Auto Express 1602

“I BELIEVE diesel will bounce back next year – you can quote me on that.” They’re the words of Vauxhall boss Stephen Norman – a man whose views on the car industry I would definitely trust – talking to me on the eve of the launch of the new Vauxhall Corsa (above). The car will be available with three powertrains: petrol, diesel and electric. And as much as most of the excitement is around the electric version, Norman says that diesel is far from dead. “There’ll be a rebalancing of petrol and diesel,” he told me. “With the Corsa diesel you can get around 70mpg; who doesn’t want that?” Diesel continues to get a bad press – not least from some legislators (hello, Bristol City Council) who want to treat…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk ● Petrol, diesel and electric versions line up to challenge Ford Fiesta ● New Corsa range starts at £15,550, but equipment levels are high THE Vauxhall Corsa is a staple of the British automotive landscape, loved by learner drivers and a regular in the top 10 new car sales charts for generations. But of all the versions that have gone before, this fifth-generation model is easily the most important, because it ushers in the first all-new Vauxhall introduced since the brand – and its German sibling, Opel – has been owned by French firm PSA. As a result, the new Corsa shares much of its technology with models like the new Peugeot 208 hatchback and 2008 SUV, as well as the posher DS 3 Crossback and future Citroens, too.…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk WE’RE never ones to miss an opportunity, and our judging session for Auto Bild’s Golden Steering Wheel Awards presented us with both the new Corsa and two of its closest rivals: the Peugeot 208 and Audi A1. It would be rude not to, wouldn’t it? Although the Vauxhall and Peugeot share the same running gear, the two cars have very different looks and feel quite different, too. Put simply, the Vauxhall is the more sporting of the two, while the Peugeot feels posher and plusher. Its 3D digital dash display gives it a tech advantage, as well. The cleaner looks of the Vauxhall on the outside are mirrored inside, where a more minimalist approach has been taken to the dash. The infotainment system’s touchscreen sits lower down, meaning the…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk ● SUV is inspired by sports car ● Up to 370 miles of range THIS is the new battery-electric vehicle from Ford, called the Mustang Mach-E. The new all-electric crossover is designed to build on the famous sports car nameplate and give the American manufacturer a proper rival for the likes of the Tesla Model 3 and Jaguar I-Pace. The Mach-E is a 4.7-metre long SUV (slightly longer than the Jag) with a relatively low and aggressive roofline – but it’s a full five-seater, with a total luggage capacity (front and rear) of more than 500 litres. The car’s looks and layout are likely to be controversial with Mustang devotees – but they sit in line with the current trends towards taller vehicles, and are required in any case…

Chief designer, Ford of Europe “Mustang-inspired design gives us a unique point for this kind of car” MURAT GUELER has worked on a number of key projects at Ford, including the recently launched Puma. He gave us extra insight into the thought processes that led to a Mustang becoming Ford’s first EV. Q WAS the Mustang always at the heart of the electric car that Ford’s ‘Project Edison’ was designed to produce? A “NO, not at all. It was going in a completely different direction, in fact, and it wasn’t working out. It was a bit of a ‘eureka’ moment, at the end of 2016 or early in 2017, when we first started trying to inject some Mustang DNA into the project. When the first design popped up, it made…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk ● Aston Martin’s first ever SUV ● Prices start from £158,000 THIS is the Aston Martin DBX, the first SUV from the luxury sports car brand and a key model in the British maker’s plans to expand over the next decade. The DBX has been in development since 2015, and is designed to rival the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and Bentley Bentayga. It is, Aston Martin hopes, the model that will attract more female buyers to the brand, but also a car that the company expects will appeal to existing customers. More than 70 per cent of Aston’s sports car owners also have an SUV in their garage. The DBX is just over five metres long and 2.2 metres wide, including side mirrors. Like all modern Astons, it’s based on…