Auto Express 1616

WITHIN minutes of this year’s Geneva Motor Show being cancelled on health and safety grounds, the car companies had swung into action to reorganise the press conferences and interviews that are so vital for background on new releases and ongoing stories. I’ve no doubt that being forced to go digital with their reveals and discussions will mean most makers reassess their participation in forthcoming motor shows – and the multi-million-pound spend that accompanies it. But from my point of view, the most important parts of any motor show are being able to see a car in the metal – we all know how different that can be – and having the chance to talk to the brilliant people who design, engineer, make and sell them. The future of the motor…

● Battery-powered city car will have near-200-mile range ● Launched as cabriolet, but hard-top version is expected THE Fiat 500 has been a city-car icon since the reborn model was launched in 2007. It has been kept relevant mostly with colour and trim upgrades since then, but now it’s time for the biggest revolution in the car’s history: the all-new, all-electric 500. The revisions required to make the 500 EV are sufficient enough for Fiat to call this model the third generation – following the 2007 rebirth and the original Cinquecento made between 1957 and 1975. There’s a new platform that results in a slight increase in size compared with the Mk2, so the EV is 60mm wider and 60mm longer. The car’s wheelbase has grown by 20mm too, but…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk ●Five-door car only at launch ● Mild-hybrid engine available AUDI has revealed its all-new A3 hatchback, which is due to go on sale in the UK this summer, with prices set to start from around £24,000. The outgoing A3 is the oldest car in the brand’s UK line-up, but the changes for this Mk4 car aren’t revolutionary. It requires a trained eye to spot the differences outside, but at 1,820mm wide, this A3 has grown a fair bit, while it’s also longer from nose to tail, at 4,034mm. Yet it’s no taller than the Mk3, and the wheelbase hasn’t grown. Its exterior gets a makeover straight from Audi’s latest design guidelines, with a larger hexagonal grille, new LED headlights and tail-lamps, plus aggressive styling for S line models. The…

IN February (Issue 1,612) we had our first chance to get behind the wheel of Audi’s latest hatch in hot S3 guise. The VW Golf R rival sticks with the old model’s 306bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, coupled with the firm’s familiar quattro four-wheel-drive system. “One of the first things you’ll notice,” we said, “is the engine note.” The S3 features a new sound actuator behind the dashboard, tasked with reverberating engine noise around the cabin. “It makes an uncanny impression of the bassy five-cylinder 2.5-litre engine we’ve become accustomed to in the RS3,” we reckoned. However, the S3’s basic running gear hasn’t changed much, so the car feels very familiar, but still hugely capable. “This is a potent hot hatch with a balance of power that feels right at home…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk VOLKSWAGEN has revealed the Mk8 Golf GTI, alongside the latest version of the diesel-powered Golf GTD, and both cars will go on sale in the UK this summer. When they do, they’ll form an important trio of ‘GT’-badged cars, alongside the latest plug-in hybrid GTE model. Last year, hot Golf variants – including the even faster Golf R – accounted for 40 per cent of all UK sales. VW has avoided any major alterations to the Golf GTI recipe, and unlike the similar Skoda Octavia vRS (below), it has kept it free from hybrid assistance. As with the last GTI, there’s a turbocharged four-cylinder engine under the bonnet, which is a fourth-generation version of VW’s ‘EA888’ motor. It makes 242bhp and 370Nm of torque and sends power to the…

THE new Golf GTI isn’t the only new hot hatchback from the Volkswagen Group. Skoda has revealed a brand new Octavia vRS, which features a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the very first time. Available as both hatchback and estate (pictured), the new car is called the vRS iV and is powered by a 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine and a 113bhp electric motor. It’s the same powertrain as the new Golf GTE, with 242bhp and 400Nm, while CO2 emissions could be as low as 30g/km. As well as that CO2 figure, Skoda claims that this hot Octavia is capable of 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds and a top speed of 139mph. And that’s all while being able to cover 37 miles on electric power only – just as long as you can keep the car’s 13kWh…