Table of contents for 1880 in Auto Express

Yet before I even set foot in the huge halls, one thing was clear: like it or loathe it, the Chinese mean business, and the gridlocked roads from Pudong International Airport are evidence of that. Sitting in the back of my taxi, I was surrounded by cars I didn’t recognise – not just specific models, but brands and logos that were totally unfamiliar. It was an alien feeling I’ve not felt in my entire adult life. The six-lane expressway was filled with Xiaomis, Hongqis, Onvos and Zeekrs – not to mention my personal favourite, the cute Wuling Bingo. And that’s before you get to those that are already gaining traction in the UK – brands such as MG, BYD and Jaecoo. The awe continued once I’d navigated the mind-boggling facial-recognition…

THE all-new Lexus ES has been revealed at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show, and it will be available as a hybrid and, in a first for the model, as an EV. The firm says it delivers a “clear step up in performance, refinement, comfort and luxury” and the first cars should arrive in Europe in spring 2026. Three versions will be offered in the UK, starting with the ES 300h hybrid. It has a bigger high-voltage battery than the current model, linked to Lexus’s familiar 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and electric motor. The combined power output is 198bhp, but no performance figures have been confirmed. Both front and all-wheel-drive variants will be available. Above the ES 300h sit two electric ES variants. The base, single-motor, front-wheel-drive ES 350e produces 221bhp,…

LEAPMOTOR has confirmed the name of its forthcoming sub-£30,000 family hatchback at the 2025 Shanghai Motor Show. The B05 is based on the B10 SUV, and could offer up to 400 miles of range. The news came as Leapmotor pulled the covers off its not-for-UK B01 saloon in China – another model based on the company’s new ‘Leap 3.5 technology architecture’. The B05 should share many of the same components, including its battery and rear-mounted electric motor, although capacities and power outputs haven’t been confirmed. Leapmotor senior VP Li Cao told us the firm’s new range of B-badged models is “born for the youth” – with the company specifically targeting a younger audience compared with its existing cars. He confirmed that the slippery (0.197Cd) B01 saloon will be able to…

PORSCHE has revealed its latest Heritage Design special in the form of the 911 Spirit 70, a vividly coloured limited-edition convertible with lots of bespoke design and styling elements. Priced from £187,700 in the UK, the model is limited to 1,500 units globally and is available to order immediately. Based on the current 992.2 generation of the 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet, the Spirit 70 features a series of unique design elements that dip into Porsche’s huge Exclusive department. These are complemented by an even more vivid array of colours and trims. Unique to the new Spirit 70 is a custom shade of green called Olive Neo, which is available alongside a range of other retro-inspired hues, as part of Porsche’s full Exclusive palette. All are matched to a range of…

SUBARU is said to be working on a new range of performance models that could herald the return of its famous STi badge once worn by rally legend, the Impreza WRX. Speaking at the New York Auto Show, the brand’s general manager for Europe, David Dello Stritto, revealed: “There are plans to bring back the sportiness to Subaru. “If you ask me to sum up what Subaru means for customers in Europe, it’s three letters: SFT – safe, fun and tough. Customers in Europe are loyal to Subarus for their safety, for the practicality of them, and they tend to keep them for a long time. “But there’s a fourth pillar, and that’s P, for power and performance. You can’t disassociate this from Subaru,” he said. “We need to bring…

Thomas.Jervis@autoexpress.co.uk “AS SOME PEOPLE KNOW, THERE’S BEEN SOME BLOWBACK FOR THE TIME THAT I’VE BEEN SPENDING IN GOVERNMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY”ELON MUSK Tesla CEO “I’VE BEEN ON THE RECORD MANY TIMES SAYING THAT I BELIEVE LOWER TARIFFS ARE GENERALLY A GOOD IDEA FOR PROSPERITY, BUT THIS DECISION IS FUNDAMENTALLY UP TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES”ELON MUSK Tesla CEO ELON Musk acknowledged in Tesla’s most recent earnings call that its revenues are down for the first time in over a decade – with experts blaming the EV giant’s drop in sales on the CEO’s own “toxicity”. Automotive earnings fell by nearly 20 per cent last year, with profits down nine per cent, making the situation worse than analysts were expecting. It mirrors an overall drop in…

VAUXHALL hasn’t had the best start when it comes to electrifying its line-up. Although the Corsa Electric, its SUV-like Mokka sibling and the larger Astra aren’t necessarily bad cars, they have long looked overpriced and suffered in terms of range compared with the strongest EV rivals. The new Grandland is the first Vauxhall to be built on a dedicated EV platform, albeit one that can also accommodate internal combustion-engined cars. The STLA architecture underpins the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008, and on paper, things look promising – especially when it comes to the cost. Starting from just over £36,000, the Grandland EV is keenly priced when you consider its rivals. The entry-level E-3008 starts from almost £46,000, while even the cheapest Renault Scenic will set you back around £1,500 more than…

WHILE Leapmotor is a new brand to UK customers, it benefits from being a part of the wider Stellantis group, which means it already has 44 dealerships in place at the time of writing. Northern Ireland is the only country in the United Kingdom that isn’t yet catered for, but it will follow later as part of an expansion that will bring the total number of dealers to 80 before the end of 2025. ENGINES & PERFORMANCE A SIMPLE car needs a simple powertrain structure, which explains why there’s just the one option in the T03. A single motor drives the front wheels, and its output of 94bhp and 158Nm is pretty healthy for such a small car. While those numbers comfortably out-punch the Dacia Spring, the Leapmotor does weigh…

WHILE in China, we were able to drive the new Leapmotor B10 in a controlled environment. It’s an SUV close in size to a Skoda Elroq, but at sub-£30,000, it’ll undercut smaller cars. Based on the new Leap 3.5 architecture, it gets cell-to-chassis tech and new advanced driver-assistance systems, with bosses hailing it as the “most intelligent” car in its segment. We headed to the firm’s factory in Jinhua, for an early drive of the car that was launched in China this month – but UK customers will need to wait until autumn for their chance. Just one battery and a single trim will be offered, with exact spec yet to be determined. The B10 is quiet and comfortable with supportive seats. Quality seems good, too, but the lack of a…

THE Government has moved its deadline to resolve the nation’s driving test backlog by over half a year, blaming an influx in demand in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of Labour’s ‘Plan for Change’, the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, announced measures to cut record waiting times for practical tests. These currently sit at an average of 22 weeks, up from 18 weeks when the party came to power last year. The deadline is over half a year later than originally proposed by the DVSA. In December last year, it pledged to bring the backlog down to seven weeks by the end of 2025 – but that target could be missed by as much as seven months. Speaking to Auto Express, a government spokesperson said: “The increase in…

IF you find yourself a little bewildered by the rate of new MINI models all arriving at once, that’s not surprising. But the latest MINI John Cooper Works is mercifully simple. It’s the most powerful and dynamically focused petrol variant of this new generation, and it rivals other internal-combustion supermini hot hatchbacks such as the Volkswagen Polo GTI and… well, that’s about it. Where once there were similar pocket rockets in plentiful supply, growth in this segment is now largely represented by EV offerings – MINI’s all-electric JCW included. But this petrol model continues to hold its fort with a compelling collection of numbers. Under its clamshell bonnet – yes, the petrol car still has one of those – is a BMW-sourced, 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a turbocharger that…

IT has been a tough 12 months for Ineos Automotive. Supply chain issues meant production at the off-road firm’s Hambach plant in France was halted for a period, while uncertainty about legislation has seen any plans to introduce new models put on hold. So it remains for the original Grenadier to meet sales targets, which are quite modest in the UK, but have expanded globally thanks to the addition of new markets. To help boost the car’s appeal, the Grenadier Station Wagon is now also being offered as a two-seat commercial model in the UK, while the Quartermaster pick-up adds a second bodystyle to the line-up. It’s not a direct rival for models such as the Ford Ranger or Volkswagen Amarok, because it doesn’t have a payload of more than…

I CONSIDER myself something of an expert in the field of mid-sized electric family cars. I’ve got two kids, an off-road parking space with a home charger and I do a lot of short-trip urban driving, so when cars in this niche arrive on our long-term test fleet, they often get punted in my direction. Over recent years, I’ve spent months living with the Renault Megane, Skoda Enyaq and Nissan Ariya, while also enjoying stints in the Ford Explorer, Audi Q4, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and a few others. The Renault Scenic beats them all. Sadly, the Renault has now left the fleet, but here we have the chance to look back at what made it a star. It’s worth saying that the-midsized electric SUV sector is so crowded with talented…

THE excitement of having a shiny new press car delivered never wears off. Yet, while almost every one comes with glistening paintwork and a fresh new-car aroma, it’s not uncommon to see badly kerbed wheels, despite the car having racked up only a few hundred miles. It’s easy to blame this on the negligence of fellow journalists, but it also speaks volumes about the downsides of having a car that sits on larger rims. It wasn’t all that long ago when the average wheel size was 14 to 16 inches. Nowadays, it’s easy to find EVs and SUVs available with 23-inch rims. This can make tight manoeuvres rather perilous; the 21-inch rims of one of our test cars made weaving through a drive-thru Starbucks the other day feel a bit…

IT has been 15 long and frustrating years since droves of electric cars started landing in UK showrooms. From day one, I’ve been a cautiously optimistic fan. But we can’t deny that some negatives – from high prices and range issues to an inadequate charging network – have hindered the EV revolution. Worry not. Remind yourself it’s still early days and potential buyers of pure-EVs have no need to rush into buying them. Especially as availability is becoming more extensive, less expensive, every day. That said, I’m about to go out on a limb and say, hand on heart, that you should immediately get up close and personal with what I professionally and personally believe is the most convincing and credible pure-electric car ever to go on sale in Britain.…

MG promised us something different to any car we’ve ever seen from the brand and it has kept its word by unveiling the Cyber X in Shanghai. Compared with the ZS, HS and new MGS5 EV, the Cyber X has a completely fresh design. But despite the name, its looks aren’t in keeping with the similarly branded Cyberster sports car, either. The Cyber X’s proportions make it like a rival to the Mercedes EQB, which would then be the flagship of MG’s electric SUV range. Using the ‘Cyber’ prefix also implies it’ll line up alongside the £54,995 Cyberster – the company’s most expensive car. But the Cyber X’s size suggests it will rival the likes of the Kia EV3, Smart #1 and new Skoda Elroq, although, given that its launch…

WALKING around Shanghai’s National Exhibition and Convention Center, I could have picked any one of a number of weird and wonderful cars on display as my highlight of a rather eye-opening trip. However, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the striking Mazda EZ-60 – a sleek, battery-electric SUV that’s destined for UK shores in 2026. It will sit in the competitive medium SUV segment, and rival models such as the Tesla Model Y and Audi Q4 e-tron. I was particularly excited to see it in the metal, having scooped the car during an exclusive interview with UK managing director, Jeremy Thompson, back in February. It turns out the exclusive render we had made up was pretty accurate – it could also use the CX-6e name when it arrives next…

FERRARI is revisiting past successes with a new, lightweight iteration of its ‘entry’ mid-engined 296. The hardcore Speciale is said to be lighter, more focused and more intense than the already vivid 296 GTB and 295 GTS, and will reach customers in early 2026, costing around £350,000. The new Speciale will be available from launch in both coupé and open-top forms, the latter carrying the traditional ‘A’ modifier on its name. There’s little difference between the two when it comes to specification, although some of the 60kg weight saving over standard cars on the coupé is slightly offset on the A thanks to the folding roof mechanism. These start under the rear engine cover, with 9kg removed from inside the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6. This is enabled by the use of…

THIS is the new Land Rover Defender Classic V8 Soft Top. It’s the latest official restomod of the iconic British 4x4 and costs £234,000. A short-wheelbase Defender 90 has been used as the base, and the changes include installing a 400bhp 5.0-litre petrol V8 engine, enabling 0-60mph in 5.6 seconds. Land Rover has upgraded the brakes and suspension, as well as fitting a roof frame, while there’s also a bespoke service for clients. There are 49 paint finishes to choose from, or a ‘match-to-sample ’colour option if you want something truly unique. Plus, there are four colours to select from for the canvas roof. Alternatively, buyers can have a smaller bikini top, also available in a range of colours.…

FORM can sometimes trump function – as with coupé-SUVs, when you often pay more for less space and a sleeker roofline. The Skoda Enyaq Coupé is no different, although it’s based on one of the best family EVs. But is there any rational reason to pick it over the more practical SUV? It’s not only the full-size Enyaq this facelifted coupé has to fight against, because there’s also its new, smaller Elroq sibling, which offers a bit less room, but a lower price tag and the option of the same 77kWh battery as the Enyaq Coupé. This sleeker variant originally arrived a year after the regular Enyaq in 2022, but with the standard model getting a facelift earlier in 2025, Skoda has been quick with an updated version of the…

IT’S estimated that between six to eight million part-worn tyres are sold here in the UK each year, and with global inflation sending the price of new tyres soaring, it’s no surprise that demand for part-worns is booming. Part-worn tyres destined for the UK’s roads are shipped over by the containerload from northern Europe, adding to those removed as used items from customers’ cars by new tyre retailers here in the UK and sold into the part-worn market. Often part-worn tyres may be recovered and resold by vehicle dismantlers from worn out or scrap vehicles. Sadly, although laws regulating the suitability and sale of part-worn tyres do exist, official oversight and enforcement are almost non-existent. As a result, horror stories are rife of dangerous and illegal tyres being sold to…

THE Spring is Dacia’s first fully electric car, and it’s also the smallest model the firm has offered in the UK. Both of those things are likely to attract new buyers to the brand, and this is backed up by data from the continent. Dacia says that based on Spring sales in Europe, where the car was available in a pre-facelift guise, 79 per cent of buyers were new to the brand, and 93 per cent had never purchased an electric car before. But it faces a tough battle to convince UK buyers, because in addition to the similarly priced Leapmotor T03 and the similarly sized but more expensive Hyundai Inster, the Spring has to fight off a range of used EVs that are available for similar cash – a…

LATE last year, Tineco launched its latest range of cordless vacuums – and we’ve now put one to the test. Of the brand’s two newcomers, we picked the Pure One A50S. Uniquely in our tests, it adjusts the power for the job in hand, upping suction when close to walls or for heavy dirt. The Tineco was up against our previous test winner from Ryobi, and our pick of the dual home and car vacs from Miele. We checked the price and what you get for your money, then assessed cleaning power on a car mat covered with 10ml of our test mix of seeds, sugar, salt and split peas, then put the same mix in a car footwell and checked how easy each was to use. The Ryobi remains…