thanks to Audi’s renowned technical know-how and clinical design. But in 2025, things are a little more complicated, because we’ve already seen a brand-new all-electric A6 Avant e-tron and drove it only six months ago. Now, here is another brand-new A6 Avant, only this one time it comes with petrol and diesel power. For those familiar with the electric version, the sleeker ICE A6 Avant looks quite different. That’s because it sits on a heavily revised version of the previous car’s PPC platform, a hi-tech architecture that’s designed to house the latest petrol…

THE phrase ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ is as popular in South Korea as it is here, but Hyundai didn't pay it much heed when it launched its high-performance N brand in 2015, shortly followed by the arrival of the i30 N hot hatch. In just shy of a decade, N has done the seemingly impossible job of transforming the public perception of Hyundai from a maker of frumpy yet affordable cars, to a real force to be reckoned with, and a challenger to legacy performance brands from Europe. A BRIEF HISTORY OF HYUNDAI N IT was 2012, and only a few years prior, Hyundai had seen some circuit success with its models via private teams racing at Le Mans. The company wanted to get in on the action,…

IF you’re looking for a five-seat family SUV with a sporting edge, then the Cupra Terramar is a strong choice. It strikes a good balance between comfort and driving dynamics that means it’s well suited to UK roads, although its size and weight mean it can’t quite deliver hot-hatch thrills. Prices are a little high, while the e-Hybrid sacrifices some practicality courtesy of its large drive battery – you also need to keep the pack charged for the best efficiency and sharpest responses. ENGINES & PERFORMANCE AT the entry point to the range, the 148bhp 1.5 eTSI offers a 0-62mph time of 9.3 seconds and a top speed of 127mph. These are respectable figures if not outstanding, but the Terramar line-up only gets faster from there. Next most powerful are…

TYRE pressures. In Formula One they mean everything, but for mere road cars, they don’t matter that much, do they? It depends. In an average family runabout, or a big heavy SUV, you’d be hard pushed to tell the difference between 30 and 40psi. But in a finely honed thoroughbred like the Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio, tyre pressures are a key ingredient, and they are often all-too-easy to get wrong. As I’ve recently discovered. The problem is, the Alfa’s handbook recommends pressures that are, I reckon, too high. And having experimented with various different pressures in the last couple of months, I’ve found a setting that I believe makes the car even better to drive than it otherwise would be. If you’re interested, they are 2.5 bar at the front and…

A FEW years ago my parents decided to lease a Renault Zoe. They chose it over other small electric cars partly because they spotted an unbelievably low price on a top-spec version, plus it offered more range and boot space than other contenders. They did a full test drive, of course, as we always recommend people do when searching for a new car, and were initially happy with their choice. However, the Zoe quickly earned the nickname ‘Tinny’ because of the clang the doors made when you closed them, and that was just one of several quality-related gripes we had with the car. Nobody was sad to see it go after three years when the lease was up. Why am I telling you this though? Well, it’s not to give…

DON’T say I didn’t warn you, because I did – several months ago when predicting that Donald ‘The Disrupter’ Trump was all set to become the automotive world’s No. 1 mover and shaker. Right on cue, he’s provocatively manoeuvred himself into this commanding and scarily influential position and can, and will, claim to be the most powerful car bloke on the planet in 2025. If not him, then who? Despite their enormous salaries, the CEOs at most of the largest European and Asian global manufacturing groups seemed quiet, almost lethargic last winter, instead of resisting the imminent assault from tariffs this spring. Because these guys left the door open for Trump, he declared financial war against them and their cars – or at least those not built in ‘his’ America.…