Auto Express 1470

THE Shanghai Motor Show is always an eyeopener, from the sheer scale of the event to the ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ supercar makers that seem to pop up at each visit then vanish from trace. Western car companies are putting more and more effort into this lucrative market, while plenty of the Chinese makers continue to tease us with promises of heading to Europe and the UK with innovation and value (although judging by some of the tired-looking designs on display, we’d be quite happy if many of them stayed in the Far East). However, while one Chinese car brand purported to be coming to the UK, Qoros, finally confirmed that it wasn’t (Page 17), one of its big rivals seemed to be stealing the show. Lynk & Co –…

▪ Sub-four second 0-62mph time ▪ Range estimated at 310 miles Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn MG will make a dramatic return to the sports car market with its all-electric E-Motion coupé. Revealed as a concept at the Shanghai Motor Show last week, this spiritual successor to the MGB has been given the green light for production and could cost less than £30,000 when it arrives in the UK, possibly by the end of 2019. The E-Motion is based on the new electric modular architecture of parent company SAIC; MG claims the car will be capable of 0-62mph in less than four seconds and cover up to 310 miles on a single charge. However, MG has not issued any details on power, battery density or number of on-board electric motors. Lei Ming, deputy…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn BEFORE MG launches its all-electric sports car, it first needs to deal with the bread and butter of any mainstream product range: crossovers and SUVs. The ZS is the once-iconic brand’s take on the Nissan Juke, and ahead of the car landing here this year – with a new, unconfirmed name – Auto Express has been granted early access to see if it can help rejuvenate MG. Chinese owner SAIC has provided the backing to ensure the ZS has all the ingredients a successful crossover needs. There’s a punchy 1.0-litre engine, lots of kit and a competitive price. UK specs won’t be finalised until later, but bosses are confident a flagship ZS will undercut mid-level rivals like the Ford EcoSport by up to 20 per cent. Most of…

THESE are the first images of Chinese car maker Lynk & Co’s new 03 Concept, which made its debut at last week’s Shanghai Motor Show. It will be the company’s second model, and follows in the wheeltracks of the 01 crossover, which appeared as a production car in Shanghai (opposite). The missing 02 model remains a bit of a mystery, but it isn’t the flash four-door coupé the brand showed last year (see below). Like the 01, the 03 Concept sits on a Compact Modular Architecture platform that has been co-developed with Volvo. This will be used on the forthcoming XC40 crossover, S40 saloon and V40 hatchback models – making the 03 Lynk & Co’s interpretation of the saloon. Lynk & Co will also share the Swedish brand’s powertrains, so…

Graham_Hope@dennis.co.uk SKODA bosses have confirmed for the first time that they could be prepared to drop the massively popular and successful Yeti badge for the next-generation crossover. Speaking to Auto Express about how the Skoda Kodiaq could influence the styling of future SUVs, Skoda exterior design chief Karl Neuhold said the seven-seat model would lend its design language to “the new Yeti successor – the name is not sorted yet”. Asked specifically whether the next Yeti – previewed in our exclusive images – would retain the badge, Neuhold added: “At this time no, it is not decided yet. That is still in planning, in discussion, to the very end.” Rumours have been rife online that the Yeti badge may be dropped, with Skoda recently registering the Karoq name. But if…

A SENIOR source at Land Rover has suggested the company could develop its own bespoke electric car as a sister vehicle to the Jaguar I-Pace. The all-electric Jaguar (right) is scheduled to go on sale next year, some way ahead of Land Rover’s electrification plans. Jaguar Land Rover’s global sales operations director Andy Goss told us: “We need to get the plug-in hybrids sorted first, and there’s not a Land Rover BEV [pure-electric vehicle] at the moment, but could there be one? Of course. There’s no reason why not.” Goss also stated that a Land Rover EV would need to be a standalone model, like the I-Pace, instead of a version of a conventionally powered vehicle. “Can you have a car that’s internal combustion engine and pure-EV? That’s tricky,” he said.…