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Visit autoexpress.co.uk for all the latest new cars news OKAY, so we probably won’t get the Tesla Model S’s Knight Rider-style steering wheel (above) in the UK, but it’s another example of the brand’s way of thinking. Can you imagine an established car maker putting something like that into one of their most popular models? In advance of the latest Tesla financials release, I was asked to comment on why it’s doing so well. And my answer was simple; it doesn’t think like a car company. From the design and engineering of the cars to the way they’re all sold online (4pm on a Tuesday is, apparently, peak Tesla buying time), Tesla’s clean sheet of paper approach has been a breath of fresh air for the car industry. Sure, there…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn Visit autoexpress.co.uk for your daily news updates • Newcomer aimed at wooing crossover, hatch and MPV buyers • Hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions expected to arrive before EV “The Mondeo was one of the cars that helped transform Ford into the commercial success that it is today” FORD is plotting a radical overhaul of the Mondeo that will see the long-standing model morph from a traditional hatch into a more-contemporary crossover designed to appeal to a broader range of customers. Early prototypes of the newcomer have been spotted undergoing development testing in the US for the first time, ahead of an anticipated launch in 2022. The Mondeo – originally unveiled back in 1992 – was one of the cars that helped transform Ford into the commercial success that…

1993-1996 Mondeo MkI REVEALED for the first time at the end of 1992, but going on sale at the beginning of 1993, the Mondeo was a replacement for the Sierra. Four-door saloon, five-door hatchback and estate models were produced, and all versions bound for the European market were built at Ford’s plant in Genk, Belgium. 1997-2000 Mondeo Mk2 ALTHOUGH technically a facelift of the first-generation Mondeo, this particular version is generally regarded as the Mk2. It largely featured all of the same running gear and components as the Mk1, but its redesign prompted the majority of people to consider it as a whole new model. 2001-2007 Mondeo Mk3 THE turn of the millennium is when Mondeo sales peaked in the UK; Ford sold more than 86,000 examples in 2001, up…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy • Elise, Evora, Exige to be axed • New car due on sale in 2022 LOTUS bosses have promised that the company intends to “stay true” to its enthusiast base and existing price positioning – after the British firm announced that it is axing production of its three current sports cars, the Elise, Exige and Evora, ahead of introducing an all-new model in 2022. The new car, which is codenamed Type 131 and previewed by our exclusive image, is likely to feature V6 hybrid power and will be pitched above the current positioning of the Evora. That could give it a starting price of around £85,000 – almost double the figure of the outgoing Elise. But speaking to Auto Express, Uday Senapati, Lotus’s Executive Director of Corporate Strategy…

LOTUS has revealed that it is open to the idea of further editions of its Evija pure-electric hypercar – but only if the exclusive customer base for the £2m vehicle demands it. The 2,000bhp creation is running around six months behind schedule, due to Covidinduced delays in getting it to test facilities in continental Europe. But it’s still expected to enter production this year, and more than half of the planned 130 examples have been sold. Now Lotus’s product management chief Uday Senapati has suggested to Auto Express that additional, more extreme or exclusive versions of the car could be produced after the initial run has been completed. “This is a proven model in hypercars,” he said. “There’s no harm in doing it, but not in big numbers. If we ended…

Q How hard was it to axe the existing models, when they’re still selling and Elise in particular is such an iconic badge? A “Any company who has an iconic product like Elise has always struggled to axe those models. And when they have axed them, they’ve often been pushed into bringing them back. What not to do is often the most difficult decision you can make strategically. But we need to transform ourselves as a company, and we can’t do that while hanging on to everything that we’ve got.” Q The new electric sports car platform is key to your plans. How much have you drawn on assets from your owner Geely for that architecture? A “We have to be careful and go with what is suitable. I would…