Auto Express 1472

LAST week’s headlines made for ugly reading. “Sales of new cars plummet,” summed up the prevailing tone pretty well as the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders issued figures which showed registrations in April were down 19.8 per cent year on year, from 189,505 in 2016 to 152,076. While the best-sellers chart had a familiar name on top – the Ford Fiesta (above) – the numbers themselves were largely unfamiliar after a period of around five years of unprecedented growth. Within hours of this data being published, I was being contacted by an array of ‘experts’, many with vested interests, fuelling a sense of alarm with their own theories over the dramatic decline. Among the factors blamed were the introduction of new VED rates, growing mistrust of the finance industry,…

▪ New supermini could be built alongside next Peugeot 208 ▪ Larger platform designed to accommodate future EV powertrain Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn VAUXHALL will completely overhaul its next generation of Corsa, which is being developed in partnership with new owners PSA Peugeot Citroen and the nextgeneration Peugeot 208. The finishing touches are being applied to the all-new model ahead of its debut late next year, before it goes on sale in early 2019. The current Corsa was launched in 2014, but despite being labelled as a brand-new model, it was, in essence, a reskinned version of the previous supermini. It was based on the same chassis, boasted almost identical dimensions and even looked largely the same as the model it replaced. However, that is all about to change with the fifth-generation…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn SKODA bosses have confirmed for the first time that the Czech brand is looking to develop an all-electric sports car. It will be one of five EVs due on sale by 2025, Auto Express can exclusively reveal. Speaking about the history of the brand and some of its most iconic models, Christian Strube, Skoda’s boss for technical development, told us: “The story that Skoda is all about function, it is not true. Skoda has 120 years of history, it’s full of emotion.” Strube referenced the rear-engined, rearwheel- drive 110 R Coupé (see panel) from the seventies as the sort of variety and excitement previously seen in the manufacturer’s range. Asked if Skoda would ever make a car like the 110 R – which he owns an example of…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler CITROEN stole the show at the recent Shanghai Motor Show with its first proper SUV, the C5 Aircross. It’s a car the company claims will “kick-start the next generation of SUVs”. Borrowing cues from the C4 Cactus and C3 supermini, the new SUV isn’t due to arrive in the UK until the end of 2018. However, Citroen’s design director Alexandre Malval gave Auto Express an exclusive tour of the car in Shanghai. “This car gives us a new positioning in terms of design and product,” said Malval. “The main thing we wanted to show is the potential we have to make premium cars and global cars. The Aircross concept [revealed at the Shanghai show in 2015] was the first of this new generation of vehicles – it showed…

MG has confirmed that its all-new Nissan Juke rival will be called the XS in the UK. The small crossover was unveiled at the London Motor Show last week, and it will go on sale towards the end of the year, priced from around £13,000. The crossover will be built in China and called the ZS there, but UK buyers will know the car as the XS to avoid confusion with the ZS sports saloon of the 2000s. The XS also introduces a new design language for MG that will eventually make its way across the brand’s line-up. Under the bonnet, MG will offer buyers the choice between a turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine and a more potent 1.5-litre – official specs will be announced closer to launch. A six-speed-manual gearbox…

RENAULT has confirmed its new flagship Koleos SUV will be priced from £27,500 in the UK. First deliveries of the Skoda Kodiaq rival will begin this summer. The large five-seat SUV is offered in a pair of trim levels and comes with a choice of two dCi diesels: a 129bhp 1.6 with front-wheel drive, and a 173bhp 2.0-litre with four-wheel drive. The Dynamique S Nav kicks off the range, but is still very well equipped, with a panoramic sunroof, partleather upholstery, 18-inch alloys, dualzone climate control and a seven-inch R-Link2 infotainment system featuring sat-nav and Apple CarPlay as standard. Step up to Signature Nav – which is priced from £29,800 – and you get larger 19-inch alloys, LED headlights, a full leather interior, an 8.7-inch display and an electrically-powered tailgate.…