Auto Express 1500

WELCOME to a very special issue of Auto Express this week – our 1,500th. Since 1988, we’ve been leading the way in UK automotive publishing with our weekly mix of news and tests. As our columnist Mike Rutherford reflects on Page 82 this week, a lot has changed over the years. But I suspect that it’s small fry compared to what’s to come over the next decade, something that was reinforced to me again last week when I spent the afternoon with Carlos Tavares (above), the visionary CEO of Peugeot, Citroen and Vauxhall owner PSA. Tavares set the tone for proceedings when he admitted that PSA no longer wanted to be known as simply a “cutting-edge car manufacturer” but also an “efficient mobility provider”. We’ve heard this chat before, but…

@johnmcilroy THE Jaguar F-Pace has become the fastest-selling model in the company’s history. So it’s little surprise that the British brand is keen to follow up its first SUV with another, even more affordable offering: the E-Pace. Now we’ve had our first chance to get behind the wheel of the new baby model – and on UK roads. The E-Pace looks a very different beast from its larger brother. It’s based on the same chassis as the Range Rover Evoque, so it is basically a front-wheel-drive car adapted to a four-wheel-drive set-up, and with a transverse engine fitted. That’s reflected in the stance, with the cabin much further forward than on the F-Pace, headlights that are more similar to those of the F-Type sports car and a much shorter bonnet.…

@Jonathan_burn “Its styling has been influenced by the DB10 driven by James Bond” ASTON Martin has revealed the all-new version of its Porsche 911 rival, the Vantage. Following on from the DB11, it’s the second of seven core new models to arrive from the British brand before 2023. The latest Vantage is more powerful, lighter and faster than the model it replaces. Unsurprisingly it’s also more expensive; customers can place an order now but have to fork out £120,900, which represents a premium of around £25,000 over the Porsche 911 GTS and today’s Vantage. For your money you do get an entirely new car, however. The latest Vantage shares almost nothing with its predecessor and makes use of Aston’s new aluminium architecture, which already underpins the DB11. However, Aston says…

@Jonathan_burn IN its own unique style, Tesla has once again shocked the automotive world by revealing an all-new version of its first-ever car, the Tesla Roadster. The model was shown last week for the first time at an event in California, which had originally been planned for the unveiling of the firm’s new electric truck (below). It will go into production in 2020 and go on sale in the UK at a later date. Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, explained that the idea behind the Roadster was to “give a hardcore smack down to gasoline cars”. He added: “We started Tesla with a sports car, the Roadster. That baby got us going and it was the foundation of the whole company and people asked us for a long time when are…

Revamped Mazda 6 set for debut in LA MAZDA will reveal an updated version of its 6 saloon at the LA Motor Show, with an official teaser (above) previewing the re-engineered and redesigned model. From the outside, the car doesn’t look much different, with changes limited to a new grille and lights. Inside, it will be updated with a new infotainment screen and simplified dashboard. Mazda has confirmed a 2.5-litre engine for US cars, although UK models will get diesels, too. It’ll launch to the American market first, before coming to Europe in 2018. Autonomous testing for JLR on UK roads JAGUAR Land Rover has started testing autonomous cars on UK roads. As part of the £20m UK Autodrive project, JLR is trialling tech, including cars that talk to each…

@AE_Consumer POLICE in Britain have handed out over 27,000 fines to drivers for illegally using a mobile phone since March this year, when the penalty for the offence doubled, research by Auto Express’s sister site, Carbuyer, has revealed. In the six months after the Government doubled mobile phone penalties from a £100 fine and three penalty points to a £200 fixed penalty notice (FPN) and six points, 27,614 drivers have been caught for the act. This equates to roughly 149 drivers caught every day across the country. Under the new £200 FPN, police across Britain will have earned as much as £5.5million. The figures, obtained through a series of Freedom of Information requests to the 44 constabularies in Britain, also suggest a declining number of drivers are caught for the…