Table of contents for September 18, 2024 in Autocar

The “incredible” rate of growth in the UK’s EV charging network in recent years is “a huge British success story” that sets up the sector to cater to a drastic uptick in demand by the end of the decade-but the new government must work with charging firms to keep it on track. That’s according to Vicky Read, CEO of industry body ChargeUK, who told Autocar that providers are on their way to having a targeted 300,000 chargers across the country by 2030. However, she called on the new Labour government to unlock crucial funding, incentivise EV uptake and remove charger installation obstacles in order to sustain the growth rate. ChargeUK was formed last year to serve as a representative body for charger providers; members include BP Pulse, Fastned, Gridserve, Ionity…

I WOULD IF I COULD After your long-term report on a Genesis G70 Shooting Brake (14 February), I thought a G70 may well suit my next purchase. However, I couldn’t identify anywhere I could view or test drive one and my online enquiry to Genesis was ignored. No wonder they can’t sell them! Rod Baker Surrey EVs FOR THE LONG HAUL I’ve now finished my three years with a Mercedes-Benz EQC, following a Tesla Model S. Both cars covered just over 100,000 miles in that length of time. The Tesla had a few gremlins with the headlights and bonnet opening catch, the Mercedes had none at all, and neither ever left me stranded. Both had three sets of tyres with good tread left. The Mercedes was more comfortable (very quiet…

I magine a beach buggy “ with all of the flaws taken out.” That’s how Robin Hall, the man behind an all-new instalment in the UK cottage industry’s fascinating line of lightweight sports cars, introduces what he hails as the lightest M1-class (so neither a microcar nor a heavy quadricycle but a proper car) EV in the world: the Mika Meon. Hall has a history in design engineering running back several decades, including niche sports car projects. His early career was designing axles for the ill-fated Rover RDX60, the first BMW Group Mini and the X350-generation Jaguar XJ, not to mention the whole chassis of the Land Rover Discovery 2. As a freelance designer, he has penned military vehicles and single-seat track cars. His name was on the company stationery…

Back when even Ford, Peugeot and Vauxhall were giving humdrum hatchbacks folding roofs, you wouldn’t have thought the market for an everyday convertible could ever dry up. But here we are in 2024, with scant few options outside the supercar and top-drawer sports car segments for adjusting your mullet on the move. Lexus LC? Dead. Audi A5? Gone. Audi TT? See ya. Hell, even the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet is for the chop in the coming months, and there’s a good while to wait until a convertible Mini returns. No word yet on a reborn Vauxhall Cascada… Were it not for the new Ford Mustang, new Mercedes-Benz CLE and this freshened-up BMW 4 Series, you’d be pretty much stuck for an everyday drop-top four-seater south of £70,000. And even within this…

THE ELECTRIC RENAULT Megane has never had a problem standing out in simple, kerbside terms. When we road tested it in 2022, it was its only average efficiency and range, its limited rearwards visibility and some elements of its driving experience that we didn’t like. It’s pleasing, then, that Renault has introduced a round of upgrades to address some of those issues – along with a £500 price drop. A heat pump is now fitted as standard, boosting range by up to 9%. The infotainment touchscreen has been expanded from 9.0in to 12.0in. And the adaptive cruise control is now ‘contextual’, meaning it adjusts your speed according to sharp bends or roundabouts. Otherwise, things are as they were. You get a 60kWh battery with an electric motor that produces 215bhp…

Many kids grow up dreaming of becoming the next Lando Norris, but the brutal truth is that the odds of becoming a professional racing driver are very slim: you will need preternatural talent, access to significant funding and a healthy dose of good fortune for starters. But that doesn’t mean the youth of today should rule out motorsport as a career option. In fact, it’s an industry that Britain thrives in and offers a huge range of jobs. The challenge is getting kids to believe it can actually be a viable choice. A new scheme is out to change those preconceptions. The Kids in Motorsport initiative was launched last year and aims to showcase the broad scope of career options that exist in the industry, from highlevel engineering to media…

MILEAGE 5999 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Lexus has pinned its hopes of UK sales growth on this new compact crossover In the early days of my LBX testing, I was frustrated by its advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) but not sure of how fair this reaction was. Coincidentally, during this time I overheard a colleague berating the LBX’s systems. “Well, it’s not just me,” I thought and interjected to compare notes. He said the only brand worse in this regard was Kia. I haven’t driven a Kia for a little while, but a previous Matt Prior column (29 May), which described an otherwise well-liked EV9 autonomously performing an emergency stop for no clear reason, makes that claim pretty credible. I try to embrace ADAS and often coexist with the more…

Some people leave you questioning your S dedication to all things four wheels. One such is Alex Veys, like his father a committed Autocar reader all his life, and a past owner of cars as diverse as a Caterham Seven, Porsche 911, Volkswagen Corrado VR6, a couple of Minis, a Jensen-Healey (“lovely engine but a rust bucket”) and his current daily driver, a Land Rover Defender (“a proper one”). And now he has trumped the lot with his latest: a Ford GT40 spaceframe replica. When I meet him at a car event near his home in Surrey, his Gulfliveried icon is attracting pretty much everyone’s interest. Even Alex’s dog is excited, at one point leaping the 40.5in (it has a Gurney Bubble) from the ground to its roof before a…

FORD FOCUS RS 2003, 53,000 miles, £22,995 Mk1 Focus RS prices have skyrocketed in recent years, so if you want to own what is one of the best hot hatches, act now. This is a very clean, unmodified example and, with just over 50,000 miles showing, there is plenty more fun to be had in it. FORD CAPRI 2.8i 1984, 69,500 miles, £14,495 This tidy 1984 Capri is a fine option for any budding classic car enthusiast. It has been restored over the past 20 years, and while it has some agerelated marks, it is said to be in good order mechanically, with a recon gearbox recently fitted. And it’s tax and ULEZ exempt. FORD ESCORT RS COSWORTH 1995, 21,000 miles, £84,898 This rally-bred cult classic is arguably one of the most…

The radical new Lotus Theory 1 concept is a three-seat, 986bhp supercar designed to evoke the spirit of the Esprit as a brand-building performance showcase that will be a “blueprint” for all of the firm’s future cars. The new supercar uses a twin-motor all-wheel-drive electric powertrain that draws energy from a 70kWh battery mounted next to the rear motor in the lightweight carbonfibre tub. It has a claimed 0-62mph time of less than 2.5sec and a top speed of 199mph. The Theory 1 displays subtle styling nods to the Series 1 Esprit, but the link is more in the ethos of the project. “When the Esprit launched, it was a superbold expression of futurism,” said Lotus chief creative officer Ben Payne. “We’re taking that ideology and trying to work out…

The Volkswagen Group has placed two factories on the chopping block – the first time it has done so in its history – as the European automotive giant signals that it urgently needs to cut costs in order to survive in a new era. The tabled plans, made to compete against increased competition, including from China, have caused conflicts between management, investors, the Porsche/Piëch controlling families, unions and the German state. "The pie has become smaller and we have more guests at the table," CEO Oliver Blume told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. The announcement has sparked fury among unions, who are deeply embedded within the VW Group. “The board has failed,” said General Works Council chairwoman Daniela Cavallo. "The result is an attack on our jobs, sites and collective…

DESPITE BEING VAST, global industrial companies, car makers can still feel the impact of an individual. Toyota is a great example: the premiership of the effervescent Akio Toyoda since the 2010s has added a previously unimaginable human side to this most corporate of car firms. The main figure at the heart of Kia’s rise this century has been designer Peter Schreyer, who was positioned as de facto leader of the company. He has successfully raised the Korean firm’s image from that of dowdy budget brand to a more aspirational mainstream one. Kia now has another charismatic individual moving it forward once again: president and CEO Ho Sung Song. Song took the top job in 2020 after 13 years at the company and has overseen the introduction of a new brand…

I’ve just read your 28 August news of Genesis dropping the G70 and GV80 in the UK, following poor sales. In a market dominated by ‘premium’ brands, an inability to sell what look to be competitive products is a surprise. I suspect that a major factor is the brand’s retail strategy. Last year, I was in the market for a new SUV in the £40k-£50k region and didn’t want to go down the predictable Audi, BMW, JLR or Mercedes-Benz route. I thought a GV70 might be a good option. But while I could visit local dealerships for all the usual suspects, I would have had to travel 60 miles to the nearest of just seven Genesis dealerships nationally. No thanks: it was an interesting option but not that interesting. The…

Sitting serenely at 185kph in the outside lane of a glass-smooth autobahn, it occurs to me that the newly updated Audi E-tron GT might be the most invincible-feeling car on sale, at least before you get into the realm of Unimogs and literal near-indestructibility. The original E-tron GT had a likeable sense of unflappability to it, but not to this extent. That said, you might look at its replacement here and wonder what exactly has changed. Aside from the bumpers, not a single exterior panel has been updated. The expansive, peaceful cabin of Audi’s electric flagship is fundamentally unaltered too, although there are now many, many more trim and personalisation options, including eucalyptus wood for the dashboard. However, underneath the fathipped, long-snouted body, this is, in the words of erstwhile…

When it appeared in 2019, the McLaren GT had just a whiff of naivety about it – something the still-youthful firm that made it had actually rarely shown. This was a product for the margins, with a brief to expand the company’s customer base – but by using very much unexpanded platform and chassis technology, it was perhaps not in the best position to succeed. In the years since its launch, according to SMMT UK figures, it has sold consistently but quite slowly, playing third fiddle to the flashier 720/750S and the smaller 570S/600LT/Artura. Now, Woking’s product planners are pulling familiar ‘lifecycle management’ levers in an effort to keep sales percolating. They’re not big levers. Having been introduced as a slightly more bedroomylooking car than its siblings, with notable stretches…

At Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc, to give its full name, 2024 is shaping up to be a monumental year. The firm, whose lineage stretches back 111 years, has announced that it will be returning to the top class at Le Mans, with two Valkyries poised to enter the World Endurance Championship. An all-new Vanquish flagship – Aston’s emphatic, 824bhp response to the Ferrari 12Cilindri – has also been launched, along with a run of highly profitable, Fernando Alonso-approved special editions in the form of the manual V12 Valiant. Behind the scenes, testing of the mid-engined, £3 millionplus Valhalla hybrid supercar is beginning to hit its stride and the share price is showing signs of life after the delayed roll-out of the DB12 last year. Oh, and Adrian Hallmark,…

When Jaguar launched the I-Pace back in 2018, with lots of hoopla at a launch event at the then healthy Geneva motor show, the British nation’s collective chest swelled with pride. However, it was a controlled kind of chest swelling, not quite on the level of the Rule Britannia, front-page excitement that greeted the BMC Mini back in 1959, the Jaguar XJ in 1968 or the original Range Rover in 1970. By 2018, in many people’s view, premium cars had already been evil for decades. Still, this was Britain’s first significant electric car, it was a Jaguar and best of all it was a rare example of us beating the top German makers to the punch – something the I-Pace’s two biggest advocates, Sir Ralf Speth (JLR’s ex-BMW CEO, a…

WHY WE RAN IT Can a 5358mm-long, diesel 4x4 justify a place in daily motoring life in 2024? “Although this is a large car, it needn’t be that consumptive if driven well” The Defender 130 has departed Autocar Towers and returned to JLR. It was the second new-generation Defender we’d run, following a 90, but the first one I’d looked after since a classic Defender in 2016, around the time that production of that line ended. At the time, Defender owners waved to one another as they passed each other (owning an old 90, I can confirm that many still do), and I’d wondered if the same would be true of this replacement model. I don’t think it’s a huge surprise to learn that they don’t. The new Defender is…

Smart, stylish and alarmingly quick, the XC40 Recharge is the unconventional take on a relatively conventional SUV that kick-started Volvo’s electric reinvention. The XC40 arrived in 2017 with a choice of traditional petrol and diesel engines, but Volvo had always planned to turn its fashionable mini-SUV into an EV and designed it to house a battery and an electric motor (or two) from the outset. So three years later came the Recharge, with a surprisingly punchy dual-motor powertrain that made 402bhp and 487lb ft. That’s more than the new BMW M4 CS, and sufficient for 0-62mph in 4.9sec. In a crossover. A Volvo crossover. It’s a shame that the P8 (as it was badged at launch) didn’t have the handling to match its straightline pace, but its 2.2-tonne bulk inevitably…

DS has reimagined the legendary Citroën SM as a futuristic, techladen concept that previews the French premium brand’s design direction. Created to mark 10 years since DS was spun off from Citroën, the SM Tribute has been designed as if its Maserati V6-engined namesake had “continued to develop over the past five decades” following its retirement in 1975. The SM was conceived in the late 1960s as a more sporting replacement for Citroën’s DS flagship saloon. In keeping with the spirit of the original, the new SM is a low, sleek coupé with a long, probing bonnet and sharply angled front end. It’s a close size match for its forebear but sits 35mm closer to the ground “in search of efficiency”. Obvious design tributes include wind-cheating (and removable) rear wheel…

EXCEPTIONAL NIGHT VISION isn’t something humans are gifted with. Some of our friends in the animal kingdom, such as deer, are far better at seeing at night. See-in-the-dark tech was used first by the military, before automotive supplier Magna developed its first thermal imaging system in 2003. Called Night Vision, it was introduced in the BMW 7 Series in 2005 and has since been used by 13 car makers across 40 models. Today’s systems have improved coverage, enhanced detection capability and a sharp image even in complete darkness. Yet among the current portfolio of ADAS systems, it’s still relatively rare, which is odd, considering accident rates at night are far higher than daytime. According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 76% of pedestrian fatalities happen…

Future improvements to the new Volvo EX90 will more than make up for any frustration felt by early buyers about the electric SUV missing key features at its launch, according to the company’s engineering and technology chief, Anders Bell. The EX90, first revealed in late 2022, sits on the new SPA2 platform and is Volvo’s first ‘software-defined vehicle’. It runs an advanced computing system that was developed in-house and allows for continual improvements during the car’s life cycle. However, delays in its development mean the first customer deliveries will start only shortly – and even then, cars will still be missing a number of key functions, such as several of the driver assistance systems including the lidar sensor, bi-directional charging and Apple CarPlay. Volvo said these features will be enabled…

ROAD TEST VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI ‘Fixed’ Mk8.5 version of the iconic hot hatchback goes under the close scrutiny of our road testers. ROAD TRIP VAUXHALL CORSA TOURS BRITAIN We take this trusty supermini to car destinations less visited. FIRST DRIVE AUDI RS6 AVANT GT With nods to the 1980s Quattro and uprated running gear, just how special is this special edition? EVERY WEEK USED GUIDE LAND ROVER DISCOVERY We reveal how this British family favourite measures up as a used purchase. LONG-TERM TEST ABARTH 500E Our very bright Italian hot hatch meets its predecessor. Does petrol beat electric?…

Volkswagen has a long history of hot hatches, stretching all the way back to the near genesis of the format in 1975, yet still the ID 3 GTX represents somewhat of a new beginning for the under-fire German brand in the everyday performance car stakes. Not only is it the first Volkswagen hot hatch powered exclusively by an electric motor, but it’s also the first to be sold exclusively with rear-wheel drive. In the UK, the ID 3 GTX will be available solely in range-topping Performance guise, with 322bhp and 402lb ft of torque, at a price of £46,225. Even with a kerb weight of 2000kg, that’s sufficient to provide the most powerful ID 3 variant with a 0-62mph time of 5.7sec, placing it into direct competition with the heavily…

NEW DIESELS DON’T come along very often these days. Ever since (checks notes) Volkswagen became embroiled in you-know-what-gate back in 2015, cars fuelled by the black pump have been in what seems like terminal decline. Yet diesels can still be found on price lists, among them the recently facelifted Volkswagen Golf. You can get a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine with either 114bhp or 148bhp, the former coming with a manual gearbox and the latter, tested here, a dual-clutch automatic (DSG). It’s offered in three trims: Match, Style and R-Line. Not much has changed from the pre-facelift Golf or, in truth, even the previous-generation Golf in the way that this 2.0 TDI performs. In fact, if you covered the interiors of such a Golf from a decade ago and now, you…

ELECTRIC MOTORS Literally the driving force of all EVs, electric motors are like jet engines in that they have few moving parts and are incredibly powerful for their size. Mechanically simple, with just a rotor and stator, they generate power and torque using magnetic fields. The most popular type of motor is the brushless permanently excited synchronous motor (PSM), which has powerful rare-earth magnets embedded in its rotor. Surrounding stator coils (the static part) use an alternating current (AC) to generate a rotating magnetic field, which attracts the rotor’s magnets, making it turn in perfect synchronisation with the frequency of the AC. The rotor and magnetic field are perfectly in sync, hence the motor is synchronous. Some manufacturers prefer to avoid the use of the rare-earth permanent magnets and opt…

MILEAGE 8344 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT So see if this really is Italy’s answer to McLaren The scene above isn’t as lamentable as it appears and our MC20 isn’t stricken. Far from it. The car has been growling along nicely, albeit with the usual supercar quirks. It found itself jacked up on the outskirts of Luton only because a dustcap wasn’t seated and had been bleeding a Bridgestone for 60 miles down the M1. I feared worse, hence going direct to a repair shop. In fact, the only reason I even took a photo is because, well, in that grotty workshop, the Maser looked, even in tripod mode, obscenely fine. Like something out of a manga comic. Giallo Genio is, in the context of these things, nine grand well spent.…

AN OWNER’S VIEW ADRIAN SNELIUS “I bought an XC40 Recharge in 2021 as our main family car. Since then, we’ve covered 50,000 miles around most of the UK and have even been to the Outer Hebrides. It’s plenty big enough inside for two adults, two teenagers and a Labrador. I prefer it to our old Tesla Model X, which was riddled with issues. An annual service costs around £150 and so far the only issue we’ve had was a faulty boot strut, replaced under warranty. We rely on the public network to charge our car, which is pretty costly. This isn’t helped by the XC40’s poor charging curve and real-world range of 200 miles.” BUYER BEWARE… ■ MOTOR The car will be immobile if a ‘Propulsion System’ warning appears on…

Nobody today gives a second thought to their car needing registration plates, but initially this was a very unpopular imposition. In 1900, Autocar opined in reply to an article in the County Council Times: “We cannot understand, except on the assumption that autocarists are less amenable to the law than all other of Her Majesty’s liege subjects – which is absurd – why they alone should be chosen for having numbers painted on their vehicles. Why should they above all users of the highway be subjected to the indignity of having to bear, as it were, upon their foreheads the mark of Cain?” In 1901, the Automobile Club issued a manifesto signed by 99% of its members to county councils, stating: “English gentlemen have the greatest repugnance to having their…