Auto Express 1743

THERE’S no escaping the fact that times are already tough and quite possibly going to get tougher. Yet we’re in the bizarre situation where car companies have order books stretching well into next year – by which time we might well be in recession – and financially they’re doing very nicely; in fact, better than usual. Of course, most car companies are not recession-proof and, talking to one MD recently, there will come a time when the order books aren’t quite so full, yet supply has returned to something approaching normality. That’s the time when they’re going to have to start selling again – and it may well be hard. You’ll note that I said that most car companies are not recession-proof… apart from, it seems, luxury brands. Thankfully, we…

● We get behind the wheel of MG’s new electric family hatch ● Prices start at £25,995 for the SE, with a 218-mile range THIS is British brand MG’s ‘ID.’ moment. While the Chinese-owned firm has dabbled with EVs in the past – including the impressive affordable ZS crossover and MG5 estate – this MG4 family hatchback is where the company’s push with its next generation of models really begins. That’s why, in almost every sense, you can see parallels with Volkswagen’s ID.3 – hence this being a crucial car for MG. For a start, both models are competing in the same sector and aiming for the same buyers: everyone from city dwellers to families who might use the MG4 as a second car, as well as company car drivers…

@stevefowler ● All models to be full EV by ’27 ● Hot MG4 due next year “The MG ZS could take design cues from the MG4 and get serious in-car tech and quality improvements” MG is riding the crest of a wave right now. Sales are up nearly 28 per cent so far this year, there’s a solid order bank stretching months ahead, and the brilliant new MG4 is about to arrive in showrooms. Now Auto Express can reveal that the whole MG line-up will be refreshed or replaced by the end of 2024, while the brand is set to be electric-only by 2027. First up after the arrival of the MG4 hatchback will be the updated MG5 estate, arriving by the end of the year and already previewed with…

The Chinese-owned British brand is rethinking how it’s perceived by Western buyers, as it gets set for sales to rise when new models arrive Q What does MG stand for these days? A “In terms of brand and heritage we’ve got something that most manufacturers would give their right arm for. People spend billions and take decades building up brand equity like we have. An MG is a blooming good car. They’re fantastic value for money, reliable, very well equipped, look nice and they’re getting better and better.” Q How much work on the cars is done in the UK? A “We have a design centre in London and an engineering base in Longbridge. So we partly design the cars here and partly engineer them here.” Q How are you…

BENTLEY MULLINER BATUR PRICE: £1.65m Number made: 18 BENTLEY is at a tipping point. We’ll see the brand’s first EV by 2025 – and this new Bentley Mulliner Batur model gives us a preview of the brand’s future design language for the all-electric age. Following on from the firm’s Bacalar, by in-house coachbuilding division Mulliner, the combustion-engined Batur is Bentley’s most powerful road car ever. Revealed at Monterey Car Week, Bentley says that the Batur “embodies the start of a design revolution” that “will ultimately guide the design of Bentley’s future range of electric vehicles.” This is underpinned by three design pillars that focus on the car’s powerful stance, upright elegance (with a redesigned grille and slimmer lights) and endless bonnet, according to the brand. As a result, while the…

@tristan_shale ● IMI warns of jobs crisis ● 160k vacancies predicted THE UK automotive industry has mounted a robust defence of the opportunities it offers following the recent publication of a report raising concerns over the sector’s future. The Institute for the Motor Industry’s (IMI) new Automotive Sector Employment report for 2021-2031 predicts a worsening skills crisis that will see 160,000 vacancies needing to be filled in nine years’ time. Of the vacancies – which the IMI believes will be driven by factors such as low immigration, electrification and the green agenda – some 16 per cent will be for the role of vehicle technician. Dean Lander is head of repair sector services at Thatcham Research and runs the organisation’s Automotive Academy. “We concur greatly with content within the report,…