Tabla de contenidos para February 25, 2026 en Autocar

THE SUCCESSOR TO the Audi TT will arrive next year as the brand’s new electric flagship – and it will replace the E-tron GT in the line-up, sources have confirmed to Autocar. The compact two-seat electric roadster, referred to internally as C-Sport, was previewed by the 2025 Concept C and will have similarly distinctive styling, a dual-motor powertrain and a platform that features clever battery packaging to keep the seating position as low as possible. There had been a suggestion that the model could be axed, following reports that sibling firm Porsche is considering scrapping the forthcoming electric 718 Boxster and Cayman, which are due to share a platform with the production version of the Concept C. The models were due to share a heavily reworked version of the Premium…

The European car industry is seeing opportunities to expand in the growing defence sector as a way of replacing business lost to both the shift to electrification and the influx of Chinese manufacturers. In the most prominent example, the Renault Group has opened up its component factory in Le Mans, France, to build strike drones for military contractor Turgis Gaillard. “It is an opportunity business,” said the car maker’s CEO, François Provost, adding: “We have one concrete project and there are a few other [defence opportunities]. Let’s see”. With Nato under threat due to strained relations with the US, European countries are increasing their defence budgets to better be able to tackle the threat to its security from antagonists such as Russia. At the same time, job losses within the…

Skoda’s new flagship electric vehicle, the seven-seat Peaq, is undergoing shakedown testing in the final months before its launch. Previewed by the Vision 7S concept in 2022, the new model will serve as an electric equivalent to the popular Skoda Kodiaq and rival electric seven-seaters such as the Peugeot e-5008 and Mercedes-Benz GLB. It will sit at the top of Skoda’s growing EV line-up – hence the Peaq name. Autocar photographers have spotted the SUV winter testing near the Arctic Circle and their images give us our best look yet at the model, revealing that it will enter production closely resembling the Vision 7S. The photos suggest the seven-seater will also adopt a similar look to the smaller Enyaq EV, which was last year updated to feature Skoda’s latest ‘Modern…

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DO YOU CARE where your car or its major components come from? In the case of the Renault 4, you really should. The decision for UK-bound examples to have their battery packs sourced from France rather than China has enabled the 4 to qualify for the government’s top-bracket Electric Car Grant of £3750 – a whopping price cut of almost 15%, depending on the version. The basic Evolution model now starts at £23,445. Our pick before the price cut, the mid-range Techno, now starts from £25,945 and the range tops out with the £27,945 Iconic model tested here. French-sourced-battery models get a plus symbol after their name on the spec sheet, but this is moot given it’s only these versions that UK customers can now order. There are minor detail…

Wherever you look around the world – to North America, Europe, Japan or elsewhere – you’ll find a different breakthrough first passenger car; that one mass-produced marvel that revolutionised mobility. Austin Seven, Ford Model T, Fiat Topolino. This week, the road test turns its focus on the maker of China’s equivalent automotive pioneer (or, perhaps, the closest approximation Communist rule would allow at the time): the Jeep-like Changjiang Type 46 of 1959. This is Changan: China’s self-proclaimed oldest domestic car maker. The state-owned marque got into the commercial passenger car business properly in 1984 (with a little help from Suzuki) and last year became the first Chinese maker to pass the 30 million production watershed over its long history. It’s aiming to become a top 10 global car brand by…

We all love a bargain, but what exactly is a bargain? According to the dictionary, it’s something that costs less than its true value. It’s difficult to imagine the motor trade offering anything for less than its true value, but nevertheless we reckon we’ve mustered 25 used performance cars that cost less than you might have expected. Of course, the risk with such an exercise is confusing ‘bargain’ with ‘cheap’. There are plenty of fast cars for sale at cheap prices, but they’re usually undesirable, being very old, very tatty, extremely leggy and probably all three. We hope you agree the cars we’ve singled out are better than that. Our pick of the bargains? The Skoda Octavia vRS we found on a 69-plate with 35,000 miles looks great value at…

“One thing that can’t be cured with a software update is the chassis” WHY WE RAN IT To find out why Jaecoo is one of the UK’s fastest-growing brands When the Jaecoo 7 arrived with me, my aim was to discover the secrets of its success and to see if one of them is being able to stand up to the rigours of family life. Well, nearly 6000 miles later, the answer is a resounding yes. Although its external dimensions aren’t huge, it’s brilliantly spacious inside: there’s a decent 500-litre boot and the back seats in particular won praise. My offspring aren’t really kids any more, at 19 and 16, so it’s more like having four adults, yet there were no complaints. My father criticised how low-set the rear bench…

Appearances can be deceptive. The Polestar 2 might look like a high-riding saloon but it’s not. It’s actually a hatchback, so it’s more practical than its closest rival, the Tesla Model 3, yet sleeker and more handsome than a Model Y. Buyers here have certainly cottoned on to this Scandi-chic EV’s charms, to the extent that the UK is its largest market. As a result, there is an abundance of used examples, starting from £12,000, although it’s worth quizzing the seller about any reliability gremlins as some owners have reported issues. Since the 2’s launch in 2020, its look has changed very little – despite some major mechanical changes – and that’s no bad thing. The minimalist exterior still comes across as clean and fresh, and the cabin remains inviting…

For Jethro Harris, his Aston Martin Vantage V8 coupé is a dream come true, albeit one tinged with sadness. “I’ve always loved the model,” he says, “but unfortunately mine was an inheritance purchase. My dad had always wanted to buy one but never quite managed to, so when the opportunity to own one eventually fell to me, I thought: ‘Okay, let’s do it.’” Jethro bought his Vantage, a regular V8 registered in 2015, 12 months ago from an independent dealer. “I’d been looking for six months and had clear requirements,” he says. “It needed to be the coupé and it needed to be a manual. I wasn’t too fussed whether it was the regular V8 or the V8 S, since in normal driving I don’t believe there’s sufficient difference between…

The new Audi RS5 is the successor to the RS4 as the firm’s hot executive estate and saloon – and the brand’s first performance model to feature a new plug-in hybrid powertrain. The change in model name was born out of Audi’s now-scrapped plan to distinguish ICE and EV cars with odd and even designations. With the new badge comes a vastly more aggressive take on the firm’s mid-sized performance exec, which will arrive this summer in Avant estate and, for the first time in the UK since 2008, saloon bodystyles. The car maker’s bosses also insist the new car cures the understeer issue that affected previous generations. “With the new RS5, we are ready to attack,” said product manager Markus Fink. “The RS5 is a sports car, but it…

This is our most revealing look yet at Mercedes-Benz’s incoming junior G-Class, as the 4x4 undergoes winter testing near the Arctic. Known internally as the ‘Little G’ and due to be launched next year, it will be a new entry point into a wider G-Class range being created in a similar vein to JLR’s Range Rover and Defender brands. Sitting on a bespoke platform, it will be sold with a choice of electric, hybrid and pure-ICE powertrains. Autocar has already reported that the ‘Little G’ will inherit the G-Class’s classic blocky shape and tri-window side profile, but these new images from our spy photographers have revealed more details. It’s evident that the ‘Little G’ will be marked out by a less aggressive front-end design, a new lighting signature and unique…

SETTING CONSISTENT standards has been a persistent bugbear in the engineering of cars since the year dot. Trouble is, everybody has a different idea of how to do things, so the world ends up with umpteen different versions of the same thing with little or no compatibility. Take the various EV charging connectivity options, such as Type 1, Type 2, Chademo and CCS. Which type dominates can depend on where you live in the world. Volkswagen has nipped this phenomenon in the bud where EV battery and battery cell design are concerned. Its Unified Cell, which we have previously reported on, has been developed in conjunction with its subsidiary PowerCo to standardise battery cell design, and last year it revealed its first production ready examples. The Unified Cell will make…

Will the new-age Land Rover Defender ever reach similarly legendary status to the classic Land Rover? It’s unlikely, if only because there are considerably fewer uncharted territories left to be heroically charted than when the original was launched in the middle of the last century. In all likelihood, JLR is quite happy to settle for the Defender being a commercial success, which it undoubtedly is. It has been around, incredibly, for six years now, with no facelift or new generation in sight, but its popularity shows no signs of abating. In that respect, the Defender is surely following in the tyre tracks of the Series Landie. Still, some carefully considered model-year updates and a special-edition sticker pack won’t hurt to keep the sales fires lit, and that’s what we have…

ANYONE WHO SPENT time in the Toyota Corolla Commercial that we had on our long-term fleet a few years ago remembers it fondly, because it was simply a Corolla estate (which is great) on 15in wheels with an absurd amount of boot space. Car-derived vans are also cheap to tax and escape the lower speed limits imposed on other commercial vehicles. It’s strange that more manufacturers don’t offer them. Now there’s another one, but it’s based on a slightly unlikely car: the Citroën ë-C3. Instead of rear seats, there’s a flat load floor and a bulkhead made up of a plastic barrier and a metal grille. These are positioned quite sensibly and, unlike in some vans, the range of adjustment for the front seats doesn’t feel noticeably compromised. The cabin…

We’re not in the habit of road testing cars fully eight years old, but in the case of the Volvo V60 we’re willing to make an exception on the basis of its era-ending status. The much-loved middle-ranking Swedish estate is not long for this world, and in fact its maker has already made one attempt on its life. In 2023, Volvo’s UK operation temporarily became SUV-exclusive, unless you were the lucky plod, in which case the order book for one of the company’s enviably svelte, cosseting wagons remained quietly open. Cue much outrage, as well as wagon-related capital flight to Audi, VW and Mercedes. Given Volvo’s reputation was built on the estate format, it was a peculiar decision – Black Sabbath going acoustic, if you like – but also one…

MILEAGE 3320 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if BYD’s value-focused newcomer can dislodge Europe’s small car elite While small electric cars often leave me cold in terms of driving thrills and engagement, they have a knack of making up for it with a number of sometimes unexpected practical benefits. One of the main perks is more space than is typical in a small combustion-engined car. For example, EVs don’t require certain mechanicals, like a transmission tunnel or exhaust system, so benefit from a flat floor. This is something my passengers and I have really appreciated in the Dolphin Surf. For a small car, the space inside really is impressive. It’s vast in the front for both driver and passenger, with plenty of scope for adjustment, thanks to electric seats,…

The hidden giant that is the Iranian car industry Iran has been back in the headlines recently – the latest chapter in the half-century-long tale of an international pariah. The state’s isolation, due to its government’s militant rejection of the Western world, has confined its automotive industry within obscurity – despite it being the world’s 17th largest, producing some 1.1 million vehicles in 2024, 85,000 more than the UK. Production got going in the early 1960s, thanks to Fiat and Citroën operations, then took off when the entrepreneurial Khayami brothers struck a deal with Britain’s Rootes Group to build its new Arrow. Their Iran National Industrial Co built the biggest British car factory in the Middle East, notable enough to be opened by the Shah of Iran. We reported: “Lord…

Polestar will launch four new models in the next three years – including an estate version of the 4 and a nextgeneration 2 – as part of a bold growth strategy. The Swedish EV firm, owned by Chinese giant Geely, sold around 60,000 vehicles globally last year with its current three-model line-up, but it has posted heavy losses that have badly hit its share price. Polestar has now set a timeline for four new models that will arrive by the end of 2028 and which the brand hopes will improve its financial footing. With this expanded line-up, former Opel-Vauxhall boss Michael Lohscheller, named Polestar CEO in 2024, has targeted about 100,000 sales a year. “The 4 is a winning model, but some people want a bit more function and practicality”…

Porsche is considering merging the Taycan and Panamera into a single, unified model line with petrol, plug-in hybrid and fully electric variants. The proposals are part of broader cost-cutting measures from new Porsche CEO Michael Leiters following a downturn in global sales and huge costs associated with former CEO Oliver Blume’s decision last year to scale back the firm’s electrification plans. The reining in of development spending – which this unification would work towards – is understood to be a key focus for Leiters. The combustion engined Panamera and electric Taycan are both performance saloons that sit alongside each other in Porsche’s line-up, although they are underpinned by different platforms and have substantially different bodystyles. The Panamera is based on Porsche’s MSB platform, which it shares with the Bentley Continental…

THE RENAULT GROUP will expand its line-up, both in Europe and overseas, in the coming years as it seeks to continue its growth – and will outline its strategy for doing that next month. The French company has enjoyed a notable turnaround in the past four years under the ‘Renaulution’ strategy laid out by former CEO Luca de Meo. That plan involved expanding its affordable EV line-up with the 5, 4 and Twingo as well as its range of C-segment ICE cars, particularly SUVs. Vehicle sales and revenue grew again last year, helped by the expansion into new markets both in Europe and in international markets. And while the Renault Group has targeted more growth in the medium term, CEO François Provost has insisted that it won’t simply chase volume.…

“You deserve respect if you buy a Mercedes. You’ve been successful in life” Former Mercedes-Benz design boss Gorden Wagener has revealed his radical reimagining of the brand’s historic ‘Red Pig’ 300 SEL race car. Described by the German as an “unseen show car”, the concept comprehensively updates the original motorsport car’s looks with several of Mercedes’ current design cues, which he introduced before his departure last month. For example, the racer’s stacked headlights are replaced by units with a three-pointed star logo and there is a prominent chrome version of the ‘Iconic Grille’ introduced with the Vision Iconic concept and the new GLC. It also features a modern front splitter, side skirts and a rear diffuser. In addition, a number of round running lights are sited around its front and…

WE’RE USED TO hearing about the gloom in the car market, but the truth is that new car buyers are having a great time of it. Offers abound, on not only EVs but also hybrids, PHEVs and good old combustion engined cars, mainly embedded in finance deals (where they have less effect on residual values). Why? Two reasons. One is that car makers are anxious that sales volumes don’t fall too low. After the pandemic, many of them exploited a shortage of new cars by focusing on higher-margin models, like bigger SUVs; some even believed they could continue this ‘value over-volume’ strategy indefinitely. But once the supply chain was fixed, cash-strapped buyers gratefully went back to chasing deals. Car makers that stayed aloof found their dwindling profits couldn’t sustain a…

FIRST DRIVE NEW AUDI RS5 RATED Compact super-saloon is back with a different name – and a plug-in hybrid system boosting it to 630bhp. Should the BMW M3 be worried? FEATURE CORVETTE E-RAY ROAD TRIP Electrified American muscle car takes on Scotland’s finest roads INSIGHT FORMULA 1 SEASON PREVIEW It’s all change for a new era. We explain everything you need to know EVERY WEEK LIVING WITH A… POLESTAR 4 Do you need a rear windscreen? This EV is potentially the most controversial car we’ll run in 2026 USED GUIDE HONDA CIVIC The previous generation is new enough to look and feel fresh yet old enough to be cracking value…

With EVs in particular, less is often more. With no engine noise, driving a fast EV slowly yields much the same experience as driving a slow EV fast. Driving fast can be fun, something Hyundai’s N models tap into well, but is it really that relevant in a seven-seat SUV? I’d argue not really. Here to prove the theory is the simplest version of the Hyundai Ioniq 9. When this electric behemoth was introduced, we tried it in luxurious Calligraphy spec with the 429bhp Performance motor. We liked it, because it was big and practical and it offered something similar to the Volvo EX90 but for much less money and with more sensible controls – but to drive it lacked some cohesiveness, with slightly wallowy handling yet a lumpy ride.…

Some cars simply ride as they do. Some are affected slightly by the larger engine or slimmer tyre sidewalls of a sportier trim. And a few make an art form out of complicating your decision. The latest-generation Q5 is one such car. Audi offers three suspension options: Comfort, with passive springs and dampers; S Sport, which is the same but firmer; and air springs with adaptive dampers. Comfort suspension comes only in the entry-level trim, confusingly called Sport – and then only if you pick petrol or diesel power, because, bafflingly, S Sport suspension is fitted to all UKbound PHEVs. Unless, that is, you ascend to S Line, Black Edition or Vorsprung trim (for several grand more in each instance) and swap in the air suspension for £1725. I told…

There’s some beef here. Or rather, pork. When the current 911 GT3 RS landed, it appeared Porsche – Zuffenhausen, the mothership – had finally pinned motorsport satellite Manthey into a development dead end. This mattered because tiny Manthey’s ability to turn a showroom-spec GT-division 911 into something even more special had always quietly frustrated Porsche, and especially division leader Andy Preuninger. Manthey would apply racing tricks that the factory, snared by endless homologation red tape, couldn’t. Mightier wings, more aggressive geometries, belly-scraping ride heights: Porsche’s RS people had the desire and the know-how but only Manthey, with its cottage status, could actually sell you anything. And boy did it reap the reputational rewards. During the gestation of the 992-generation GT3 RS, something clearly snapped at Porsche. Test mules wore wings…

MILEAGE 6308 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see how Volvo is keeping this decade-old SUV relevant There’s quite the array of itinerant renters here at Haymarket Automotive, so flat moves are frequent and begging for temporary use of large test cars is inevitable. On the scrounge for a big car last month was Classic & Sports Car’s Aaron McKay – and there are few cars bigger than my Volvo XC90, with its greedy 4953mm by 2140mm seven-seat SUV footprint. There was some irony in Aaron’s request, because I commit the fourth deadly sin whenever I see his own car: a 1985 BMW 325i with those wheels. But the biggest piece of furniture he could fit in his saloon’s boot would be a footstool, whereas he could almost park his whole…