Table of contents for February 05, 2025 in Autocar

The Renault Filante Record 2025 has been created as a “laboratory on wheels” to push the boundaries of energy efficiency in EVs and uses new technology and materials that will trickle down into future production cars. Weighing just 1000kg, the Filante Record 2025 has the goal of setting new records for distance travelled on a single charge and the learnings will be used by Renault to make its EVs as efficient as possible. Key to breaking records is the Filante’s slippery body. The single-seater’s streamlined shape is inspired by the historic 40 CV des Records from the 1920s, the 1930s Nervasport des Records and the 1950s Étoile Filante (‘Shooting Star’), which were all designed to break speed records. Tight cockpit is inspired by aviation and space travel. To reduce weight,…

British vehicle production fell by 12% last year and is set to fall further this year – but industry chiefs insist that it’s a short-term blip, caused by factories being retooled to build new electric models. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders announced that 905,233 vehicles were produced in the UK in 2024, comprising 779,584 cars and 125,649 commercial vehicles. That represents a 14% year-on-year fall in car production but a 4% rise in commercial vehicle production, resulting in an overall decrease of 12%. It is the lowest number of cars made in the UK since 1954, excluding 2020 – an anomaly as a result of the Covid pandemic. Nor is the outlook for 2025 any rosier. In fact, car and van production is predicted to fall further to…

Genesis is gearing up for what will bea pivotal year in the UK, as it ends sales of new pure-combustion cars and repositions itself following a turbulent four years since launching here. The Hyundai-owned Korean premium brand has sold just 3700 cars in the UK to date. That’s 6000 fewer than DS – a brand of a similar positioning and age and in a similar state of flux – sold over the same period. 1210Number of cars Genesis sold in UK in 2024 What’s more, Polestar, a rival firm that was launched a year earlier, has sold nearly 10 times as many cars – and with a single model. With the petrol- and diesel-engined G70, GV70 and GV80 models now available from stock only and future hybrid models promised but…

SANTO FICILI ISN’T sure of exactly how many Alfas he has owned in the past. “There’s a long list,” the new Alfa Romeo CEO says, the most recent being a Giulia. “I’ve been in love with the brand since I was a kid.” Ficili’s rise to the top job at the car maker he loves the most is a heart-warming story. His early roles at the Fiat Group in the 1980s and 1990s included stints as a workshop manager and prepping cars for delivery to customers. He has lived the brand, and when he says he loves it, he means it. He inherits a firm that has long been a maker of great cars without being a great car maker. Indeed, Alfa is the industry’s biggest opportunity or biggest problem,…

FEATURE DREAM USED CARS FOR UNDER £30K We pick extraordinary used cars that will get the adrenaline coursing through the veins of any enthusiast – for the price of a boring new car INSIGHT HOW TO DESIGN A HYDROGEN SUPERCAR We scrutinise the vision of tomorrow’s designers from Coventry Uni ROAD TEST POLESTAR 3: ‘DESIGNED FOR THE THRILL OF DRIVING’ That’s what its maker claims. Our road testers will be the judge of that EVERY WEEK LIVING WITH A… MAZDA MX-5 Popular affordable sports car arrives at Autocar HQ. Is it still a great buy after a decade on sale? USED GUIDE VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI There’s probably no better hot hatch for daily life than a Mk7 GTI. Here’s how to get a good one…

Small Fiats tend to live long lives. The 500 wasfinally taken off sale in 2024 after 17 years, a new set of legislative hurdles proving insurmountable. The Panda is already 13 years old and has another five years to go before a replacement comes. And the Punto was also 13 when it was retired in 2018. As it disappeared without anyone really noticing, that no replacement was forthcoming slipped under the radar too. Now a replacement of sorts has arrived: the Grande Panda. Given that the Panda was taken off sale in the UK last year (it survives in most other markets in Europe), you would be forgiven for thinking the Grande Panda replaces that, but no, it’s a new model, filling the space in the Fiat range for a…

The influx of Chinese cars arriving in the UK shows no signs of abating. This week’s is the Jaecoo 7. Created by Chery, one of China’s largest car makers, Jaecoo is the sister brand of Omoda, which launched its 5 SUV here towards the end of last year. While Omoda is pitched at fashion-focused buyers, Jaecoo (the name is a blend of ‘jäger’, German for ‘hunter’, and ‘cool’) is aiming to undercut rivals in the premium SUV space with the off-road-focused, Range Rover Velar-inspired 7. At 4500mm long, it’s a bit shorter than the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson or Volkswagen Tiguan and 100mm longer than the 5, with which it shares its platform. Buyers can choose either a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine with an automatic gearbox or a 1.5-litre-engined…

The Lexus H2 ROV concept is, at first glance, perhaps the most spurious, frivolous vehicle the firm has ever produced. It’s a lightweight off-road buggy and that’s an odd fit for a brand that trades on a Japanese vision of premium luxury. It might be fantastic fun but it doesn’t feel like a bold vision of the future in the way you would expect of a concept. But, as Lexus chief engineer Takeaki Kato notes, premium car buyers still want to have fun. “Lexus road cars are more about luxury, but people who own them still like to play,” he says. “And there are Lexus owners, particularly in the US, who also have an off-road buggy to play with. So why can’t they have a Lexus for that as well?”…

MILEAGE 2813 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out if the original hybrid luxury SUV is still the best I’m not generally a great believer in automotive smartphone apps, as they tend to be overcomplicated and not hugely useful, but the recent cold snap tempted me to download Lexus Link+ to try out its climate settings. Pleasingly, it’s logical and simple to use, offering general data such as fuel and battery levels, range, any warnings from the car and the status of the doors, windows and boot, plus a neat Hybrid Coaching section to help you get the best from the hybrid drivetrain. Apparently I have ‘room for improvement’ – no surprise there. But the main event is the remote control for the climate. You can set any temperature from…

How does a twinturbocharged sixcylinder BMW M4 for the price of a tidy, reasonable-miles Toyota GR Yaris sound? Well, then, step right up with your £25,000 in hand – or far less for a leggier example. Sure, these two brilliant driver’s cars are very different beasts, but with twice the number of cylinders, way more power and an extra lashing of premium appeal, Munich’s muscle car could be the more logical purchase. Launched in 2014, the M4 was effectively a continuation of the two-door M3 and joined its fourdoor sibling in swapping a howling atmo V8 for a creamier straight six. Displacement devotees shuddered at the loss of the mighty 4.0-litre lump that powered the previousgeneration M3, but dropping down two cylinders and adding two turbos paved the way for…

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI 16V 1992, 91,000 miles, £19,995 The free-revving Mk2 Golf GTI is a brilliant hot hatch, and this Tornado Red example has the meatier engine, giving it more than enough poke to challenge a 205 GTi. It’s mint, with a clean MOT, an extensive history and super-cool 15in BBS alloys. RENAULT 5 GT TURBO 1989, 94,000 miles, £14,995 This tidy GT Turbo (which kept FWD, unlike the ‘proper’ Turbo) may have done a fair few miles, but almost all of its parts have been renewed at some point. It’s said to drive beautifully, and we reckon it’s worth a punt given that it has a 12-month MOT. FORD ESCORT RS 1600i 1983, 73,500 miles, £19,995 An RS Turbo is a pricey fast Ford, so try this tidy RS…

“The new trio are part of the push to bring a renewed sporting appeal to Toyota showrooms” Toyota is gearing up for a three-pronged assault on the sports car market by reviving the legendary Celica and MR2 names and preparing a brand-new group flagship in the vein of the firebreathing Lexus LFA. The combustionpowered trio will form the backbone of a rebuilt sports car line-up, in essence filling gaps left by the GR Supra, which is at the end of its model life cycle globally, and the acclaimed GR86, whose time on sale in Europe was cut short by EU safety regulations. Notably, the revival of the Celica and MR2 names, following the GR Supra, fulfils the ambition of company chairman Akio Toyoda to bring back the “three brothers”. Together…

A ston Martin will rapidly expand itshybrid line-up and increase the number of model variants it offers in the coming years, according to new boss Adrian Hallmark – and it will launch its first electric vehicle before the end of this decade. Former Bentley boss Hallmark took over as CEO of the sports car firm in September last year and has been working on a revised strategy for the coming decade. Hallmark said he had been tempted into joining Aston because it was “an amazing brand” with “great potential, great shareholders and investment for the future, and a product portfolio we have never had before and couldn’t have dreamed of”. The dramatic growth in the number of luxury car buyers in recent years has expanded Aston’s market potential, he said,…

The US is the UK car industry’s secondbiggest export market, led by demand for British luxury and supercar brands. SMMT boss Mike Hawes remains cautious about the impact that new US president Donald Trump may have. He said: “It’s early days. The US approach to tariffs is on a marketby-market basis. There is nowhere else that makes high-luxury vehicles like the UK. If tariffs were imposed, that would put up the vehicle prices, which isn’t good for the American consumer and is inflationary. We hope it can be avoided. “The industry is watching to see what happens before drawing any conclusions.”…

THE LEXUS LS, the first car launched by the Japanese luxury brand here 35 years ago, has been dropped from its UK line-up. This follows a sustained period of poor sales of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival: just 39 had been sold since the turn of the decade, including only three in 2024. It means the ES is the only Lexus saloon still sold here. Homologation and legislation issues also contributed to the demise of the LS, a Lexus spokesperson told Autocar, as did the popularity of the brand’s newly introduced LM MPV, which targets a similar market. The LS continues to be sold in other European markets and can still be bought from stock in the UK. Before going off sale, the LS line-up ranged from £101k to £128k in…

Ever since 2020, when then prime minister Boris Johnson first outlined plans to ban the sale of new non-zeroemission cars from 2030 onwards, there has been more confusion than clarity. Under various subsequent UK governments, the date has moved from 2030 to 2035 and back, and all the while there has been a plan to allow the sale of certain hybrids – although nobody has yet specified exactly which sort. For car firms used to planning years in advance, it has been hugely problematic. For car buyers, this huge dollop of uncertainty has left many unsure what they should buy, or when. But the current government has promised certainty, with a pledge to reinstate that 2030 date – and while some hybrids will be allowed on sale until 2035, there’s…

PARKING MAD I read with dismay that councils are yet again going to hammer motorists more for car parking charges in their towns and cities (News, 22 January). Motorists are just cash cows to the councils. No wonder they are dismayed at remote working: they lose income from their extortionate parking and emissions-zone fees. I particularly would want to call out the Dudley Council leader with his attitude of “no one will die from having to pay £1.50 to park”. This sums up the attitude of councils towards motorists. Well, £1.50 this year, £5 next year. No, nobody will die, but your town centres will die – are dying, in fact – from motorists voting with their feet. Gareth Rosser Via email WHAT IS HE THINKING? Can someone explain Tesla’s…

This facelift – or, in geek speak, the 992.2 iteration – of the 911 GT3 may not look so different from the car it replaces but, as is sometimes the case with Porsche’s GT division, detail changes are everything. I shall try to cover them all within my word limit. The GT3, as you may know, is the more track-focused version of the 911 – not as extreme as the GT3 RS, so still road-pliant. The GT3 Touring – no wings, looks a bit more classy, for road enthusiasts – is being launched at the same time as the one with wings. Aerodynamic addenda aside, mechanically the two are the same. Think of them as trim levels: wing or no wing. And this time the GT3 Touring can be had…

The fourth-generation C3 was reinvented with a major focus on affordability. And it is now followed by its bigger brother, the C3 Aircross, which follows a similar formula with a dollop of extra practicality. The second generation of the compact SUV starts from just over £20,000. Only the Dacia Duster, at £18,000 in bare-bones form, undercuts it. However, most buyers are likely to opt for the more luxurious Max trim, tested here. The Aircross’s low price, as with the smaller C3, is thanks partly to Stellantis’s new cost-saving architecture, called Smart Car. The new model makes the switch from the PFA1 platform, which dates back to the Peugeot 206. The Smart Car platform allows for the fitment of both petrol and electric powertrains (the electric ë-C3 Aircross is covered separately…

Since its launch in 2021, the Cupra Born has become something of an Autocar favourite. An unexpected one, you might say, because the mechanical package is very similar indeed to the worthy but unspectacular Volkswagen ID 3. Clearly there’s a bit of magic in the way Cupra can trim and set up a car. It is therefore a logical corollary that Cupra can do the same thing with the VW ID 4. After all, the dynamic fruits of the larger version of the MEB platform are ripe for the picking. It has already spawned the sensible and roomy but unexciting Skoda Enyaq and the premium-ish Audi Q4 E-tron – surely there’s room for a sporty version that’s genuinely good to drive and amps up the luxury at the same time.…

The turbulence of this transforming new car market has already claimed some notable victims. Who would have imagined a world without Mondeos and Fiestas just a handful of years ago? And true car obsessives will soon have another name to mournfully raise a glass to, because Subaru Legacy production will end this spring. Okay, its loss won’t garner the same school-run or L-plate anecdotes as those famous Fords, but the Legacy is a car of importance to people like us. For those of a certain generation, it was a punchy purchase for a modest bunch of credits on Gran Turismo; for others, it’s the machine that Colin McRae drove to his first World Rally Championship win back in 1993. While its legend may pale beside the Impreza’s, its legacy (yes,…

“I have one of the most interesting jobs in the industry,” says Markus Schäfer with a smile, and even though he adds he’s “sometimes joking”, there’s absolute truth to his comment. His brief as chief technology officer of Mercedes-Benz is vast: effectively, he’s responsible for overseeing the research and development of every car that carries the three-pointed star. “That ranges from Formula 1 responsibilities with [Mercedes F1 power unit specialist] High Performance Powertrains to overseeing the entire research and development side of Mercedes-Benz Cars, turning ideas into real products of the future,” he says. “That’s a unique combination.” And that isn’t even Schäfer’s only job. He sits on the Mercedes-Benz Group board and is also responsible for procurement. “I’m in charge of purchasing around 40 to 50 billion components, depending…

Toyota’s efforts to develop hydrogen technology involve a wide range of products and partnerships, as these show. BUSES AND COACHES Since 2019, Toyota has supplied CaetanoBus with fuel cell components for the e.City Gold FCEV bus, which has a range of around 250 miles. The firm has also worked with GCK to convert diesel coaches to FCEV. TRUCKS Every December, Coca-Cola’s fleet of big red trucks is a sign that the holidays are coming. And in future, they could be powered by hydrogen: Toyota and Air Liquide have developed an FCEV truck that has been used by the drink firm’s French arm. ICE CREAM DELIVERY BIKES Yes, it’s a cargo e-bike with a freezer to keep your Cornetto cold – and it’s powered by a portable hydrogen cartridge. Developed by…

MILEAGE 1621 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see whether a facelift has succeeded in keeping this ICE hatchback relevant Having spent a couple of months in this diesel A3, I’ve had plenty of time to ponder the evolution of diesel power. Not least because its almost inevitable fate is a result of a scandal that involved former derivatives of this very engine used across the Volkswagen Group, of which Audi is part. The drama of Dieselgate is hard to grasp 10 years on – how shocking it was and how it affected an entire industry when diesel really was in its heyday. Not to say that the world wouldn’t have evolved by now regardless (bad news stories about pollution from fossil fuelburning cars didn’t just become a thing because of…

AN OWNER’S VIEW OLIVER COOPER “So far, my 2018 M4 Competition has been reliable and, at 50,000 miles, I’ve faced no mechanical issues. It isn’t cheap to maintain, though, and you’ll want to allow £1000-£1500 per year for servicing and tyres. I bought BMW’s extended warranty too: it costs £1500 annually but it’s an official offering and it puts my mind at ease. For the price, nothing comes close in terms of driving dynamics.” BUYER BEWARE… ■ ENGINE Crank hub failure can dramatically affect the timing of the engine, leading to a rough idle, a loss of power and – worst case – engine failure due to incorrect valve timing. Check if it’s been replaced and take the car on a long test drive to ensure it is running properly.…

WHEN MERCEDES-BENZ first showed the Concept CLA in 2023, it coined the phrase “the one-litre car of the electric age”, highlighting the lengths it was going to in achieving 93% efficiency between the battery and the driving wheels. The new CLA EV is due later this year, and with a potential range of 466 miles it will consume energy at a rate of 12kWh every 62 miles, or more than five miles for a single kWh. On the UK’s cheapest domestic energy tariffs, that would equate to about 1.3p per mile for fuel. To achieve that, Mercedes is using every trick in the EV book, with a drive system based on the Vision EQXX concept’s technology. The basic CLA EV will have a single rear motor with a two-speed reduction…

My daughter had a charming and much-loved Citroën 2CV Dolly. Let’s hope its reincarnation doesn’t look like the pseudo-travesty your artist has concocted (News, 22 January). Round headlights, please; two-tone paintwork, please; light wheels, not black; and an opening to the sky in a roofline that doesn’t try to mimic the worst single-curvature styling mistakes from Germany. The 2CV is supposed to be French, so why not include a free egg basket and ploughed field with every one? My Skoda Superb wouldn’t be a Skoda Superb without its umbrella: that’s why I never take it out of the door! We well remember putting our Dolly on the Motorail (Lost in the archive) and watching ‘expert’ British Rail drivers getting to grips with the gears. The Americans used a similar plastic…

THE SECOND-GENERATION C3 Aircross is also offered with an electric powertrain. Badged ë-C3 Aircross, this is the same car as its combustion sibling, sharing the Smart Car platform and offered with identical equipment levels. No third row is offered, however. Just one electric set-up is currently available: a 111bhp motor on the front wheels that draws power from a 44kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery. It is claimed to allow 188 miles of driving between charges, down 15 miles on the ë-C3 with which it shares the system. A larger battery will become available later this year, boosting range to more than 250 miles, claims Citroën. Either version can be charged at up to 100kW on DC power. What’s more, this is a cheap EV, opening at £22,990 – just £2500 more than…

Audi’s line of ICE-powered performance estates goes out with a bang If you had stepped out onto the spotlessly clean floor of Audi’s Böllinger Höfe production facility five years ago, the place would have been littered with R8 supercars in various stages of construction. Had you done the same thing three years later, you’d have seen a blend of R8s and Audi’s then new electric supersaloon, the E-tron GT. And today? Well, today the plant no longer rings to the wail of V10 engines firing up for the first time, because with the R8 now having retired, Audi’s most hand-labour-intensive production line is entirely for the E-tron GT, which rolls into life near-silently. However, for a short period in recent times, the E-tron GT was joined by another car at…

Colin McRae and Subarus go together like burger and chips, yet it wasn’t an Impreza bonnet from which the Scot first sprayed a bottle of champagne. His inaugural WRC win arrived alongside Derek Ringer as the pair took a Legacy RS saloon to Rally New Zealand victory in August 1993. “It wasn’t difficult,” said McRae at the time, “once you understand you can’t drive this rally sideways. I haven’t been any less attacking, just staying on the line and keeping the car straight.”…

WHY WE RAN IT To find out if this supermini still deserves to be a staple of British roads “The car proved surprisingly good fun in corners” The Corsa name turns 43 years old in 2025, having first graced the mainland European version of the boxy hatch that we Brits are more likely to know as the Nova in 1982. The first UK Corsa – the round, cuddly hatch that pretty much defines the ‘blobject’ school of design that became so prevalent throughout the 1990s – hit our potholed roads in 1993 and few other nameplates are now quite so ingrained in our mental image of the British road scene. That said, in practice most people simply look straight through the Corsa. Much like a first-generation Nissan Qashqai or, perhaps…

GENESIS G80 EV Mileage 9383 Last seen 29.1.25 Back in the Electrified G80 after some weeks away, I’m immediately pleased by the refinement. I couldn’t help noticing, though, how the stuff I transferred from the Mini I had been driving almost filled the boot of this much bigger car. I can’t ever remember having a saloon that’s so compromised in its boot space. Most cars like this make perfect airport limos. Not this one. SC MG 3 Mileage 7742 Last seen 29.1.25 Tasked with picking up a long parcel from one of those post lockers in an unlit car park, I fumbled around trying to fold down the MG’s rear seats and promptly broke them. The bench doesn’t split, unlike in virtually every other new car, so I forgot and…

His mum had one when he was growing up (actually, it was a 1.4 Rallye), so it was inevitable that one day Steve Hooker would have his own quick Peugeot 205. It’s a GTi – a 1.9, not a 1.6. Which is better is a debate for another day. For now, all that matters is that Steve loves his 1.9. “It’s not the quickest thing, but it’s a lot of fun and proves that you don’t have to drive fast to enjoy a sports car,” he gushes. “It’s all about the experience.” Like the Mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTI, the 205 GTi still looks right after all these years – even better in the red of Steve’s car. Its Speedline alloys are lovely and the oblong badges reading ‘1.9’ and ‘GTi’…

It would be reasonable to assume that motorised commercial vehicles came some time later than cars, considering how puny the very first cars were. Take the Benz Viktoria of 1893, for instance: its single cylinder put out just 3hp. But you would be dead wrong: that very car was used to create the first combustion-engined bus in 1895 – the year of this magazine’s foundation – and shortly afterwards the first combustion-engined van. And we can go back even further, all the way to the 1830s, when the first steam-powered buses were tried (at about 12mph) in London. “It is evident that steam and petroleum vans are coming into more and more extensive use, and a large number of orders for them are being given out,” commented Autocar no fewer…