Table of contents for July 03, 2024 in Autocar

FORD HAS GIVEN the first look at the new electric Capri ‘sports crossover’ ahead of its unveiling in the coming weeks. Pictures showing the distinctive LED lights of the Explorer’s rakish-roofed sibling were circulated as part of a cryptic publicity campaign that used the old Capri marketing refrain: “The car you always promised yourself.” Capri production is due to begin in a matter of weeks at the Cologne factory that’s just started building the Explorer, and it will hit UK dealers at the end of the year.…

The Citroën C4 is tipped to be radically reinvented, taking heavy influence from the genre-bending Oli concept and prioritising affordability and utility. “We will put a car very much like Oli on the road,” Citroën design chief Pierre Leclercq told Autocar when asked about the compact EV’s role in the French company’s future. He explained that the new C3 supermini and C3 Aircross crossover had been designed in parallel with the Oli and that it “is going to influence another car coming afterwards, and it will be quite exceptional”. “When we developed that concept, there wasn’t one idea that we didn’t want to push [into production],” said Leclercq. He conceded that some elements of the Oli were “not good ideas”, suggesting that some of its more conceptual elements would remain…

News that Fisker Group, the US electric car maker behind the Ocean SUV, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection won’t have surprised many owners of its vehicles, who have been monitoring the company’s troubles in recent months. However, for those bold enough to seize the opportunity, this development opens up the prospect of bargains among the new and used examples available in the UK. FISKER’S RISE AND FALL Launched in 2016, Fisker was haemorrhaging money by 2023 and subsequently found itself delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. More bad news arrived this March when Fisker announced that in order to stay in business it would reduce staff numbers, pause future model development and suspend current production by subcontractor Magna Steyr at its factory in Austria. In April, the…

STELLANTIS “COULD STOP” producing vehicles at its Luton and Ellesmere Port factories if the UK becomes a “hostile” business environment, according to Stellantis UK MD Maria Grazia Davino. She told reporters last week that the UK’s zeroemission vehicle mandate and proposed 2030/2035 ICE sales ban are out of step with actual demand for electric cars, and the penalties for not complying are threatening Stellantis’s profitability. “We can survive because we are fit for every circumstance,” she said, but “there will be consequences on the production set-up. “Stellantis UK does not stop. Stellantis production in the UK could stop.” Davino added: “It’s not what we want to do” and the firm does “not have a plan” to mothball the factories but “if demand does not follow the offer, then we will…

The British Touring Car Championship headed into its summer break with a sunkissed weekend of frantic action at beautiful Oulton Park. Naturally, the cream has once again risen to the top in the UK’s premier racing series, as its three best drivers, Jake Hill, Tom Ingram and Ash Sutton, find themselves scrapping for the crown. But will the Oulton weekend prove the kiss of death to Sutton’s ambition to become the BTCC’s first five-time champion? A double noscore after a second place to Ingram in the opening race has left him trailing 24 points behind new leader Hill, who jumped to the top with a stunning last-lap pass to win race three. Ingram headed off for the hols just four points down on the WSR BMW driver, but with five…

The Polestar 4 is difficult to figure out. It’s trying very hard to be bold and original, hence the windowless beetleback in place of a rear screen. It’s also trying very hard to be a lot of different things, including an SUV, a coupé, an executive car, a sports car, a tech device… And probably some others that we’ve forgotten. This could be genius – as if Picasso made a car, with all its disparate bits brought together into one brave yet cohesive whole. Or it could be more Frankenstein’s monster – lots of unrelated stuff, stitched together and brought to life so that it can shamble about in your nightmares. To find out, let’s start with the basics. Being a Polestar, it’s electric only, and it’s based on the…

Audi won’t thank me for telling you this, but the SQ6 E-tron feels more like a trim level than a stand-alone model. The hot electric SUV uses the same dual-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrain as the regular Q6 E-tron but with the power turned up to 510bhp (in overboost mode), and while in the UK the SQ6 will be available exclusively on adaptive air suspension, that won’t be the case on the continent. Driving the two models back to back, you can definitely feel the extra shove. It’s especially pronounced from standstill, with the SQ6 knocking 1.6sec off the Q6’s 0-62mph time. It drives smartly, too. Dynamic mode sends more power rearwards, and while still being measured, it does feel that extra bit more willing to pivot around you. The brakes, the…

Cupra wants you to think of its new Leon as more than just a rebadged Seat. It says the updated version has been developed as a bespoke product, receiving the new Cupra design language, more sustainable materials and improved technology. Not only this, but the 2.0-litre fourcylinder turbo petrol engine now makes 329bhp (up from 310bhp) and the plug-in hybrid is up on capacity and power to 1.5 litres and 268bhp. Note, however, that while the headline output is available in the four-wheel-drive estate, the five-door hatchback tops out with a 296bhp version of the 2.0-litre four, connected to only the front axle. A six-speed manual gearbox is available only with the base trim; otherwise you get a seven-speed dual-clutcher or, in the PHEVs, a conventional six-speed automatic. Key to…

No charges I have a plug-in hybrid car, which is fine, and in order to maximise its usability I’ve had a tethered charger installed at home. My charger has developed a fault that apparently requires it to be changed, and this can only be done by an approved engineer authorised by the supplier. Again, this is fine. The problem is the support provided by the supplier: my installer and I have had to make numerous calls and send numerous emails to get it to take action and even communicate with us. I’ve been without my charger for three weeks now. I can only imagine the problems I’d be experiencing if my car were fully electric. The supplier has eventually agreed to replace my charger, but I have no idea when…

This week we’re focusing on a car whose look was said to be inspired by modern fighter jets, whose strong sales figures underline its popular appeal and whose dynamics are likely to better suit a keener driver than those of many SUVs of the period. The fourth-generation Sportage (2016-2021) was designed by Peter Schreyer, also known for his work on the original Audi TT, to be a far more eye-catching proposition than its predecessor, both inside and out. People liked what they saw and the car became a sales success for the South Korean firm. That’s good news for used buyers because it means there are plenty around to choose from today. Why has the Mk4 Sportage been so popular? It’s an SUV, which obviously helps, but it’s also simply…

NASCENT ELECTRIC CAR maker Fisker has gone bankrupt. That’s a headline from last month – and from a decade ago, because its eponymous founder has suffered the exact same fate twice over. Danish-born Henrik Fisker landed his first design job in 1989 at BMW, where his first creation was, fittingly, the E1 EV concept. He then worked on the Z8 and X5 before joining Aston Martin, where he collaborated with Ian Callum on the DB9 and Vantage, then had a brief stint at Ford and bravely went freelance in 2005. His new California-based Fisker Coachbuild firm stepped out later that year with the Tramonto and Latigo: a rebodied Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG roadster with a grille inspired by the F-22 fighter jet and a rebodied BMW 640Ci inspired by the…

“This was a white-sheet vehicle… to create something that is as fun on the Stelvio Pass as it is on a rally stage” The Defender Octa is the most extreme, powerful and capable variant of the 4x4 that Land Rover has yet produced, complete with a spec sheet that reflects its top-end £158,000 price. Limited to 1070 examples, the new flagship Defender is available in the 110 body shape only and is a way of showcasing the peak capabilities of the brand. “This is a Defender on steroids – the pinnacle,” said Defender and Discovery brand boss Mark Cameron. “Nothing else on sale feels like this.” The first model from the new Octa sub-brand for specialedition Defenders is powered by the same 4.4-litre BMWderived V8 as the Range Rover,…

Rimac has unveiled Verne, a new spin-off that aims to launch an autonomous taxi service in the UK within the next three years. The company, previously known as P3 Mobility, will launch with a radical two-seat electric hatchback designed from the ground up to ferry people around large cities in comfort. The Verne robotaxi majors on interior space, ergonomics and on-board entertainment. It is claimed to be roomier inside than a Rolls-Royce and has five different position settings for “extra-large” seats that are designed for both work and rest. In place of a traditional dashboard and steering wheel is a huge, 43in display screen. It is controlled via a touchpad on the centre console and can be used for entertainment, such as watching videos, or for displaying information about the…

SMART COULD GIVE the green light to an electric Fortwo replacement in a matter of months, the Chinese-German brand’s European CEO has revealed – but its business case must be proven first. Smart’s first ever model and one of the smallest cars sold in Europe was recently retired after three generations and 26 years of production in France, during which time various electric versions were launched. “We are working on that one,” Dirk Adelmann told Autocar. “The run-out of the current Fortwo was two months ago now. It would have been great to have a direct successor. We don’t, but we’re working on it.” Adelmann acknowledged the strong business case for a new-era compact city car, “not only in Europe but particularly for Europe”, concluding: “So it would make sense…

What an ingenious idea it was to call an airport car park ‘business parking’, as they do at Heathrow. It’s nearer the terminal than the regular longstay parking and has small but more frequent shuttles, so it’s more convenient and therefore more expensive. Yet hundreds of thousands of people flying for work each year will have no qualms about submitting expenses receipts from a facility seemingly designed precisely for them. Imagine if it had been called ‘luxury parking’. All of those people headed to meetings, site visits and conferences might think twice about using it, because what might the finance department think of a middle-ranking account manager presuming to use a ‘luxury’ facility? ‘Business’ pitches it perfectly: if you’re travelling for work, steer this way. From a marketing perspective, what…

Has any car maker changed its tune so abruptly as Lotus? It seems only months ago that we were haring around the track at Hethel, goading an Exige 390 Sport Final Edition – all 1138kg of it – into misbehaving. That day was in fact in 2021, but it may as well be ancient history, because the Exige is extinct and the now Anglo-Chinese marque is launching its second pure-electric, four-wheel-drive, two-tonne-plus, luxury-slanted, tech-drenched, five-door car. Exige-style unassisted steering is to the Emeya what hieroglyphs are to artificial intelligence. This £90,000 Lotus is a slopebacked GT-type car arriving on the heels of the Eletre SUV. It has been on sale in China since the start of the year but is now here in Europe. It was conceived in quite an…

This point, I feel, needs making from the outset. There is only one car in the history of the, er, car to mate a turbo V12 engine to a manual gearbox. And you’re looking at it. Or one of them, for there will be just 110, making the Aston Martin Valour so rare that you’re more likely to see a rocking horse manuring an adjacent field than chance across one on the road. So don’t spend too long looking at that seven-figure price and wondering how on earth that can be justified when even the most recent DBS was faster and more powerful. It’s not the unique carbonfibre body or anything contained therein for which you’re really paying all that additional moolah, but the right to possess the one thing…

You wait ages for someone to follow up the Tesla Roadster and make another drop-top electric sports car (the Abarth 500e Convertible doesn’t count) and then two show up in the same week. Of course, the Maserati Grancabrio Folgore is quite a different car from the original Tesla, or indeed the MG Cyberster (see p26). It’s more luxurious, bigger in size and genuinely seats four. As the name of the coupé version suggests, it seems more of a gran turismo, even if, as I’ll come to, that perception might be problematic. The mechanicals are certainly a lot more unusual than the MG’s. Maserati says the new Granturismo and Grancabrio are clean-sheet designs and not based on the Alfa Romeo-developed Giorgio platform. That has allowed the engineers to design it from…

Even if you’re wedded to car news, the onslaught of new models from various brands might appear bewildering. To be clear, then, the Elroq is Skoda’s smallest electric SUV yet. It’s essentially an EV equivalent of the Karoq. Compared with other cars that use the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform, it is about the same size as the Ford Explorer and 160mm shorter than Skoda’s hugely successful Enyaq: the difference comes from shorter overhangs; the wheelbase is very similar. The design, however, is not. It follows a new theme called Modern Solid. Not that we have actually seen it yet, as my pre-production test car was fully camouflaged. Still, having scrutinised it up close and listened to design chief Oliver Stefani describing the details, here is what I have gleaned. At…

The fun starts and the grogginess stops when a cherry red Pista ghosts in from nowhere on a previously sedate stretch of the M25. Cue whistled glissandi. Folkestone-bound, gotta be. This is the Thursday morning before the greatest endurance race there is. Where else could such a heroically silly car be headed but to Le Mans? The Ferrari is significant. As our first notable sighting of the day, it’s a tacit signal for the day’s stupidity to commence. This is the best kind of stupidity too: the inane chatter of car nerds with nothing to do for seven hours but cruise within a continuous, impossibly esoteric herd of conversation-starting metal as Brits descend through France. Lotus, Datsun, Aston, Chevy. Half the global population of 911 GT3s. Target: a smallish city…

I read with utter dismay the news in the 19 June issue that Skoda chief designer Oliver Stefani is “excited to see [former Nio interior designer Chan Park] implement his ‘less is more’ design philosophy” for Skoda’s next generation of interiors, when Skoda has just launched new cars with brilliant rotary dials to allow drivers to spend more time with their eyes on the road. This is yet another example of designers not understanding what drivers want. Just look at the road test reports from Autocar on most touchscreen systems. I won’t be looking to buy a Volvo EX30 any time soon. I’ve just part-exchanged my Cupra Formentor for a 2020 Jaguar XE. This is probably the prettiest and best-handling car I’ve ever owned, but my main motivator was that…

An owner’s view KATE RYDER “I bought my Sportage GT-Line S 1.6 diesel MHEV last November, having owned Vauxhalls for the past 21 years. I’ve put about 6000 miles on it so far, mostly motorway driving, and I’ve got about 56mpg from it. It’s not given me an ounce of bother. I particularly like the powered boot, sunroof and the space. The biggest disappointment was the supplying Kia dealership, which hadn’t presented or cleaned the car when I came to collect it.” Buyer beware… ENGINE Some owners have reported the car entering limp-home mode before a check engine light illuminates. This can affect both petrol and diesel cars. One owner was told by the local dealership that the engine had to be completely replaced, while another was informed that a…

A road test in any other magazine might well be a short, subjective summary of a new car produced under almost any circumstances, but the Autocar road test is different. Specific, rigorous and detailed, it’s the closest examination we can give of any new model. It appears over at least eight pages and is close to 50 man-hours in the making every week. Most of what the road test process entails is designed to be strictly repeatable and fair. We benchmark standing-start and in-gear acceleration at a purpose-built test facility every week. We carry out both subjective and objective handling tests on both road and track, on the latter up to and beyond the limit of grip, so as to fully assess stability, drivability and limit handling appeal. And while…

Hyundai is gearing up for an assault on the mainstream electric car market with the new Inster, its smallest and most affordable EV yet. The new model is based on the Hyundai Casper, a diminutive city car that has so far been sold exclusively with a petrol engine in the Korean market. Its platform has been stretched by 230mm (with a 180mm-longer wheelbase), improving practicality and making more room for an underfloor battery pack. The four-seater measures 3.8m long, 1.6m wide and 1.6m tall, which positions it between the Dacia Spring and Citroën ë-C3. Despite the Inster’s smaller footprint, Hyundai insiders are confident it is as practical as its five-seat rivals, thanks to efficient packaging and a configurable interior. Its wheelbase almost matches that of the larger Hyundai i20, for…

FERRARI HAS MOVED an important step closer to the launch of its first EV next year with the opening of the E-building production facility at its factory in Maranello. The new 42,500m2 plant, which was opened in a ceremony attended by Italian president Sergio Mattarella, is designed to maximise “production flexibility”. It will be used for production of combustion-engined and hybrid models, as well as the firm’s first EV. The ‘E’ in the building’s name does not stand for electric, but rather “energy, evolution and environment”, says Ferrari. Production is set to begin in January 2025. The Purosangue and SF90 are likely to be the first to run down the new state-of-the-art line. The facility will also assemble high-voltage batteries, electric motors and axles – which were cited as “strategic electric…

IN-CAR SOFTWARE has been gaining importance steadily over the past few decades, and now it’s vital. The underlying computerbased electronics behind every car have become so complicated that they can cause delays in rolling out new models, longer lead times and higher costs. Automotive software supplier Elektrobit thinks it can reverse that trend from 2026 with a more accessible operating system for cars, called EB Corbus, which it claims is the first opensource OS to be compliant with car safety standards. ‘Software-defined car’ is already becoming a wellworn phrase. It describes how functions in a car are not only controlled by software but can be changed and added to as well. Without it, active safety systems, drivetrain and chassis controls and infotainment systems couldn’t exist. Cars need an OS on…

There “will be no BEV supercar before McLaren does it”, the firm’s CEO, Michael Leiters, has said, but much more research and development is needed before such a model is technically and commercially viable. Speaking on the sidelines of this year’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Summit, Leiters advocated substantial investment in the UK automotive supply chain, particularly with a view to sustaining low-volume manufacturers and facilitating their adoption of new powertrain technologies. He told Autocar he is “really concerned” about the structure of the supply chain for those UK-based low-volume firms. He cited the obstacles presented by trade restrictions and government initiatives as inhibitive to technical progress. “We are in a sourcing programme for a battery for a new plug-in car,” he revealed as an example, “and it’s…

MONDAY In the three days before we officially declared the Renault Clio our Best Small Car of 2024, I was using one for mixed motoring errands that amassed 880 miles. This was a £25,000 version, in Esprit Alpine trim and with the seamless 143bhp E-Tech Full Hybrid powertrain. My all-in fuel economy was 72mpg – a really nice surprise, because when I filled the tank (which would only accept a paltry 36 litres), the car immediately calculated that I could do 700 more before stopping again. On behalf of Renault and others like it, I feel miffed that the forces of greenery allow them so little credit for achieving such efficiency. If all cars were as clean and frugal, our pollution concerns would surely be gone. TUESDAY On with the…

MG was established specifically for building sports cars, yet the last time an all-new one bearing that famous octagon emerged, your reviewer wasn’t even born. So the Cyberster is a big deal. Further to that, MG under Chinese ownership has been transformed into a maker of budget-conscious family cars. Further again, this is the first electric sports car priced in reach of ordinary enthusiasts. Goodness, where to start? Oddly, in 1924, because MG is launching the Cyberster to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The idea dates back to 2017, when designers at SAIC’s London studio sketched a vision of a modern B. They weren’t told to: it was a passion project. Indeed, the programme was nearly cancelled several times, especially during Covid. But when SAIC chairman Chen Hong saw the reaction…

Audi may well want to tap up Guinness for its famous advertising slogan, because its new Q6 E-tron is very good, but we have had to wait. I’m speaking comparatively here. The Q6 E-tron is the first car on sale to use the fancy PPE platform that Audi has developed with Porsche. It has been in the works for six years – an age in the eyes of Chinese firms, which typically develop new EVs in less than two years. Alongside the Porsche Macan Electric, the Q6 occupies an interesting niche. The market for premium, mid-sized, electric SUVs seems like it’s well catered for, yet when you dive into it, you see that the Volkswagen Group cousins inhabit their own space. The Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 aren’t quite…

An important question hangs over the Maserati Grancabrio Folgore (p34), just like it does over the upcoming next-generation Porsche Boxster: do rich people want motors and batteries in their expensive toys? For the time being, no one is really sure. So just as it makes sense to create Peugeot 208s with electric and petrol power, it does with the Grancabrio. From the outside, you can tell the 3.0-litre V6-powered Trofeo model apart from the Folgore, because it has four prominent exhaust pipes and a more aggressive front valance that provides the necessary engine cooling. Inside, there’s no difference whatsoever, because the EV keeps the ‘shift’ paddles and low driving position. The Trofeo technically has more boot space, but it’s so marginal (21 litres) as not to matter. But the petrol…

You might remember Tomorrow’s World, the prime-time BBC science and technology TV programme Y that offered viewers a weekly peek into the future. A staple of the broadcasting schedule during the last four decades of the previous century, it covered the up-and-coming gadgets and gizmos that, it reckoned, would become indispensable in the years to come. More often than not, though, these devices disappeared without a trace after the grand claims of their life-changing significance proved somewhat wide of the mark. The Audi A2 and Honda Insight would have been perfect fodder for the show’s presenters back in the day. Both models celebrate their 25th birthdays this year, and when they were launched (within months of each other at the tail end of 1999) they promised to herald the dawn…

MODEL TESTED S/T • Price £231,600 • Power 518bhp • Torque 343lb ft • 0-60mph 3.7sec • 30-70mph in 4th 6.1sec • Fuel economy 20.7mpg • CO2 emissions 313g/km • 70-0mph 42.5m When it comes to its golden child, the 911, Porsche doesn’t roll out new suffixes on a whim. Fresh ones are vanishingly rare. The most commonly seen – the straightforward ‘S’ – first appeared on the engine deck of a 911 back in 1967. Even comparatively recent designations – the most revered of which being ‘GT3’ – are now fully established, with decades and several model evolutions under their belts. Occasionally, we are given a letter that might seem entirely new, but only for those who haven’t brushed up on their Porsche lore. A good example is ‘R’, deployed…

FIRST REPORT WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To get under the skin of a promising hatch and assess its tech in daily use rench car makers have always done things a little differently. At various times they have tried – somewhat successfully – to change the perception that a car needed to be a box on wheels. Remember the shark-like Citroën DS, a car that made half-covered wheels cool, then the bonkers-looking Ami 6 and, more recently, the daft Renault Avantime MPV. At other times, they have tried – less successfully – to reimagine what a car should be. There was the Renault Project 900, a car that was built back to front (yes, really); the Voisin Biscooter, which looked more like a school project than a production car; and even…

DRIVEN Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid Germany’s fabled sports car has been – gasp! – electrified with a new hybrid powertrain. We put it to the test FEATURE Back to the future Great Scott! It’s an electric DeLorean. We meet the people behind it FIRST DRIVE Alfa Romeo Junior We get our first taste of the Italian brand’s vital electric compact crossover EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST Ford Tourneo Courier Van-derived MPV is now Ford’s base model. So can it replace the Fiesta? USED GUIDE BMW i3 Quirky electric supermini was ahead of its time and packed with character SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p18…

Car makers that cater to the rich are often far more profitable than those that focus on the mainstream, because they have unlocked the secret of luxury merchandising: having a brand and product desirability that allows you to sell something for far more than it costs to make. No wonder plenty have tried to join the luxury car club. Here are some that came up short. Merkur 1985-1990 In the early 1980s, younger, image-focused car buyers in the US were lapping up snappy German sports saloons like the BMW 3 Series and new Mercedes-Benz 190E. Ford’s response was to take German-produced Fords and dress them up in posher frocks for the American market with a new brand. First in the line-up was the Merkur XR4Ti, which was a Sierra XR4i…