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Used Mercedes A-Class: Posh hatch is a catch from just £5k

Sun, 2 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Merc's third-gen hatch hit the ground running as a premium Golf rival - now it's available from £2000

The A-Class was a case of third time lucky for Mercedes - at least in terms of making a profit.

The groundbreaking first-gen A-Class was safe and extremely space-efficient. We called it "easily the most innovative front-wheel-drive car since the Mini", yet frumpy styling played a role in it becoming a €2.5 billion failure. Merc's second effort addressed notorious handling quirks but was no less ungainly.

The Mk3, however, was bang on the mark: Mercedes straightened its tie, pushed its glasses up, reopened the rulebook and built the most Volkswagen Golf-like hatchback it could, rather than a segment-bending innovation showcase. It was a roaring success.

It's still a good-looking car today, with neat creases, balanced proportions and a subtly sporting aura. Residuals remain strong, but you can now grab a well-looked-after example with reasonable mileage for less than £5000.

At 4.3 metres long and with a range of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines driving the front wheels, the A-Class was engineered and specified to rival VW's benchmark and its trendsetting premium relation, the Audi A3.

You slide down into a W176 A-Class's heavily bucketed seats: the low roof and small door openings make it feel more like getting into a sports car than a posh family hatch. That was the point: Merc was trying to entice a younger and more dynamically inclined buyer.

It all feels luxurious and nicely finished without being exuberant. Good-quality plastics and premium switches are plentiful, and the 7in (8in with the 2015 facelift) infotainment system is right-sized, as is the smaller display between the sporty analogue dials.

The driving position is great, but the rear space is more compromised: the bulky seats and low roof make it quite claustrophobic, and the middle seat is for occasional use only.

The boot is also a touch small, at 341 litres, but the flip side of the reduced practicality is the compact feel on the road. The dynamics are excellent, and few would have expected Mercedes to release one of the best-handling hatchbacks of its day. The A-Class is immediate and direct, darting into corners and holding its line with tenacity. A BMW 1 Series seems stodgy by comparison and an A3 almost insipid. It's genuinely good fun to hustle down a B-road.

For those few readers who aren't keen drivers, you might lament the uncompromising stiff ride and poor sound insulation (improved with the 2015 facelift), which lets too much road and engine noise inside. SE and Sport models are firm, but AMG-lite trims can be uncomfortable on all but smooth roads. Adaptive dampers (available post-facelift) go only so far at taking the edge off the ride.

Another A-Class miss was the engine selection: none of the petrols or diesels stand out. That said, the 1.6-litre 156bhp A200 petrol gives a nice balance between economy and performance, and the 2.1-litre diesel became better refined post the 2015 facelift. The 134bhp A200d is efficient and punchy. Both engines are at their best when paired with the standard six- speed manual, although the seven- speed dual-clutch auto isn't bad. Worth hunting down is the rare A250. With 208bhp (215bhp in the facelift), it has Golf GTI pace with an unforgiving chassis that gives great agility when pushing on. It's a forgotten but worthy hot hatch.

What to look out for

Interior: Check for rattles, possibly emanating from the centre console or, on early models, from the front seatbelt height adjusters, which were modified on later versions. Build quality was generally much better on facelifts, and additional sound deadening was welcomed.

Engines: Mostly reliable apart from typical particulate filter issues on the diesels. The 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrols and 1.8-litre (pre-facelift only) and 2.1 diesels are Merc units, while the 1.5-litre diesel is from Renault. It's a little underpowered (108bhp) but economical, reliable and no less refined than the bigger units.

Servicing: A noisy clatter on any engine indicates it's time for a new timing chain - it's normally due at 124,000 miles but often needs doing sooner. The A-Class requires servicing every year or 15,000 miles, whichever is first. The big service should be every four years. It's worth factoring this into the price if a change is due.

Gearbox: Jerky or delayed gearshifts could mean an issue with the automatic 'box - a seven-speed dual-clutch auto across the range. A service or replacement control unit should fix things.

Low-emission zones: All petrols are LEZ compliant, as are 2.1-litre diesels, from as early as 2013. The 1.8-litre diesel is not compliant, and neither is the 1.5-litre in the pre-facelift car (tell it apart by a '180 CDI badge', rather than '180d').

Also worth knowing

Trims range from SE to AMG Sport (AMG Line in the facelift) with Sport in the middle. Sport adds cruise control, auto wipers and 17in alloys to the standard electric mirrors, air-con and auto lights. AMG versions have a sportier bodykit and carbonfibre bits inside. Lots of features (LED lights, leather heated seats, a panoramic sunroof) are wrapped up in the two option packs, Premium and Premium Plus.

The 2015 facelift brought Dynamic Select, with a range of driving and suspension modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport and Individual. It also has the improved 'NTG 5.1' infotainment system that includes both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto hardware support - but not all models have it enabled.

Earlier models with NTG 4.5 can have it (expensively) upgraded, while later ones may just need a software update and cable.

Insurance groups range from 13 to 33. Vehicle excise duty is as little as £20 for the diesels, while the petrols are around £200.

How much to spend

£2000-£4999 Neglected and high-mileage cars, probably not worth the risk.

£5000-£8999 Good-condition, reasonable-mileage pre-facelifts, plus a few later cars in less desirable SE trim.

£9000-£14,999 Massive selection of facelift cars, the majority being automatic diesels. AMG Line commands a significant premium over Sport.

£15,000-£25,000 Late, low-mileage cars and a selection of bonkers A45s - a future classic in the making?

An owner's view

Sioban Hall: "I love my 2017 A-Class. It's an A220d with the AMG Line bodykit. The only downsides are that it can feel quite stiff and noisy, but otherwise I like that it feels low and powerful like a sports car. So far it has been reliable and economical - I get almost 50mpg - and is the perfect car for my motorway commute."

Ultimate sleepers: Can new Citroen campervan beat VW California?

Sun, 2 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0100

The new Citroen Holidays is here to challenge an Autocar favourite for campsite supremacy

Few cars unite the writers of this magazine—or loom so large in many of our money-no-object garages—as a 2.4-tonne, diesel-powered cuboid. One that takes more than 12 seconds to hit 62mph and most likely laps Anglesey in the time it takes to brew a strong cup of tea via its on-board kitchenette. The Volkswagen California is an essential pillar in any rounded car collection, fantasy or otherwise, and it's one that justifies its tortoise-like straight-line performance with the hare-like speed with which it transforms from civilised minibus to rolling four-person villa.

It has occupied a class of its own for more than 75 years now, tracing its roots back to the iconic Type 2 camper van of 1950. The now familiar California badge had its debut in 2004, and Volkswagen has sold in excess of 200,000 examples in the two decades since. All right, there is plenty of capable competition from the third-party camper conversion market, while the Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo lifts things up a notch with its plusher trim and optional air suspension. But the California has always been the factory-made camper for common folks, even if this T7-generation Cali now starts at almost £65,000 and accrues a further £10,000 with the trim and options that truly make it feel like a home from home.

But at last! Coming over the hill, its arrival trumpeted by distinctly commercial turbo diesel tones, is some welcome competition and a car that competes with the aftermarket on price while wearing a glossy showroom sheen. The Citroën Holidays notably undercuts the Cali with its £56,000 entry point and some inevitably rougher edges. The VW now places its seating and sleeping for four firmly on the MQB car platform of the Multivan rather than the underbelly of a Transporter, helping it ride and handle with a fresh finesse. The Holidays, though, is unmistakably a double chevron-badged van with its shorts and flip-flops on—or cagoule and hiking boots, assuming you're deploying it on a Great British break...

The Holidays' name, and the font displaying it, certainly borders on the twee, but it channels a whimsy similar to the Mazda Bongo Friendee, a true cult icon of the used camper van scene. It's the knowing acknowledgement of a vehicle that is both fun and functional without much compromise in either camp. And camp we shall, because how else might we appraise the newcomer's nous against the class MVP?

The Holidays starts life as a Citroën Spacetourer bus, built as normal in Hordain, north-east France, before being sent to Slovenia for its conversion. The payload is bolstered over stock and, unlike the VW, there's one, simple spec to choose from. A 2.2-litre diesel is now standard, although the older 2.0-litre on test delivers an almost identical set of numbers. There's heating, a twin-hob cooker, fridge and (cold) shower, plus the capacity to sleep two downstairs and two inside its gas-strutted, manually extendable roof. Those beds are snug, however, measuring the 1.9 metres by 1.2 metres of a UK queen-size or 'small double' bed rather than a full double. The front seats swivel to face the rears, and a temporary table can be installed between for a proper dining experience.

The California mirrors much of that set-up, but its roof is electrically operated from this mid-range Coast upwards and incorporates a hatch to slide shut to separate the two floors. It trades one cooker hob and the Citroën's unlikely commode toilet for larger water tanks, an integrated side awning and its own foldable chairs, which slot with beautiful tactility into the bootlid. Both vans, it's worth adding, have enormous tailgates that demand care when opening.

The VW's build process takes place in Hanover across two different facilities, and it hits the configurator with three spec levels and powertrains, supplementing its core diesel with a 201bhp 2.0-litre petrol and 242bhp 1.5-litre eHybrid 4Motion. The latter offers around 50 miles of silent running—useful for keeping the peace at the campsite—and represents your only shot at four-wheel drive in this pairing, although we have opted for the diesel here to ensure a civilised squabble. While dynamics may appear less crucial here than in almost any other test in the Autocar archive, no one wants their trip to start on a sour note. And yet, despite its distinctly commercial vehicle beginnings, the Holidays won't subject that upon you.

Its additional 29bhp over the California provides livelier acceleration, and its standard auto 'box makes progress simple. You can manually shift gears with its steering wheel paddles, but there's rarely any need beyond hushing its engine on a consistent incline. Its steering is slower and more laborious than the Cali's, commanding a swish of your forearms rather than a flick of your wrists in corners, and the Volkswagen can't help flexing its more sophisticated platform in this company.

The Cali is quieter on a cruise and nimbler in corners, and it exhibits more quality damping on rougher roads to help justify its larger asking price with more polished manners. An unlikely highlight among it all is Travel Assist, a smart piece of semi-autonomous tech that can predictively brake and steer the car on narrow lanes for safer navigation of unknown roads. While we're not ready to cede full control of our cars just yet, it feels like an adept background safety feature for drivers lost or flustered on a family trip. It's a modest option at £480.

The VW is unequivocally techier, then. It's more immediately habitable too, however much the climate control sliders of its protruding infotainment screen frustrate beside the Citroën's humbler row of buttons and toggles. Front quarterlights aid the Cali's forward visibility, and you can see more through its rear screen, which helps offset its pert side mirrors. While picture editor Ben Summerell-Youde and I agree that its beige interior tones look a bit naff, in truth they lighten the cabin nicely as you drive, and one would assume the trim is hard-wearing and easily cleaned. It would otherwise be a clanging own goal beside the darker-trimmed Holidays.

The Citroën's rough edges show themselves most viscerally inside, with its tacked-on smoke detector, visible bolts and cabling and—perhaps a clincher for some buyers—the modest level of physical fitness and ingenuity required for its transformation from four-seat shuttle to two-tier hotel room. Sliding and folding the rear seats into a double bed is a right old kerfuffle, while unlatching (and more pertinently re-latching) the roof might cause some bruised knuckles on your first several attempts. You would get used to it all, I'm sure, but alongside the near-effortless Volkswagen, it is the most sizeable sacrifice made in the name of value. You should badger your dealer for a proper demonstration before you lay down a deposit.

Each of the levers and pulleys needed to activate bedtime in the California exudes the decades of experience VW has in the game, although whether operating its heating via a touchscreen (or bespoke phone app) is preferable to the simpler knobs and dials of the Holidays falls into the realms of personal taste. Or, indeed, age. A more objective demerit for the VW is its more frequent fuel stops. We averaged 37mpg in both vans across similar usage, but the Holidays' larger tank (70 litres versus 58 litres) easily yields more than 500 miles between fills; the Cali is likely to illuminate its fuel light 100 miles earlier.

The Volkswagen is otherwise the better car here against any parameter bar list price. Even then, its frankly preposterous ability to retain value ensures you can lease one from a mite over £300 per month, while the Citroën (currently) asks considerably more. And yet each of these devices transcends the usual formalities of four-wheeled transport to stand a very good chance of becoming a beloved member of the family.

The purer, simpler Holidays is more honest, right down to its brazen name. It feels far more economy class in its ambience, but the upshot is you'll harbour less fear of getting it dirty or scuffed. It's much less precious about the life that's going to be thrown at it—which in turn might encourage a more enthusiastic attitude from its owners in what they do with it. As the newcomer to the scene it ought to sit proudly on camp amid a row of Vee-Dubs, too. Yet however much it charms, it can't elbow the California from our dream garage.

Snorkel, winches... missile launcher? Here's my mad homebuilt 4x4

Sat, 1 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0100

This Frankenstein's monster of a vehicle is based on a Suzuki, but you wouldn't know it

Andy Racher's dinky-size 4x4 is an example of what happens when you give two blokes a welding torch and a load of thin-gauge tubular steel - and absolutely no idea what to make with them.

"My late dad, who was a welder, and I fabricated a tubular frame, making it up as we went along," explains Andy, who has an engineering background. "Whatever we decided at the time, we did. What you see is simply the result of the many challenges we faced building it. Basically, it was led by 'Where are we going to put this and where are we going to put that?'." This is the result.

At least they had a rolling chassis as a basis on which to work. Andy says: "Underneath all those tubes is a Suzuki SJ410 1.0 soft-top. I bought it 12 years ago as just a rolling chassis with an engine and a steering wheel. The tubular frame and all the extras added just under 200kg to its original kerb weight."

Those 'extras' include every conceivable off-road essential, as Andy explains: "It has a snorkel and all-terrain tyres, of course, but also a pair of Rhino winches with a snatch block so I can gear them up to pull more. On the bonnet is a compact shovel and a pair of load straps, and at the back is a spare wheel, a fuel can, an auxiliary battery, more load straps and two waffle boards that I use as a bridge to cross narrow ditches.

"Inside are two bucket seats fitted with racing harnesses from a Caterham, a steering wheel from a race kart, a fire extinguisher, cameras and a pair of ear defenders because the engine makes a hell of a noise! It's cooled by the radiator from a Toyota Avensis with twin high-speed fans, again sourced from a Caterham."

A neatly crafted instrument panel features a gratifying assortment of dials and switches, but my eyes are drawn to more switches set into a panel mounted along the length of the header rail.

"These control a series of electrically operated valves that allow me to wash separate areas of the vehicle remotely, using water stored in a tank with a high-pressure Whale pump," says Andy. "When it's at full pressure, the water comes out like a jet wash. From the driver's seat I can clean the headlights, the spots, the rear screen and the cameras. It's useful when you're speeding through mud."

Speeding? Not quite. "Actually, it's terrifying off road," admits Andy. "There's very little suspension travel. The first time I took it off road, I broke it. I couldn't help myself: I took a jump and it landed rear first, breaking the rear suspension, part of the gearbox and the handbrake. I spent the next three days repairing it."

In truth, I don't think Andy is bothered by his Suzuki's poor off-road manners; he has just had fun modifying it - and he's not finished.

"My plan is to fabricate a couple of platforms on which to mount weapons, which I will also make," he says. "I'm thinking rear-mounted surface-to-air missiles that will articulate, and at the front two Gatling guns or two single-barrel machine guns - I can't decide. With those, it will be my A-Team tribute vehicle."

I'm not sure Andy's dad had that in mind when he set to with his welding torch.

Is Alfa Romeo the only brand that can sell cars for £30k and £1.4m?

Sat, 1 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0100

Line-up ranges from Junior to 33 Stradale hypercar - but not everyone could achieve that spread

Which brands, a colleague wondered, could retail a car at under thirty grand but also, like Alfa Romeo, launch a limited-edition, several-million-pound supercar?

Alfa Romeo won't quote a price for the new 33 Stradale, so it's impossible to know for sure how much it costs. Tragically, it's not on the regular model configurator.

I saw a build slot for one of the 33 examples advertised at £3.5m, but even if that is genuine (I'm unconvinced), asking isn't getting, several people would want to profit from it and who knows if that allows for possible option costs.

Those can change things drastically. McLaren says the average array of options on its £2m W1 add £600,000 to each car and that one customer is spending £900,000.

Anyway, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you can spend as little as £29,015 or something approaching 100 times that on an Alfa Romeo. Is that unique?

In the market, right now, I think one could fairly confidently say that it is - and that it's the broadest model price spread in the business. But who else could, if they chose to, do similar?

My colleague thought hardly anyone, but I'm not so convinced. Almost every manufacturer wanting millions for limited-edition cars will be reaching upwards from its normal sphere, of course-even McLaren or Rolls-Royce. But I think what would mark most out as able to do it is not how far upwards they're stretching but how far down they've already stretched.

Take Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi, for example. They could make squillion-pound cars and indeed have. Most recently, the AMG One was around £2.4m, while an A-Class can be had for budget-Alfa money.

What enables them to do it at the top end of the market is ultimately the same reason people want their cars at the bottom end. They've decades of experience of making expensive, thoroughly engineered cars-a lot of them for racing. If it feels okay to hand over £2m to a manufacturer because it has won eight Formula 1 constructors' championships, it fairly well stands to reason that it also feels fine to hand over £30,000 to one.

What's perhaps surprising about this is that premium or luxury (or who would like to think of themselves as luxury) manufacturers moved down into mainstream segments seemingly without affecting their appeal at the top end.

It has been an awfully long time since the introduction of the A-Class, BMW 1 Series and Audi A1. There was a fear, for a time, that selling better-value cars would 'cheapen' those brands - lessen their appeal as premium names. It doesn't seem, though, to have come to pass.

Even discounting the unobtanium, Audi, BMW and Mercedes routinely sell cars costing into the hundreds of thousands, which is very lucrative business - certainly more so than selling cars cheaply.

Pity, then, those manufacturers, many with long and storied pasts, that couldn't pull off this feat, and for which value cars are effectively the whole deal. For them, a shift of just a few per cent in sales when margins are incredibly tight can mean the difference between a modest profit or an extraordinary loss.

I don't think there's a Chinese manufacturer that could do it today (at least in Europe) - but, given that Toyota and Honda probably could, who's to say that won't change in the future?

Could, say, Vauxhall or Citroën or Skoda realistically pitch customers a 'few-off' car at £3m? It feels unrealistic.

Unusually for a car maker with value roots, Ford could and has made very expensive cars. It made 1350 examples of its most recent GT and charged £1.4m for a 67-off track-only version.

Racing, then, must count for something. I don't suppose anyone has raced as much as Ford, and it feels to me like it would be at the root of the appeal of most of these kinds of cars. I know they used to say 'win on Sunday, sell on Monday', but it feels like there's more to it than that. More 'win in 1966, sell in 2026'. It has always been difficult to quantify the amount of cars an extensive racing programme helps to sell, but I think it changes the kinds of car one is able to sell too.

243mph on public roads: meet the world's maddest motorsport event

Sat, 1 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0100

The Silver State Challenge is a motorsport event like no other. We head to Nevada to join in

There aren't many places left where you can legally drive at more than 200mph on a public road. I've come to one of the remaining few.

Twice each year, the Silver State Classic Challenge closes a vast section of Nevada's Route 318 and transforms it into the world's fastest public road motorsport course. No barriers. No run-off. No catch fencing. Just endless desert, distant mountains and a strip of Tarmac stretching to the horizon.

The May event, the Nevada Open Road Challenge, uses a two-leg format totalling 151 miles, making it the world's longest sanctioned public road race. The Silver State Classic Challenge in September runs as a single-leg shootout at 90 miles. Having run since 1988, it might be the least-known yet most wonderfully unhinged form of motorsport in the world.

A drag strip in the desert

The host town of Ely is deep in eastern Nevada, more than 200 miles north of Las Vegas. It feels like an old mining town that moves at its own pace. Casinos and motels wear faded signs from another era, diners serve towering pancake stacks and coffee in thick white mugs and there is a sense the modern world passed this place by.

Then race week arrives, and suddenly Ely fills with Porsches, Corvettes, Mercedes-AMGs, Dodges, Vipers, Shelby Cobra replicas and homebuilt monsters producing absurd amounts of horsepower. Parked among them this year was my car: a Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Much of the field is obsessed with horsepower figures and elaborate aero packages, but VW's front-wheel-drive performance hatch represents a different philosophy: accessible performance. Some 50 years after the original redefined the affordable fast hatchback, our 2.0-litre turbo four-pot Golf GTI, with a comparatively modest 241bhp and 273lb ft, was about to take on a whole new challenge.

But the deficit of power shouldn't be an issue, because the Nevada Open Road Challenge is not simply about going flat out. The event is divided into different classes based on target average speeds. Touring classes run from 95mph to 110mph; above them sit various divisions running at up to 180mph, before arriving at the Unlimited class, where competitors simply drive as fast as they can.

In 2017, during the Silver State Classic Challenge, Robert Allyn and navigator David Bauer set a Guinness World Record for the highest average speed ever recorded on a public highway during sanctioned competition. Driving a 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Nascar, Allyn averaged 219.643mph across the 90-mile course. At one point, organisers recorded the car travelling at 243.3mph.

What strikes you first, however, is not the speed but the atmosphere: it lacks the corporate feel of most modern motorsport environments and resembles a community built around enthusiasts. Some arrive with professional motorsport trailers and support crews; others look as though they drove in directly from somebody's backyard workshop.

Because it is a closed-road event, cars do not need to be road-legal, but the overwhelming majority remain road-registered machines driven to the event. All first-time competitors must complete a mandatory Rookie Instructional Session held at SpeedVegas, a private circuit south of Las Vegas. There, we went through classroom sessions and track instruction. There are explanations of timing procedures, safety protocols, overtaking etiquette and emergency procedures and then, once we reach Ely, course orientation drives pointing out landmarks and reference points hidden in the desert landscape.

Only after completing this programme are drivers allowed to compete. Even then, rookies are restricted to Touring classes: progression into the faster categories must be earned.

The Touring division is aimed at standard to lightly modified production cars. Grand Touring raises speeds to between 115mph and 125mph; Grand Sport from 130mph to 155mph; and Super Sport from 160mph to 180mph averages. Then there's the Unlimited class.

Each step upward requires increasingly serious safety equipment. The regulations also contain a series of wonderfully old-school details. For example, tyres must use metal valve caps: rubber or plastic caps can fail in the heat generated by sustained triple-digit desert speeds.

While the event may look outwardly relaxed and wonderfully eccentric, the organisers take safety extraordinarily seriously. Since its inception, there have been four major accidents resulting in five fatalities. Those incidents hang quietly over the event, even if competitors rarely dwell on them publicly.

Electric vehicles are permitted in the Touring divisions but are not currently permitted to run in the Unlimited category. Race director Blue Offutt explains why: "We simply don't have the capability out there for the sort of fires those cars can create." Route 318 cuts through vast empty sections of Nevada where the nearest infrastructure can feel impossibly distant. Fire crews, emergency services and rescue teams are stationed strategically along the course, but this is still remote desert.

Race week

Friday and Saturday gradually transform Ely into a giant motorsport festival, complete with parades, shows and specialised speed events. Then there is perhaps the most wonderfully surreal tradition of all: the Hookers' Choice Award, presented by workers from Ely's brothels to their favourite car entered in the event.

Race day begins on the outskirts of town before competitors depart in convoy towards a truck stop farther south along Route 318. Drivers sip coffee beside their cars; final tyre pressures are checked; navigators stare intently at their timing sheets.

The Unlimited cars are sent off first. From the truck stop, competitors make the short drive to the start line just outside the sleepy town of Lund, before heading into the desert at 30-second intervals with the local sheriff looking on.

The priority is to get beyond your target average speed as quickly as possible. The standing start means that for the first few miles you remain technically below the 110mph average, but gradually the numbers begin climbing back towards target. The goal is to reach it and build a buffer.

The early long straights are surreal as the Nevada desert opens out in every direction and the GTI settles into its stride. With the road closed and, for long stretches, no other car in sight, you can choose your line freely. Most drift towards the middle of the road, straddling the yellow centre lines and rumble strip to maximise visibility and smooth out the sweepers. At sustained triple-digit speeds, Route 318 develops an almost hypnotic rhythm. The Nevada desert begins coming towards you in enormous uninterrupted waves of asphalt and heat haze.

Suddenly reality snaps back into focus. Just as we are trimming our speed to get as close as possible to our average target of 110mph, we are confronted by debris scattered across the highway: long strips of rubber spread across both lanes. Further down the course, sitting damaged in a neighbouring paddock beyond the roadside fencing, is a Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo. The car has come to rest battered and coated in dust, dirt and dry Nevada grass after leaving the road at close to 180mph.

The sight is a sharp reminder that the dangers remain very real. Fortunately, driver Michael Davis and navigator Ken Reese walked away. Later, during the evening presentations back in Ely, the organisers award the pair the event's Balls of Steel Award for 2026.

At this stage, the mathematics of the Nevada Open Road Challenge become very real. In our 110mph Touring class, every mile should take 32.73sec. Arrive at Mile 20 0.4 seconds early and you are Plus 0.4; 0.6 seconds behind? Minus 0.6.

In the lead-up to the event, this timing variance was on everyone's lips. But every conversation circles back to one place: The Narrows. It sits roughly 70 miles into the southern leg, a tight canyon section carved through the mountains and universally regarded as the most intimidating part of the course.

The route notes alone are enough to raise your pulse rate: "Off-camber 64deg into a short straight into The Narrows." Followed by: "Most treacherous blind curve on the course!!!"

After that, the notes descend into a blur of tightening corners and increasingly urgent instructions for multiple bends, before the understated final note: "Exit The Narrows (resume breathing)."

All while trying to hold a 110mph average. Veterans constantly warn newcomers about it. "You need to build a buffer before The Narrows," one experienced competitor told us, "because you're going to lose time in there." Another laughed and said: "The road decides what speed you do through The Narrows. Not you."

We take the advice seriously. Long before reaching the canyon section on the outward leg, we deliberately build a healthy margin over our target average speed, knowing we would bleed seconds once the road tightened around us.

Another aspect of the challenge in the Touring classes is that competitors are not simply given a target average speed: they are also assigned both a maximum and minimum speed. Our maximum permitted speed was 124mph, with the minimum set at 80mph. Drop below it and you risk disqualification for going too slow. Organisers do not want competitors bunching together or creating dangerous speed differentials across the course.

To enforce it, hidden speed traps are scattered throughout the route. Exceed your maximum or fall below your minimum speed and you are disqualified immediately and not permitted to run the return leg competitively.

That pressure becomes particularly intense approaching The Narrows. By then the road has lulled us into a strange rhythm. Route 318 is so open that 110mph gradually begins feeling oddly normal as the Nevada desert blurs around you.

Then the canyon walls suddenly close in, the road tightens and the corners begin stacking one upon another. And, for the first time, you genuinely have to work for the average speed. The focus changes completely. The challenge is no longer simply maintaining momentum it becomes damage limitation.

Once we emerge from The Narrows canyon section, the priority for the remaining 17.5 miles of the southern leg becomes brutally simple: recover the lost time without overdriving the car. The desert begins flattening out again as we gradually claw our way back towards the magic 110mph.

After 90 miles across the Nevada desert, we cross the line just fractions away from our prescribed target time of 49min 05.455sec. The world suddenly slows down.

After almost an hour of concentration and speed calculations, the abrupt reduction in pace feels surreal: your eyes take time to readjust; your breathing changes; the silence inside the car suddenly becomes noticeable again. Competitors funnel into the tiny town of Ash Springs for the turnaround before the run back to Ely, and the place briefly transforms into an improvised Le Mans pit lane.

Then, less than an hour later, everybody heads back out in the opposite direction for the 61-mile return leg - and this year there is extra uncertainty. Weather forecasts throughout race week had repeatedly threatened rain. Organisers made their position very clear: if rain fell during the event, all competitors would immediately be reduced to a mandatory 70mph average speed regardless of class.

Out on Route 318 the weather has shifted constantly. Some sections remained dry beneath brilliant blue desert skies; other sections grew colder as dark clouds drifted across the distant mountain ranges. And then, after the finish line on the return leg, Nevada desert snow begins falling on the mountains surrounding the town.

That contrast perfectly captures the absurdity of the event itself. One moment you are calculating timing variance at triple-digit speeds while crossing Nevada at full commitment. The next you are crawling carefully back into a tiny mining town through falling snow.

Somewhere amid all of that madness, our Golf GTI quietly delivered a result we could scarcely have imagined. We finished seventh in the 110mph Touring class with an average speed of 109.9808mph or just 0.0192mph shy of the prescribed 110mph target.

By the end of the event, however, the mathematics, psychology and sheer craziness of Nevada's open-road racing culture had started to make sense - enough to understand why so many competitors return year after year. A completely legal flat-out race across the desert run largely on trust and camaraderie.

There is simply nothing else quite like it.

Ignore Jay Leno: Your dream garage only needs three cars

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0100

Jay Leno's Garage is a dream, but does he actually have too many cars? | Getty Images

I've got an old Mini Cooper S and BMW 3 Series Touring, but my next car might be something wildly different

A popular pastime among car enthusiasts, both in conversation and mentally during idle moments, is to ponder the dream garage. More specifically, which cars will occupy it, should money not be a concern. Less commonly pondered is the garage itself and how big or small it should be.

Like many, I enjoy the Jay Leno’s Garage videos on YouTube. Freed of having to feign interest in Keanu Reeves’ latest action flick or some washed-up politician’s ‘tell-all’ book but not of the money that that sort of thing used to pay, Leno can spend plenty of time with his collection. To many, it probably looks like the dream: an enormous hangar in California with a couple hundred cars from all eras.

But I’m not sure it is. Don’t get me wrong: I wouldn’t turn down a similar arrangement if it came my way. But even with full-time staff to look after the fleet, having more cars than days in the year seems impractical to me. Just trying to drive every car at least once a year would be a near-impossible mission.

Maybe 10 is the magic number? I’ve not tried it, but that still seems like a lot. The hangar required to house all that metal still needs to be pretty sizeable, and you have to keep up with 10 insurance policies, 10 MOTs, 10 road tax reminders and 10 services, never mind the more specialist attention that old bangers tend to demand. The thought alone makes me want to lease a Suzuki Swift.

I suspect the sweet spot is three. I’m currently on two: a Mini Cooper S from 2005 and a BMW 325i from 1990. One is a year-round do-it-all car, the other a slightly more interesting do-it-all car, but which is limited to three seasons, because it’s liable to turning to brown dust. They cover a lot of bases and the admin is somewhat manageable.

I’ve had the BMW a year, and I've already done nearly as many miles as the previous owner managed in six. Thanks to him and the owner before, who didn’t drive it at all for 10 years, I had the opportunity to buy a nice, low-mileage car. But I do wonder how cars end up sitting like that. Perhaps the ‘mistake’ is keeping special cars for special occasions.

You may simply be of the restoring or collecting persuasion, which is absolutely fine, but assuming you buy cars to drive, I think the best way of getting enjoyment out of cars on the side is to just use them to brighten up mundane journeys. I’ve been driving the BMW to the supermarket and to the odd UK-based job and then taking the long way back. It has been most enjoyable.

Even so, I think there’s space (functionally, if not physically in the single-car garage I’m renting) for a third car – something a bit silly that’s wildly different from normal traffic and an event every time.

No, not a supercar: that’s way out of my league financially. I’m thinking pre-war. For the past few months, we’ve had a Morgan Super 3 on the long-term fleet. I was lucky to prize the keys from Matt Prior’s hands for a weekend, and I loved how it made low-speed driving interesting, whereas most modern cars aim to do exactly the opposite.

I suspect that with a pre-war car, the need for double-declutching, the uncouthness, the confused looks from passers-by, might inject similar cheer into ordinary driving. The oldest thing I’ve driven so far is a Series II Land Rover, so I may be delusional...

There are signs that this is a great time to buy a veteran car, because prices are dropping as large parts of the established fanbase move on to a more ground-based existence. I came across a 1928 Franklin with an air-cooled straight-six engine, a three-speed transmission and wooden wheels. I’m sold on the concept of an air-cooled straight six alone, but it’s still £13,000, which is a bit much for a bakery-run car, so maybe I need to give it a few more years.

Am I mad for wanting a machine that’s approaching 100 years old? After all, there is a notable absence of Franklin main dealers near where I live. Maybe the three-car garage is better left as a mental exercise. But I’d love to be told otherwise.

Mercedes: Big screens stay but we went "too far" removing buttons

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:00:00 +0100

Mercedes' screens can span the entire width of a dashboard

The industry isn't yet at 'peak screen' but has hit 'low button', says Ola Källenius

Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius says touchscreens in cars could continue to grow in the future - but he believes the industry might have reached peak "low button".

As with many of its rivals, the Stuttgart firm's cars have focused on introducing large touchscreens in recent years at the expense of physical buttons.

The tri-screen MBUX Hyperscreen can measure up to 1410mm wide in some cars, making it the largest such display in any production car.

There have been complaints about the increasing number of controls moved from physical switches to the screen.

However, while Källenius acknowledged such concerns, he said: "We spend countless hours on UI [user interface]. I spend hours every year discussing this with our engineers and we joke it needs to be so easy that either a five-year-old kid or a Mercedes board member can use it. That is the hurdle, and once you familiarise yourself with it, it becomes second nature."

Källenius also cited efforts to improve voice control systems but conceded "the industry as a whole might have gone a little bit too far" towards digital controls.

He noted Mercedes has now introduced physical controls on the steering wheels in its cars and said: "Sometimes you get a bit ahead of yourself and do technology for the sake of technology and maybe forget a little bit about the customer. So from now on, you will see us reintroduce the most sensible buttons."

Asked if that meant the car industry had reached 'peak screen', Källenius said: "I don't know if we're at peak screen, but we're at low button."

BYD goes after Defender with boxy £48k, 402bhp hybrid SUV

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 11:02:56 +0100

Rugged-looking Ti7 goes on sale in the UK as Chinese brand's new flagship

The BYD Ti7 has gone on sale in the UK as the Chinese brand's biggest model, priced from £47,995.

Sized between the 110 and 130 variants of the rival Land Rover Defender, it undercuts the British 4x4 and the petrol-engined Mercedes-Benz GLC and BMW X3.

The Ti7 will be the first UK-bound car to use the Chinese brand’s new, performance-focused ‘DM-p’ plug-in-hybrid powertrain.

This comprises a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine, two electric motors (one per axle) and a 35.6kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack.

The set-up produces a combined 402bhp, giving a 0-62mph time of 4.8sec and an electric-only range of 74 miles.

The Ti7's chunky styling evokes classical 4x4s such as the Defender and Toyota Land Cruiser, with bluff edges to the design and a spare wheel carrier mounted on the boot.

It will be sold in the UK under the BYD brand, but it is in effect a larger sibling of the Denza Bao 5 that's also due to arrive here later this year.

In their native China, both the Bao 5 and Ti7 are sold by BYD’s upmarket, youth-focused Fangchengbao brand.

Asked why the Ti7 isn't being sold as a Denza, a spokesperson for BYD UK previously told Autocar that the differentiation is because the body-on-frame Bao 5 was concevied as an off-roader, while the monocoque Ti7 is meant for buyers who would like rugged styling but may not need off-road capabilities.

In China, the Ti7 is also offered with a battery-electric powertrain compatible with BYD’s ‘Flash’ chargers, which are capable of delivering up to 1500kW.

A network of 300 such chargers is due to be built in the UK this year to support the launch of the Denza Z9 GT, but it remains to be seen whether the fully electric Ti7 will also come here.

Customer deliveries of the Ti7 will begin in January.

Lexus ES verdict: Spirit of the LS lives on in £68k EV

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0100

Lexus's eighth-generation ES becomes its one and only big executive saloon – and goes all-electric to boot. Lexus is one of those car brands that slowly seems to be morphing into an SUV specialist almost by force majeure rather than by force of will. At no point has this firm vowed to stop making other sorts of cars or expressed any particular commitment to becoming a tougher-looking, more outdoorsy version of its former self (unlike some other brands we could mention). It’s simply that customers clearly like SUVs - and Lexus can hardly be criticised for catering to that.Luckily for those who don’t like those SUVs so much, the brand’s management recognises the obligation of a broadly based premium car brand, which sees itself as a rival to the big European ones, to offer a proper range of models. And, just as clearly, said model range should include a big executive saloon like the subject of this review: the Lexus ES. Of course it should. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine Lexus without a generously sized ‘luxury flagship’ four-door. For decades, the full-size Lexus LS was the car indelibly associated with the firm, since it was famously Lexus’s introductory model - in the UK market, at least. In North America, however, the smaller ES appeared at the same time, in 1989. It wasn’t until the seventh-generation ES came along, in 2018, that Europeans and Brits became acquainted with it.Now, the eighth-generation incarnation seems to be part of something of a reset for Lexus’s executive saloon-car strategy. Why a reset? Because by the time it left UK showrooms at the beginning of 2025, the larger, fifth-generation LS had become a very slow-selling car indeed (only three examples were registered in 2024 and fewer than 40 since 2020).It has been replaced, in part, by the firm’s chauffeuring-spec luxury MPV, the Lexus LM. But the old LS also has a kind of successor in this new ES, which is significantly larger than the seventh-generation version; now has a more clearly focussed luxury brief than it ever used to; and has one, but only one, powertrain, albeit one that business and fleet users might naturally gravitate towards in 2026.

New models vital to DS' survival as UK sales hit record low

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0100

DS sold just 112 cars in the UK during the first half of 2026, down from 948 a year ago

DS is poised to introduce two crucial new models in the UK – the N°3 supermini and N°7 crossover – as it begins a fightback after sales slumped to a record low.

The French premium brand sold just 112 cars in the UK during the first half of this year. That's an 88.19% decline from the 948 cars it registered here during the first six months of 2025.

The sharp fall was primarily due to the changeover in generations of the DS 7 SUV, which has long been its best-seller. Production of the left-field BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC rival wound down throughout the course of the year before finally concluding earlier this month. The 7 accounted for almost half of DS's sales in the UK last year, which totalled just over 1000 cars. This year, just two have been registered.

Although the changeover was long planned and the sales slump expected, the 7's replacement, the N°7, has an especially important role to play in sustaining DS's operations as the brand's other models sink down the sales charts.

The new N°8 flagship has been available in the UK since March but DS has registered just 70 examples – including demonstrators.

In addition, sales of the 3 crossover fell from just over 100 during the first half of 2025 to fewer than 20 in the same period this year.

The 4 accrued just under 500 registrations over the first six months of 2025 but it was replaced last September by the facelifted N°4, of which 43 examples have been registered since its launch.

DS parent company Stellantis doesn't disclose financial performance figures for each of its brands individually, so it's unclear what impact DS's low sales volumes have on its bottom line. DS has long contested that, despite being a niche player, it is a profitable contributor to the group.

Should DS fail to recover the momentum it had built with the 4 and 7 in terms of sales, it will face a significant challenge in ensuring its long-term viability.

DS declined to comment.

New arrivals will be vital

Speaking to Autocar last year, DS CEO Xavier Peugeot referred to 2024 and 2025 – which both brought sales declines for the brand in the UK – as "transition years".

He said the brand would be in a position to "recapitalise" following the launches of the N°8, N°4 and N°7 and that he felt "trust in the future for DS in the UK".

He added that DS should not be judged solely on its sales volumes, it being a profitable contributor to Stellantis on a global level.

However, the UK "needs to provide some volumes" to ensure the profitability of its dealer network, he said. "The coming launches will be key to ensuring the success of DS in the UK."

Stronger sales for the N°7 and N°4 will prove vital if the brand is to guarantee its future in the British market.

Notably, DS is undergoing a significant strategic pivot. Stellantis announced in May that DS will be moved back under the stewardship of Citroën, from which it was originally spun off to become a stand-alone marque.

It will now be considered a "specialty" brand (alongside Lancia, which is being rolled back into Fiat), but it remains to be seen what that means for its global sales network.

N°3: Small car, big hopes

Citroën's influence will manifest in the replacement for the DS 3, named the N°3. This is tipped to return to a more traditional supermini body. It will draw on the Mk1 Citroën DS3, the chic spin-off of the Citroën C3 that was successful enough to justify launching DS as a brand in its own right.

The Mk1 car was retired in 2018 and replaced by the current-generation crossover a year later. The brand's sales immediately plummeted and they have yet to recover.

Some 3000 examples of the DS 3 supermini were sold in the UK in 2018, compared with just over 2000 examples of the higher-riding 3 Crossback in 2019. That year was the crossover's best result for sales, which have fallen every year since, with just 133 registered in 2025.

DS's decision to return to the traditional supermini market could be the first step towards claiming some meaningful volume in the UK and mainland Europe.

Speaking to Autocar last year, DS design director Thierry Métroz said it would take inspiration from the Mk1 car "because it was so successful on the market".

He added: "We sold 500,000 DS 3 gen-ones. It was a success story. It had many, many customers in France, but also in the UK."

CEO Peugeot said he believed DS is "now in a position to recapitalise on this success story, based on the launch of these new products", referring to the N°4, N°7 and N°8. But he added that the brand's previous best annual result of around 55,000 sales has to become the baseline.

The success of the Renault 5 and Peugeot 208 gives reassurance of the N°3's potential, but it could still be a year from showrooms, so DS's larger models must work hard to sustain its UK operations in the meantime.

How DS sales have fallen in the UK

Source: SMMT

Year	Number of sales
2017	9082
2018	5074
2019	4299
2020	2379
2021	2362
2022	3674
2023	2403
2024	1152
2025	1015

Porsche 911 Turbo S tested: A 200mph hypercar for the real world

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Celebrated giant-killing ‘super-Porsche’ enters the electrified era Versatility is a strange concept to find as a core quality at the heart of a 200mph super-sports car. Yet that is how the Porsche 911 Turbo has been defined for most of its 50-year life.The first version, built from 1975, endured for a long time, but the early ‘930’ Turbos made an impression the car would spend decades trying to erase: the ‘Widowmaker’ cast a long shadow.The memory of that car, combined with technology proven by the 959 supercar, was what motivated Porsche to make the four-wheel-drive ‘993’ Turbo of 1995 such a pioneer. But since even before then, the 911 Turbo was set on a path to prove itself the ultimate sports car. Not only the quickest-accelerating and most powerful series-production 911 but also ready to excel on road and track, as a long-distance-runner, a grand tourer, a circuit thriller and a usable everyday driver ready for almost any conditions; to represent absolutely everything any other 911 can do – only better; and more.The idea has now spawned 12 generations of 911 Turbo; and today - with the '992.2' Turbo S - embraces hybrid-electric powertrain technology.

Why women were blocked from Le Mans for decades

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0100

Jackie Bond-Smith, Joey Cook and Jacqui Smith had to fight to race their Mini Marcos | Image: Getty

Jamie Chadwick is the first woman to drive a hypercar at Le Mans, but would have been barred just decades ago

Jamie Chadwick recently became the first woman to drive a hypercar at Le Mans, a year after making her debut in the secondary class of the fabled 24-hour race.

Many women have competed in this iconic event across the decades, yet the best female finish has stayed unsurpassed for almost a century.

"For the first time two women drivers will take part," we said in our 1930 Le Mans preview, "which will be interesting." Whether that comment was loaded is open to interpretation, but if so we were humbled by Marguerite Mareuse and Odette Siko bringing their Bugatti T40 home in seventh.

Their 1931 reprise was ended early by disqualification for a refuelling infringement, but in 1932 Siko achieved that record result: fourth overall and first in the 2-litre class in a supercharged Alfa Romeo 6C shared with grand prix star Louis 'Sabipa' Charavel.

Again, though, she was unlucky a year later: Siko was putting in "quite a good performance" in the initial hours but the next morning suffered a "sensational accident".

"Coming through the pinewoods towards Arnage at 75mph, the car suddenly got broadside on, crashed successively into two substantial trees, and then hit a third which was cut down six feet from the ground. They fell across the road in the track of Driscoll's Aston Martin.

"Madame Siko was thrown clear as the first tree was hit, being shot through the air and falling at the feet of a gendarme with nothing more than bruises and a complete inability to understand what had happened to her. The car, on the other hand, literally burst, the pinions coming out of the gearbox, certain parts even being found 50 yards from the main wreckage.

To add to the completeness of the crash, the chassis took fire on hitting the third tree and set fire to the brushwood and dry fir branches."

It's understandable that Siko never returned to Le Mans, but she continued to compete in speed trials and road rallies until the war.

"Femmes pilotes' were a common sight in the '30s, but there was just one when the race returned in 1949 - and not one in the late '50s or '60s.

Listed in our published 1954 race result is a Thirion, but it's unclear if this was indeed the rally driver Gilberte or her father Max, as some sources say that race officials forced a swap on account of her gender.

If this was the case, it's a mystery to us why the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) might have had such a change of attitude: just three years prior, Betty Haig and Yvonne Simon finished third in the 2-litre class, beating a male crew.

Some sources – including no less than Porsche – say the ACO banned female drivers in response to the 1956 death of Annie Bousquet at Reims.

Supposedly she was known for a hell-for-leather driving style, but Autocar absolved her of blame: "On fast sweeping bends, the worst possible arrangement to have is a ditch at the side of the road, yet this is what one finds on this stretch."

Incidentally, the sport's biggest tragedy, when at least 81 fans were killed by a flying car at Le Mans in 1955, involved only male drivers.

Whatever, the prevailing attitude is encapsulated in this unpleasant comment by The Motor magazine: "The ACO has planned a three-hour race at Le Mans for women drivers – if they can find enough women drivers competent enough to stay on the road for that long."

In 1967, at the height of a golden period for sports and GT racing, a trio of young Brits - Jackie Bond-Smith, Joey Cook and Jacqui Smith – set out to "crack the ban on women imposed by the organisers" with their Mini Marcos.

The ACO rejected their entry, and the RAC defended it thus: "Le Mans presents special safety problems, and a major hazard in recent years has been the speed differential between larger and smaller cars."

Smith saw it differently: "The French have a funny idea about women, haven't they?"

The supposed ban was eventually lifted in 1971, as rally driver Marie-Claude Beaumont earned the ACO's trust in an early-season three-hour race, enabling her to share a 7-litre Chevrolet Corvette in 'the big one'.

Its engine went after 14 hours, but Beaumont competed in the next five Le Mans, scoring a career-best 12th in 1973, then switching to an Alpine-Renault alongside Lella Lombardi - still the last woman to have raced (and indeed scored) in Formula 1.

BMW puts G-Class rival on hold as China headwinds hit home

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:33:45 +0100

Off-roader, code-named G74, evolved rapidly before development efforts stalled; China presents big challenge

BMW has begun reassessing its future product strategy, including putting its rival for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class on ice, as changing market conditions have forced the German car maker to review which models will go into production later this decade.

The move follows what new CEO Milan Nedeljković described as a dramatic shift in the automotive landscape over the past year, with weakening demand in China, growing pressure from new Chinese rivals, stricter US trade barriers and diverging demand across global markets.

Speaking after BMW reported its second-quarter results, Nedeljković said the company was taking a fresh look at its future product plans rather than assuming existing programmes remain appropriate for every market.

"In all these areas, we are taking significant steps and increasing the pace," he said. "For example, we are once again reviewing which technologies, model variants and drivetrains we will need in the future. In addition, we are looking at where new partnerships could make economic and technological sense."

Nedeljković stopped short of suggesting individual models could be cancelled or delayed, but the comments represent one of BMW's clearest acknowledgements yet that future new-model planning is becoming increasingly fluid as global demand evolves at different speeds.

The review is understood to have already claimed at least one eagerly awaited model. Insiders at BMW’s Munich-based headquarters suggested the proposed G74 off-roader has failed to receive final approval and is currently on hold.

The now stalled new model is believed to have evolved from an early Neue Klasse-based electric concept to a proposal based on the cluster architecture (CLAR) and which would have offered a broad range of drivetrains.

While BMW has not officially commented on the status of the G74, its apparent demise reflects the new approach to future new model investment outlined by Nedeljković.

In outlining the revised new model reassessment process, Nedeljković pointed to China as one of BMW’s biggest challenges.

"The rapid deterioration of market conditions in China was the main reason we adjusted our guidance in June," he said, adding that new competitors are now expanding beyond China into other Asia-Pacific markets, Latin America and Europe.

He also pointed to a combination of tariffs, trade barriers, currency fluctuations, tighter regulation in Europe and the continuing conflict in the Middle East as factors that have fundamentally altered BMW's business.

Rather than committing exclusively to electric models, BMW continues to develop petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid, electric and hydrogen-powered models, arguing that customer demand is now diverging more sharply between major markets.

"The needs and expectations of customers vary greatly from market to market – and even within individual markets," Nedeljković said. "Our sales figures in the second quarter reflect this reality and the strength of our technology-open approach."

He noted that electric model sales in Europe grew by more than a third during the second quarter, while internal combustion-engined vehicles generated double-digit growth in the United States as demand for electric models dropped across the wider American market.

The review comes despite strong momentum behind BMW's Neue Klasse programme.

Nedeljković said the new iX3 is continuing to attract strong demand, with BMW now approaching 100,000 orders. It has already introduced a second production shift at its new Debrecen plant in Hungary to meet demand.

BMW describes the Debrecen ramp-up as the fastest yet achieved at one of its new production facilities, with the second shift introduced ahead of schedule in response to customer demand.

Early demand for the new i3 has also exceeded expectations, according to Nedeljković, with pre-orders opening ahead of schedule in June before the full order books open at the end of September.

The reality of car testing: Five minutes to judge a 1600bhp hypercar

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0100

An "exclusive opportunity" to try a long-awaited new car turns into a media circus - what did I really learn?

The alarm goes at 4.30am. Ahead of you is a 150-mile drive that thousands will be doing this week: the well-trodden way to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Except you're going a day early, to the neighbouring racing circuit, for a date with 1600bhp. Yes, sixteen hundred.

You're carrying out the magazine's first test of one new all-electric, tri-motor sports car. The FoS is an increasingly popular venue for the public debut of new performance cars. Manufacturers therefore tend to build preliminary media test drives around it.

The invite to this one definitely said it would be "an exclusive opportunity" suitable for "experienced testers". When you arrive, however, it seems those definitions have been stretched a little. There are six cars in the pit lane but perhaps 10 or 12 road testers you recognise - and as many vloggers and social media influencers again, all milling excitedly around the cars, smartphones in hand.

When Jenson Button turns up, he does us older hands an unexpected service by distracting the Instagram crew as they swarm on him demanding their selfies. Even so, if there are this many people in the UK with "plenty of track experience" of 1000bhp-plus electric sports cars, then my name is Michael Faraday. Still, we're all here. Better get on with it.

Next, after disclaiming any legal rights you might have had, against either the circuit operators or the car manufacturer in the event of accident or injury, you are ushered into a half-hour press conference.

This follows time-honoured convention. First, some superfluous product introduction, which, if you've read the press material sent to you in advance, you will already know. Second, some design waffle about "flowing lines" and "sculptural artistry", which will be about as useful for your story as the first part. And, finally, some technical information - which won't be quite as extensive or detailed as you might have liked, because they had to make time for all of the earlier rubbish. Your PR contact will promise to send you the slides via email, but will they arrive on time? You have questions, but you won't ask them here because why share the answers with the whole room? In any case, time is short. Remind me, why did we bother with this bit again?

Now, you wait for the one-and-only, three-lap, perhaps five-minute track stint you have been promised, in the car you have come all this way to drive. Colleagues take their turn, returning looking little the wiser than when they had departed; somebody you're chatting to wonders if this might be the farthest he's driven, for the least useful amount of test time, in some four decades in the job.

Finally your turn comes. There is 1584bhp under your right foot, apparently. You do a gentle installation lap; a quicker flying lap; and then, just as it feels like the beginnings of your impressions are forming in your mind, it's all over - before you have even had a chance to acclimatise yourself to that funny, grabby brake pedal, never mind anything else.

You haven't been able to drive exactly as you would like, which might ordinarily involve experimenting with drive programs, stability control settings and launch control. The instructor in the passenger seat was under strict orders to not let you exceed a given speed; to not let you slow down or stop on track; or generally to not let you do your job quite as you might have chosen to. The fact is, even if he had stayed absolutely mute, you wouldn't have driven as you would if he had not been there at all.

No matter how many times you ask, that's your lot. Have a demonstration of our automated parking system, sir. Take a short road test loop in a car that you haven't actually come here to drive (although, of course, you will). The main event is over. Three laps. Five minutes. Not too fast, now. But tell me, what did you think?

By mid-afternoon you're back at your office desk, writing up what impressions you could glean against an imminent deadline - first on the car you didn't expect to drive, and then on the one you did. Then, at the end of an 18-hour day, you're finally off the clock.

People tell me regularly that I must have "the best job in the world". True, it can certainly have its moments. But only rarely do they go on to ask: "What's it really like?"

That, for the record, was a not-unusual, alarmingly real Wednesday.

Trophy hunting: A used MG 4 is a £10k EV bargain

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Fine specimens of this rounded electric hatchback are there for the taking, with ranges from 218 to 338 miles

Finally, an affordable, practical, pleasingly styled and good-to-drive electric car. That was our verdict on the MG 4 EV when it arrived in 2022.

That it hailed from China seemingly didn't dent its appeal to British buyers - perhaps in part because it wore the famous octagon on its beak. Since coming here, it has always been among the top 10 best-selling EVs, peaking at number two, and between the different battery and performance options there's a 4 for almost every need.

Our own Steve Cropley, after running a top-line Extended Range variant for 13,000 miles, was utterly convinced, concluding: "Of all the EVs I've had, this has seemed the most honest and practical." How's that for an accolade?

And now, with prices starting at just £7000, used 4s represent incredible value for money. Unlike many EVs of its kind, the 4 is a hatchback in the conventional mould and thus sits its driver low down, legs outstretched and with a generous amount of steering column adjustment. As such, you feel comfortable immediately.

The upholstery (faux leather or cloth) is a little dour, owners have reported premature wear and the plastics are mostly hard and scratchy, but those are excusable shortcomings at this price point, and hardly unique to the 4. Broadly it's solid and well screwed together.

Most functions are controlled via the reasonably intuitive 10.3in infotainment touchscreen (12.8in from 2026). However, it's possible to configure the steering wheel buttons to adjust the temperature and fan speed. It's unconventional but works surprisingly well. There are some proper buttons too, and the recent facelift brought improved material quality - although it will be a while before these cars hit the used market en masse.

The 4 is roomy, if not quite to the extent of the Volkswagen ID 3 or Cupra Born. Tall adults will be comfy in the back, but the boot is averagely sized at 363 litres. Trophy trim adds a false floor, giving you a useful home for charging cables.

The rear-driven 4 is willing to engage a keener driver. It stops some way short of allowing controllable, exuberant oversteer, but its pleasingly accurate and uncorrupted steering makes for enjoyable progress on the open road and boosts the sense of nippiness in the city. It's far more fun than rivals like the Kia e-Niro and Peugeot e-308.

It's not quite as dynamically balanced as the Born, though: while it's pleasant to hustle, its soft suspension permits notable roll and the ride is quite fidgety.

The standard 4 is served in three flavours: the entry-level car gets a 49kWh battery and a 168bhp motor, the Long Range bumps capacity and power to 61.7kWh and 201bhp, and the Extended Range concludes with 74.4kWh and 241bhp.

Range figures run from 218 to 338 miles. There are two trim levels, SE and Trophy, the latter being our pick, because it adds a fair amount of equipment, including blindspot monitoring, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated seats, a heated steering wheel, a better stereo and a 360deg camera.

Finally, there's the XPower hot hatch, which adds a front motor for a combined 429bhp, enough for a 0-62mph time of 3.8sec - quicker than the VW Golf R's. The problem is the softly sprung chassis struggles with so much power, so we would stick to a rear-wheel-drive version for the best everyday balance.

What we said then

5 April 2023: The MG 4 EV may not move any technological boundaries, but other manufacturers should undoubtedly see this car as a serious threat, because it does so many things so well, and for such a keen price that it is hard to argue you should buy any other electric hatchback.

An owner's view

Chris Boek: "I bought my MG 4 in October 2024. Since then, I've only had the first service in my plan, which went fine. I use Android Auto, so the in-built entertainment system's various glitches are irrelevant. The screen is at a good height-sometimes a little too bright at night but not a show-stopper. I love the look of the car, it handles really well and it has all the mod cons. I'm very happy, and I will probably keep driving it until it stops working."

Buyer beware

Interior: It's prone to wear generally. The top of the doors, where you might rest your elbow, is covered with textured plastic that's unpleasantly hard yet can be permanently scratched with just a fingernail. The driver's seat on our long-termer was already showing significant wear after six months and 13,000 miles.

Adaptive cruise control: It's not the smoothest system out there and there's no option to use normal cruise control.

Body: Rattling bootlids are annoying but not major reliability issues. However, more serious problems include failing charge ports and differentials leaking oil.

Reliability: The 4 came bottom of its class in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, with 30% of surveyed owners reporting problems, which covered almost all fault categories. MG paid for repairs in only 55% of cases, leaving 39% of faults costing £1000 or more to put right, according to owners. Repairs weren't always swift either: 68% of affected cars took more than a week to fix.

Warranty: MG's seven-year/80,000-mile warranty should help you sleep better, but owners have reported particularly unhelpful customer service from some MG dealers. Also note that the interior is covered by only a 12-month warranty, so a rattly panel or vibration may not be covered.

Also worth knowing

The first cars that arrived in the UK are known as 'Phase 1s'. They are mostly 22-platers (some are 72-platers) and can't receive over-the-air software updates. This might not sound like a big issue, but it means they've missed out on upgrades like the one-pedal mode that came later.

They've also had more reported build quality issues, so it's best to spend a little extra on a later car. As of this year, all 4s cost £195 annually to tax, while insurance groups range between 27 and 40 - quite high compared with rivals like the Hyundai Kona Electric.

How much to spend

£7000-£9999: It's quite promising that some 4s have already racked up six-figure mileages. However, many in this bracket are also Category S write-offs - which reflects the difficulties in obtaining parts for even lightly damaged cars.

£10,000-£14,999: You don't have to spend much more to get a 4 with fewer than 50,000 miles and a clean history.

£15,000-£19,999: For as little as £15,500, we found a one-year-old 49kWh SE with just 700 miles on the clock. Or for the same money, how about a 40,000-mile 429bhp XPower?

£20,000-£30,000: Nearly new, facelifted cars for as much as £10,000 below their list prices.

One we found

MG 4 EV Extended Range Trophy, 2024, 30,000 miles, £17,260: As with many EVs, you can pick up a two-year-old 4 for half of what it cost new. In this case it's an Extended Range - that's 329 miles per charge - in the upper trim. It will still be within warranty for another five years or 50,000 miles.

ZEV mandate review is 'urgent', industry warns new PM

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:01:00 +0100

'Unrealistic' rise of zero-emission targets risk future investment in UK industry, claims SMMT boss

New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been urged by industry bosses to press ahead with government plans to review the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate and make the automotive sector a key part of his plans to reindustrialise Britain.

Mike Hawes, the chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), made the calls to coincide with the release of car and commercial vehicle manufacturing figures for the first half of 2026.

The UK produced a total of 385,979 vehicles from January to June, a year-on-year decline of 7.5%. Notably, the figures for the second quarter of 2026 were only 0.1% down year-on-year, with exports in particular rising.

In total, vehicles built for export accounted for 76.2% of all those built in the UK, with the European Union taking 58.3% of those shipments.

Continued push for ZEV review

The SMMT has long been pushed for a reform of the ZEV mandate, which requires manufactures to make an increasing percentage of their sales zero-emission between now and 2035.

This year, the mandate calls for 28% of a manufacturer’s sales to be of zero-emission models, but that ramps up sharply to 33% next year, 52% by 2028 and 80% by 2030. That ramping up, according to Hawes, is significantly ahead of consumer demand.

There had recently been reports that a review of the ZEV mandate was planned under former Prime Minister Kier Starmer, but there has been no indication whether that it remains the plan of the new government.

“We know there was a proposal for a consultation to be brought forward [before the change in Prime Minister],” said Hawes. "We’d like to see that published as soon as possible, to give a degree of clarity as to what the future might look like."

Hawes noted that recent surveys of SMMT members showed full support for a review of the mandate, noting that while a review was scheduled for 2027 it needed to be brought forward to give manufacturers clarity.

He said: “Not one of our members believes we are on track to meet the trajectory at its current level. They think the natural level of demand is so far behind the level of the mandate – and the targets ramp up from 2028 onwards – that the gap is going to grow ever wider.

“The market for EVs is up, but the gap is going to grow ever greater. This is an absolute success story: we’re selling more of these vehicles than ever before, and the demand is increasing. There's every reason to buy an EV with, you know, with discounts, incentives, the car grant and fuel prices – but you still find approximately seven in 10 people are not buying an EV.

“What does this mean for manufacturing? If you are trying to get investment for your plants in the UK, you're going to head office, and if the first thing they look at is the cost of selling those products, and your vehicles in the UK are so expensive they’re potentially loss-making, why would you? It's as simple and as bald as that.”

Hawes pushed back against what he called “misguided” criticism of the industry’s push for reform of the mandate, suggesting that it wasn’t about changing the target to reach fully zero-emission sales by 2035.

“The focus is the here and now,” said Hawes, “on how do we meet the current requirements through to 2027, ’28 and ’29. One firm told me ‘I’m not bothered about 2035 because I might not be here in 2035 unless you solve the current issue'.

“Every manufacturer is looking for investment every year, but the big investments come every four years based model cycles. So if the UK is just not competitive, there's a chance that manufacturer will not get that investment; it will go somewhere else. That could happen relatively quickly. It's not a scenario I want to see, and government wouldn't want to see that.”

Reindustrialisation plan is vital

While Burnham is still outlining the key policies of his new government, he has repeatedly spoken of plans to ‘reindustrialise Britain’. With the automotive industry the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, Hawes said it is vital it is a key part of those plans.

“You want to make sure the industry you've got can at least survive, if not grow,” said Hawes. “This is a critical issue for that.”

Asked if Burnham’s reindustrialisation pledge would mean a trade-off with the UK’s net zero targets, Hawes added: “It’s not so much a trade-off because we are making these [electrified] vehicles. We'll make more of those vehicles. It is just the pace. It's not a trade-off. It's just saying let's look at the transition pathway and make sure that it's a realistic, affordable and viable business.”

Hawes also called for the implementation of the previously announced industrial strategy, and he highlighted the need for support mechanisms to help UK manufacturing firms with the rising cost of electricity.

He added: “The industrial strategy is only a year old, and it was a Labour strategy that was signed off by the Cabinet. It identifies eight areas of growth, of which advanced manufacturing was one. Automotive is prominent within it. If you're a manufacturer, one of the competitive disadvantages of the UK is business rates. They're much higher than they are in other European markets.”

Call for urgent action on trade deals

Hawes also reiterated the damage that tariffs and trade barriers are potentially doing to UK manufacturing, highlighting the impact of not only import tariffs but also other charges such as the luxury car taxes in China.

But he noted “the more urgent and pressing trade relationship” to sort is with the EU as the UK’s largest partner. He highlighted the potential impact of the forthcoming rules of origin and the planned ‘Made in Europe’ regulations. The latter will impose charges on cars that are not manufactured substantially within the EU, with vehicles that don't conform potentially excluded from fleet and private-buyer incentives.

Hawes noted the rules would impact European firms as well, saying: “It’s not what the market or manufacturers want. If UK-produced vehicles don’t quality for Made in Europe they will basically be uncompetitive in 60-70% of the European market. We’re arguing that isn’t in Europe’s interest: we are each other’s biggest market, so if you damage one, you damage the other.”

New Mercedes GLA revealed as Audi Q4 rival with 408-mile range

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 19:00:00 +0100

Electric crossover will arrive in November, with a hybrid following in 2027

The new Mercedes-Benz GLA has joined the firm's revamped line-up of compact models - with company boss Ola Källenius insisting that it is "better in all dimensions" than its big-selling predecessor.

Launching in electric form in November and with a hybrid to follow early next year, the third generation of the Audi Q4 and Volvo EX40 rival sits on the Stuttgart firm's compact MMA architecture, which it shares with the CLA saloon and seven-seat GLB SUV. As with those models, the new GLA merges EV and combustion model lines, with the new electric version replacing the EQA.

It features Mercedes' latest design cues, including a retro-inspired grille, and Källenius said a key focus of the design was to make it look more dramatic. "If you look from the side it's like a sports car SUV," he said, "but still on a compact footprint. It's the ultimate sporty city SUV."

At 4565mm, the new GLA is 143mm longer than its predecessor and the wheelbase has been stretched to 2790mm to provide more cabin space. The car also has a wider rear track, but its roof sits 20mm lower than the previous version's. Wheel sizes vary from 18in to 20in.

Inside, the stretched wheelbase means there is more room for both front and rear occupants than in its predecessor. Despite the car being lower, Mercedes claims there is also more head room. There is a 410-litre boot, while the electric version adds a 107-litre frunk.

The cockpit follows Mercedes trends with a dashboard dominated by touchscreens - including an optional MBUX Superscreen that spans the width of the car and has three screens built in. As with all of Mercedes' latest cars, it features the latest version of the firm's MB.OS software - powered by an advanced Nvidia chip - and offers AI-enabled voice control and advanced driver assistance systems, among other features.

The GLA Electric will be offered with three different power outputs that match the related CLA. The entry-level 200 model offers 221bhp from a single rear-mounted motor, with power drawn from a 58kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery. The 250+ increases output to 268bhp, while the initial range-topper will be the all-wheel-drive 350, which offers 349bhp from a pair of electric motors. The 250+ and 350 both use an 85kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery.

The longest-range version of the GLA will offer 408 miles, compared with 484 miles for the sleeker CLA and 379 miles for the boxier GLB. As with the CLA, the MMA platform is honed for efficiency, with the most efficient version capable of an official 4.2mpkWh. With its 800V architecture, the GLA can charge at speeds of up to 320kW.

The hybrid version will arrive early next year and employ the same Horse-produced 1.5-litre turbo engine featured in the CLA. That unit is boosted by a 30bhp electric motor integrated into the eight-speed automatic gearbox and powered by a 1.3kWh battery. Mercedes has yet to give full performance details but there are minimal styling differences between the EV and hybrid.

The GLA is expected to be priced from around £45,000 when it goes on sale in the UK. It will be offered in four trim levels, including AMG Line and AMG Plus that feature bespoke styling elements.

Lepas L8 driven: is this £35k PHEV more than a posh Jaecoo?

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:03:41 +0100

Yet another Chery brand arrives in the UK, this one with sub-£35k plug-in hybrid family SUV Chinese car giant Chery should give itself a pat on the back. Eighteen months ago most UK car buyers had never heard of it, but since the launch of its Jaecoo and Omoda brands, it has rocketed up the sales charts, most notably with the Jaecoo 7.It's now confident enough to have a go at a slightly higher-priced premium brand. It's called Lepas – a portmanteau of 'leopard' and 'passion' – and its first car is the Lepas L8 plug-in hybrid SUV. Given the speed of Chery’s UK expansion, it’s getting hard to keep track, but in a nutshell, the L8 is a 4.6m-long family SUV designed to take aim at established rivals like the Volkswagen Tiguan and Toyota RAV4.

No VXR badge here - but my Vauxhall Grandland is surprisingly stiff

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0100

Track excursion reveals an identity crisis: this SUV thinks it’s a sports car

During the first few weeks with my Vauxhall Grandland, I pondered aloud whether its maker had sacrificed an element of comfort and practicality in search of a more 'sporting' drive, and I think I should perhaps explain a little further. For a large family SUV, the Vauxhall rolls very little and corners with surprising poise. Its steering is pleasingly accurate - albeit rather over-light and lacking any semblance of feel - and sharp, although fortunately not quite in the over-sensitive mould of its Stellantis stablemate Peugeot.

The trouble is, this is a fairly tall vehicle that tips the scales at a hefty 2215kg (including the driver), and in order to tie it down to the degree Vauxhall has done, you need to specify some pretty stiff springs and dampers. As a result, the penalty for the Grandland's surprising agility is a ride that is choppy to the point of being uncomfortable, particularly on poor road surfaces - and let's be frank, we are hardly renowned for our billiard-smooth Tarmac here in the UK. And it's not aided by the 20in alloys fitted as standard to all-wheel-drive models.

But don't just take my word for it. Photographer Max Edleston has developed an acute sensitivity to ride quality, mainly because when he is hanging out the back of a car (on a harness - safety first) peering through the lens of his camera, he needs there to be as little disturbance as possible if he is to get a pin-sharp shot. On a recent photoshoot for affordable sports cars at Shenington Kart Racing Club, Oxfordshire, Max reckoned the Grandland would be just the thing for some tracking photography. And indeed it was, at least in part: the electrically operated bootlid doesn't sag once under way, as happens with some wagons, and there is plenty of space for him to stretch out as he focuses on the pursuing car. However, immediately after setting off, around a track designed for go-karts with rubber-band tyres wrapping 5in rims, he expressed his shock at how restless the ride felt, even on such a super-smooth surface.

Admittedly, once the photography was over it was a hoot to punt the Grandland around the track for a couple of laps, but much as I enjoy a sharp drive, at the end of the day this is a family SUV, not a sports car, so its dynamic abilities are always going to be limited by more factors than merely body roll. I can't help feeling that dialling back the stiffness by 10% or more wouldn't have had a terrible effect on the Vauxhall's inherent balance, but it would have made it a much more comfortable daily companion.

Even the car itself gets a bit stressed by its own rigidity at times. Go over a speed bump or a particularly rough surface at any more than walking pace and the light for the stability control will start to flash - not because the wheels are losing traction (you don't even need to have your foot on the throttle), but simply because it detects its own instability.

One element of the Grandland's driver aids has left me very happy, though. While chatting with road tester Illya Verpraet about the car recently, he pointed out one of his favourite features of the model being the ability to disable much of the ADAS functionality with a single, physical button rather than having to scroll through various menus as increasingly seems to be the default setting on most cars. You simply press the little image of a car beneath the central infotainment screen and the automated nannying is reduced for that drive.

I haven't found the Grandland's systems to be too intrusive so far, particularly compared with the new-to-market Chinese opposition, but I have to applaud Vauxhall's decision to make it easier for the driver to choose how much support they want.

Ford of Europe hires BYD Europe MD as it begins fightback

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:25:09 +0100

Maria Grazia Davino moves from regional managing director of BYD Europe to the Blue Oval

Welcome to Movers and Shakers, an Autocar Business feature covering the latest job moves from across the automotive industry.

This page is updated regularly with all the biggest transfers, promotions and departures in the sector, covering everything you need to know.

Name: Maria Grazia Davino

Company: Ford of Europe

Role: Vice-president, sales

Ford of Europe has appointed Maria Grazia Davino as its new vice-president of sales as it kicks off its plan to claw back lost market share in Europe.

It will launch five new models tailored for the European market by 2029, including a new Bronco, a Fiesta replacement twinned with the Renault 5 and a crossover built in partnership with Geely.

Davino will be key in priming dealers for the product offensive, bringing two decades of experience with her. She was most recently a regional managing director for BYD Europe, playing a key role in the Chinese brand's rise from a 1% market share in the first half of 2025 to 2.4% in the first half of this year. Ford's market share, meanwhile, dropped from 3.3% to 2.7%.

Prior to joining BYD, Davino was the head of Stellantis UK.

Jim Baumbick, president of Ford of Europe – to whom Davino will report – said: "Her track record of building high-performing teams and building strong customer and dealer relationships will be invaluable as we continue to grow our business in Europe."

Name: Michael Doyle

Company: Honda UK

Role: Head of automotive

Honda has promoted Michael Doyle to head of its UK automotive business. He returns to the car maker’s UK arm after three years in Africa.

He succeeds Rebecca Adamson, who now moves up to become general manager of customer engagement for Honda’s European division.

Doyle was most recently vice president of Honda Motor Southern Africa. Previously, he had spent 31 years at Honda UK.

On his new role, Doyle said: “It’s a privilege to return to the UK business and take on this role at a time of significant transformation for the automotive industry.

“Honda UK has a clear vision for its future, and I’m excited to build on the strong foundations already in place as we continue to evolve our product offering and strengthen our relationships with customers and our retail network”.

Name: Fermín Soneira

Company: Lamborghini

Role: Head of research and development

Lamborghini has appointed Fermín Soneira as its new head of research and development, effective from 1 July.

As the CEO of AUDI, a joint venture between Audi and SAIC, Soneira oversaw the creation of the new Chinese-market brand last year.

Previously he was engineering boss for Seat and head of global product marketing for Audi.

He succeeds Rouven Mohr, who also moves within the Volkswagen Group to become Audi’s chief technical officer.

Soneira is tasked with overseeing Lamborghini’s technical strategy and future innovation. He will also be responsible for the Italian brand's motorsport operations.

Welcoming Soneira, Lambo CEO Stephan Winkelmann said: “With his extensive international experience, technical competence and strategic vision, he will further strengthen the brand’s success and drive our future innovation.”

Soneira added: “It is a great honor to join an iconic brand such as Lamborghini, which has contributed to writing the history of the automotive industry, performance and design.

"I look forward to working with the team to further elevate the brand’s technological excellence and driving experience.”

Name: Balaje Rajan

Company: JLR

Role: Group chief strategy officer

JLR has appointed Balaje Rajan as its new group chief strategy officer under recently appointed CEO PB Balaji.

Rajan was previously the chief strategy officer and head of international business for JLR's siblings Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility.

The move, first reported by Autocar Professional, tightens the ties between JLR and its Indian parent company Tata.

The companies' forthcoming electric cars – particularly new Land Rovers and models from Tata's new premium brand, Avinya – will share key technologies, and Rajan's appointment is expected to foster this collaboration.

Name: Erhan Eren

Company: Kia

Role: European PBV director

Kia has appointed Erhan Eren to lead its vans and commercial vehicle strategy in Europe.

Eren takes the role of PBV (Platform Beyond Vehicle) director, replacing Pierre-Martin Bos, who leaves Kia to take up the position of CEO of Zero Motorcycles.

Eren joins Kia from Wrightbus, where he served as managing director for Europe. He arrives with 18 years of experience across trucks, buses and vans. Other leadership roles included time at MAN and Iveco.

Based in Frankfurt, his core task will be to continue Kia’s commercial vehicle expansion: following last year’s PV5 will be the PV7 in 2027 and the PV9 in 2029. The Korean brand aims to achieve 250,000 global PBV sales by 2030.

Eren said: “My priority is to ensure customers benefit from a seamless, reliable ecosystem, from strong product fundamentals to service, uptime support, converter integration and parts availability.

"This role brings together everything I value: practical innovation, purposeful transformation and creating real impact for customers.”

Genesis GV60 Magma: why it's the ultimate blend of performance and pragmatism

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0100

With a track-honed 641bhp and fleet-friendly running costs, there’s no company car quite like it

Not so long ago, company car and salary sacrifice drivers faced a difficult choice when selecting their next set of wheels. Do you play it safe, keep costs down, and accept long but uninspiring hours behind the wheel? Or do you take the hit on tax and go for something a bit more interesting? Thankfully, with the exponential rise of electric cars, that dilemma is largely gone.

Combining strong performance with exceptional refinement, ultra-low Benefit-in-Kind tax rates and low running costs, electric cars have transformed the company car and salary sacrifice landscape. But some go further than others in delivering that ideal blend of performance and practicality – and none more so than the Genesis GV60 Magma.

The first model from Genesis’ new performance division, the GV60 Magma is a 641bhp fire-breathing performance SUV that takes everything good about the standard GV60 – its tech, comfort and practicality – and turns the dial up to 11 with serious track-honed DNA. The result is a car that makes every journey feel genuinely electrifying, while keeping costs way down. Here’s why you should consider it.

Learn more about Genesis company cars

What is Magma anyway?

It’s hot stuff, and we’re not talking about molten rocks. Magma is the start of a new era for Korean luxury brand Genesis, and there are no half measures here. It’s a dedicated line-up of ultra-high-performance vehicles focused on power, precision and luxury, and launching in parallel with a motorsport campaign that begins with the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship.

The electric GV60 Magma is the first in line for the Magma treatment. It’s the production realisation of a concept shown two years ago, and the most powerful Genesis model to date – a track-bred, battery-electric powerhouse bristling with clever technology, yet surprisingly affordable for fleet drivers.

How does the GV60 Magma stand out from the rest of the range?

To start: raw performance. Thumb the Boost Mode button on the steering wheel and the GV60 Magma puts out 641bhp through its dual-motor powertrain, resulting in a mind-scrambling 3.4-second sprint to 62mph. However, we’d advise leaving the 164mph top speed and Drift Mode untested if you’d like to stay on the right side of your fleet manager.

Of course, fast EVs are nothing unusual these days, so the wider experience counts and Genesis has worked hard to make sure this isn’t a one-trick pony. There are five different drive modes to choose from, including two that are unique to the Magma; SPRINT fine-tunes the car for maximum performance, while GT dials in extra comfort for long-distance touring.

But the jewel in the crown of the GV60 Magma is unquestionably its Virtual Gearshift technology. Meticulously engineered by the performance specialists at Magma, this synthetic ‘gearbox’ simulates the rapid-fire shifts of a track-focused petrol performance car, complete with a 9000rpm redline. Engage it, and the driving experience is elevated to one of unrivalled viscerality – giving fleet drivers the unique opportunity to experience sports car-like driving character every single day. There’s also a choice of three artificial engine notes, including a V6 petrol soundtrack, to heighten the sense of occasion further.

Not that you need to be behind the wheel to get a sense of that performance. With a package of functional bodywork and chassis upgrades, it’s as visually impactful as it is brutally fast.

The GV60 Magma is marked out from other versions by extra cooling vents in the front bumper and aerodynamic add-ons including front cooling vents and a distinctive rear wing. Each corner is filled out with 21-inch forged wheels with high-performance Pirelli tyres and large 440mm brakes with Magma Orange brakes. It’s no shrinking violet.

And there’s more beneath the skin. Genesis engineers put the chassis through a rigorous test programme, including Californian deserts, Swedish snow and New Zealand’s rugged terrain. The body sits 20mm closer to the tarmac than other GV60s, with a 50mm wider track to improve stability, and there’s some clever technology keeping it pinned to the road.

That’s enhanced by smart suspension which automatically adapts damping rates based on roll angle and, using a forward-facing camera, upcoming changes in road surface. The result is a car that’s as agile on glass-smooth race tracks as it is supple on rough country roads.

What if you’re not driving on track?

Fear not – this isn’t a street legal racing car. It’s based on the updated GV60 luxury, which means it gets all of the new technology added with last year’s update – but with a unique Magma twist. The result is a carefully considered balance of performance-focused upgrades with the day-to-day creature comforts fleet drivers demand.

It’s a tactile space. The Magma-specific 10-way adjustable bucket seats are trimmed in suede, with either orange or white contrast stitching, and paired with a unique steering wheel putting drive modes (including ferocious Boost Mode) on thumb-controlled buttons. Press the start button, and the unique, illuminated ‘Crystal Sphere’ rotates out of the centre console and becomes a gear selector, while lashings of aluminium add to that sense of high quality throughout.

However, the cabin’s centrepiece is a new 27-inch high-resolution panoramic display across the top of the dashboard, comprising the driver information and central infotainment screen. This puts all key functions into intuitive menus, with widgets that can span both screens and a high-speed data connection for added functionality. It’s fast enough to stream content from Netflix, Disney+ and Bloomberg, enhanced by a 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system with immersive Dolby Atmos sound. Not a bad way to spend those mid-journey breaks.

Genesis Connected Services also offer great functionality for fleet drivers. It enables remote vehicle checks, including charging status, pre-setting climate control before setting off, all via a smartphone app, and the ability to download and analyse individual journeys, learning more efficient driving techniques. That’ll help keep your fleet manager happy.

Why is the GV60 Magma a great long-distance car?

It’s good news here, too. The GV60 is based on a dedicated electric vehicle platform, and it gets some of the best technology available today – which means generous range and incredibly fast charging times even for the most potent models in the line-up.

The platform uses a ‘skateboard’ layout, packaging the battery between the axles and under the cabin for an agility-boosting low centre of gravity. And with a capacity of 84kWh, it can store enough energy to take the GV60 Magma up to an impressive 264 miles (WLTP Combined) on a single charge.

If you can resist dipping into its sportier driving modes, it’ll get from Central London to Sunderland without stopping to charge, while a heat pump is standard on all versions to help control cabin and battery temperatures with minimal energy loss.

However, the GV60 scores just as highly for charging speeds. The platform utilises an 800-volt electrical architecture, which is twice what most rivals use and can pre-heat the battery cells to get the shortest possible charging times. It’ll get from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes on a 350kW ultra-rapid charger, of which there are 13,000 in the UK, according to Zap-Map.

That’s around 195 miles of extra range in the time it takes to stretch your legs and mentally process the Magma’s performance.

What other features does it offer for fleet drivers?

Fleet vehicles need to perform as both weekday workhorse and weekend lifestyle vehicle. Magma’s performance enhancements haven’t compromised the GV60’s talents in either department, featuring clever design and technology that make it easy to live with.

Open the powered tailgate and there’s an impressive cargo space of up to 670 litres behind the rear seats (if you stack it to the roof). And despite the coupé-esque profile, it’s a genuine five-seater with room for adults in the back.

As a flagship model, the GV60 Magma includes the full suite of assistance and active safety systems, earning it a full five stars with safety organisation Euro NCAP. For drivers, the highlights include Highway Driving Assist, which maintains its position within a lane and relative to other vehicles, and Remote Smart Parking Assist 2 which enables it to manoeuvre in and out of tight spaces with nobody at the wheel.

It’s also quiet, even by EV standards. Genesis has included insulated glass to help isolate the cabin, while the tyres are filled with foam help dial out road roar. The rest is handled by Active Sound Design+, which uses the speakers to harmonise interior and exterior acoustics, which in turn helps curb fatigue if you’re spending hours on the road.

How do I sell this to my fleet manager?

Electric vehicles have become a mainstay of the company car and salary sacrifice market, helping employers to offer attractive perks that retain the best staff. And they make great business sense too.

With rated CO2 emissions of 0g/km, the GV60 Magma attracts the lowest 4% rate of company car tax. That’s good news for drivers, who can enjoy incredibly low Benefit-in-Kind bills each month without compromising on enjoyment, but it can also keep your financial director smiling.

Employers get low Class 1A National Insurance Contributions, while electric vehicles qualify for 100% corporation tax relief against the purchase or lease cost. All good reasons to include them on a choice list.

Salary sacrifice sweetens the deal further. Because payments are taken from your gross salary before tax and National Insurance contributions are deducted, drivers can make significant savings versus a traditional personal lease – bringing a high-performance premium electric car like Magma GV60 within easier financial reach on a predictable monthly budget.

And that’s only part of the picture. Drivers with a home energy tariff offering cheaper overnight charging rates will only be using 2p of electricity per mile of driving – a fraction of the cost of anything fuelled. And for fleets, Genesis’ comprehensive 5-Year Care Plan packages take the stress out of maintenance, setting the standard for worry-free driving.

It isn’t so long ago that company car drivers would have had to make some tough choices when they were selecting their next set of wheels. But Genesis has just made those decisions a lot easier.

Learn more about Genesis company cars

Nissan X-Trail

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0100

Hybrid power marks a welcome return to form for the Hyundai Santa Fe rival The Nissan X-Trail has found itself in a slightly odd place, and a far cry from what it once was. As the brand’s largest SUV in Europe, and one available with seven seats, it is natural to compare it with other seven-seaters such as the Skoda Kodiaq, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe and even the behemoth Toyota Highlander.But that was never the point of the X-Trail. It was launched in 2001 as a fairly no-nonsense Land Rover Freelander-esque 4x4, and Nissan made plenty of noise at the time about the four-wheel drive system (two-wheel-drive versions came much later) and uncarpeted boot.The X-Trail’s mission remained much the same for the second generation, though it gained more family-friendly sensibilities, and by that point the X-Trail had to share showroom space with the Nissan Qashqai, which for most people fulfilled the same role. So, for the third generation, the X-Trail grew a little and effectively replaced the seven-seat Qashqai+2. And since the Qashqai tends to be a bit smaller than cars like the Kia Sportage and Toyota RAV4, that allowed the two Nissan SUVs to coexist.The new one mostly picks up where the last one left off. Visually it looks less like a big Qashqai, but in many ways that is still what the X-Trail is. As such, it’s more of a Sportage and RAV4 rival, just one with a small third row of seats.For 2026, it has been facelifted. It's a bit of a spot-the-difference exercise visually, but there's a refreshed infotainment system. There's something odd going on with the powertrain line-up, though. Range at a glanceAt launch, this generation of X-Trail was available with one front-wheel drive mild-hybrid petrol engine and two versions of Nissan's e-Power full hybrid system: a standard front-wheel drive and the four-wheel drive e-4orce. With the 2026 facelift, the mild hybrid was dropped. VersionPowerNissan X-Trail Mild hybrid 163 †161bhpNissan X-Trail E-Power201bhpNissan X-Trail E-Power E-4Orce210bhpTRANSMISSIONS1-spd reduction gear (full hybrid)CVT (mild hybrid)

Roof boxes on top as car accessory market defies auto downturn

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0100

The Chinese market is grim for European car makers, but it's an entirely different story for accessory makers

The second-quarter financial details of car makers are starting to come through, and we know from previously released volume figures that they will contain bad news from China.

But in the spirit of summer holiday optimism, I'm swerving the gloom to look at a success story from an automotive-adjacent company whose executives didn't mention China once in their second-quarter call to investors.

Swedish accessory firm Thule – the name emblazoned on thousands of bike racks shedding garage cobwebs onto the roads this summer – reported a rise in operating margin to 22% for the second quarter, up from 21% the year before. For the full half year, the margin hit 20%.

Anyone who has bought a Thule product new won't be surprised to learn the company reports profit margins closer to that of Porsche before it suffered its China/EV meltdown. They're expensive.

But the revelation is that Thule hasn't yet suffered its own China crisis in the form of competition offering similar performance for a much reduced price.

After all, since Covid the Chinese have become mad keen on camping and other outdoor activities, fed by multiple equipment firms. Established bike makers, for example, are suffering the effect of competition from China. But Thule appears to occupy its premium position without serious threat.

Car firms do periodically try to chisel at its market lead. JLR is the latest to promise a big push into the space, particularly via its Defender brand. But generally no one has managed to really bite into the market.

Why? It's hard to say. But perhaps when you're buying a bike rack, roof tent or dog carrier, you know it's going to do you 10 years so you splash out on a brand you've heard of.

Thule even cashed in on global instability, with boss Mattias Ankarberg telling investors that more people are holidaying closer to home this year, "which is typically positive for Thule".

It's not all rosy. Thule has been hit by the same rising raw material prices as car firms. Ankarberg flagged a 2.5% price increase for his products coming in August.

There's probably not much for car companies to learn from Thule's continued imperviousness to global price destructive trends in automotive. But it might be comforting to hear that not everything is falling under the China steamroller.

Audi Q9 SUV revealed as huge, £100k A8 successor

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 02:00:00 +0100

"Unapologetically high-status" SUV will rival BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS

Audi has revealed the huge Q9 SUV as an indirect replacement for its A8 luxury saloon flagship – and its long-awaited rival to the BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS.

Described by the brand as “unapologetically high-status”, it has been developed primarily for the North American and Middle Eastern markets – hence its mammoth proportions.

It measures 5.3m long, 2.2m wide and 1.8m tall, making it bigger than both of its German rivals and one of the largest cars to be sold in the UK – where it will struggle to fit through many urban width restrictors.

The Q9 will be offered with a choice of two interiors: a standard seven-seat configuration and a six-seat set-up that has two individual chairs in the second row.

The Q9’s doors open and close automatically as you approach the car. They can also be controlled through the interior screen or via the Audi app and contain sensors to prevent them from opening into the path of a passing vehicle or cyclist.

Up front, the Q9 has a three-screen dashboard familiar from the A6 and Q7, with an 11.9in instrument panel, a 14.5in curved infotainment touchscreen and a 12.3in passenger’s touchscreen.

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said the digital-heavy interior exemplifies a new approach to Audi’s ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ ethos and its cars will “increasingly be defined by the in-car experience”. He added that the Q9 shows “where we are taking the Audi brand” as it moves further upmarket.

But it also brings low-tech solutions to appeal to its target markets: the cupholders have been designed to fit a one-litre water bottle, as has become the trend in the US.

Notably, the Q9 is the penultimate new model to feature Audi’s current design language. This is being phased out in favour of new design chief Massimo Frascella’s minimalist ‘Radical Next’ ethos, beginning with the Nuvolari supercar. The A2 electric supermini is set to be the final production car to be launched before the switch.

The hulking Q9 is based on the Premium Platform Combustion, which was previously employed by the A6 and Q7. This mounts the engine longitudinally, allowing for the use of a traditional Torsen differential for permanent four-wheel drive, rather than the clutch-pack system found in smaller models.

Initially the Q9 will be offered in two states of tune with the mildly hybridised 3.0-litre diesel V6 that also powers the A6 and new Q7. The entry grade puts out 241bhp and 369lb ft, but it can also be had with 295bhp and 465lb ft. Both are matched with an eight-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox, which channels power to all four wheels.

The line-up is expected to be expanded in due course. A lower-emission plug-in hybrid powertrain would make the Q9 more attractive to business users in Europe and the UK. Meanwhile, a performance-focused SQ9 derivative could use the 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 from the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Porsche Cayenne – all models that perform well in the Q9’s target markets.

The Q9 is due in UK showrooms at around the end of the year. Pricing has yet to be confirmed but will almost certainly begin well above £100,000, given the outgoing Q8 can be specced up to nearly £120,000 as it is.

The Q9 will also form the basis of Porsche’s mooted flagship SUV, known internally as the ‘K1’.

More power and range for Rolls-Royce Spectre: is it now the perfect EV?

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:01:00 +0100

Rolls-Royce fights the habit of 120 years and launches its first electric car The Rolls-Royce Spectre is the super-luxury car company’s first electric vehicle. But if you think electric cars are a modern phenomenon, remember that when company founders Charles Rolls and Henry Royce met, electric cars were very much in vogue. In 1899 the world’s fastest car was electric, central London was abuzz with electric carriages and in 1900 a third of all cars in the US were electric.One of the first briefs for Rolls-Royce cars was, in fact, to produce a combustion-engined vehicle that would be as quiet, smooth and easy to use as an electric one, without the charging and range limitations that kept EVs for ‘town carriage’ use.Over the following century Rolls-Royce virtually perfected the art, with its very latest V12s from today’s Phantom and Ghost being some of the world’s quietest, smoothest and most compelling luxury powerplants.But with the world once more ready for EVs, in 2023 Rolls-Royce launched the Spectre, a super-luxury coupé and its first EV, which it followed in 2025 with the Black Badge edition for more “subversive” customers who want a bit of additional edge. Not only is it electric, but the Black Badge edition is also the most powerful car Rolls-Royce has ever made.Now in 2026, and riding on something of a wave of success with the car, Goodwood has launched a revised 'Series II' version. The Spectre was Rolls' biggest-selling car in Europe in 2025, and second only to the Cullinan SUV in global terms. The car is also seeing quite a bit more daily use than the typical super-luxury conveyance, Goodwood says. Which might help explain what the firm has done to improve the car for its mid-cycle facelift, more of which in a moment.The range at a glanceModelsPowerFromGhost563bhp£289,745Cullinan563bhp£344,865Spectre593bhp£333,185Phantom563bhp£440,865Rolls-Royce would tell you that deals with ‘uniquely commissioned’ models rather than having a range, but there are two Spectre models: the regular car (not that it would refer to it in such prosaic terms) and the Black Badge edition.It’s interesting to see where the car slots in to Rolls’ wider line-up. Filling the space left by the Phantom coupé, it is now priced above the Ghost saloon, but below both the Cullinan SUV and the Phantom (although both the Ghost and Phantom are offered as EWB), with power to trump all of its range-mates.

Rugged new Mini Countryman brings roof tent and off-road chops

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 23:01:00 +0100

New derivative of family SUV will be revealed in October amid drive to extend Mini's appeal

Mini is priming a new off-road version of the Countryman as it looks to broaden the brand's appeal with a range of individualistic special editions.

The company has revealed a new prototype referred to only as “a new Countryman edition”, which brings lifted suspension, chunky off-road tyres and a roof-mounted tent, hinting at its outdoorsy remit.

Mini boss Jean-Philippe Parain said the brand is “just one step away” from unwrapping the finished car, which will be unveiled in October.

The prototype has been pictured traversing the Rocky Mountain national park in Colorado, in the US, where hardened versions of conventional family SUVs are an emerging trend.

Two years ago, Hyundai launched the Ioniq 5 XRT, which provides a similar combination of a small lift in ride height and chunky body cladding. Honda, meanwhile, offers ‘Trailsport’ trims for its CR-V, Pilot and Passport SUVs in the US market.

As reported by Autocar last month, the new Countryman reflects Mini’s ambition to keep its line-up fresh with a wide range of new derivatives.

Design chief Holger Hampf said: ““We’ve witnessed the trend of the outdoor lifestyle and driving out of the city to spend some days in nature. Can our car do this? Certainly, so expect something in that direction.”

Autocar understands that the finished car will draw on the Vagabund concepts that were unveiled earlier this year. Inspired by festival culture, these exhibited off-road conversions of Mini’s family SUV.

Hampf suggested that brand partnerships such as the Vagabund would become more prominent in the years to come, as Mini looks to offer more special editions and greater personalisation.

He said Mini had “lost sight of that for a couple of years” as it sought to simplify its range and cut down on option packages, amid a broader drive in the car industry to cut costs.

He explained: “We feel Mini is a clean canvas that can be more customised in the way that it takes on different characters. Take, for example, a Paul Smith edition: fashionable and urban. Take a John Cooper Works: racy, sporty and almost track-like for the GP models in the past. Maybe the Deus Ex Machina concepts, more raw, more DIY and so on.

“[We want to] make sure that our customisation options allow people to express these different lifestyles. Preference has to become more important to us. This is where we learn from these collaborations, and from past editions.”

New BMW i4 cabriolet takes shape as first Neue Klasse open-top

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:24:02 +0100

New model marks the 4 Series Convertible's move to electric power, likely using the i3 saloon's tech

BMW's first electric cabriolet has moved a step closer, with a new prototype providing the clearest indication yet that the German car maker is already well advanced on an i4 Convertible based on its Neue Klasse electric platform.

Set to make its public debut during the second half of 2027 before reaching UK dealerships in 2028, the new four-seat model is planned to form part of an all-new two-door i4 family.

Alongside it, BMW is also developing an i4 Coupé, which will effectively succeed today's Cluster Architecture (CLAR)-based i4 Gran Coupé, while the i4 Convertible expands the line-up with BMW's first dedicated open-top electric model.

The disguised prototype reveals several key details about the i4 Convertible.

Most obvious is the electrically operated fabric roof, which confirms that BMW has resisted calls to return to the folding metal hard tops used on earlier 3 Series Convertibles. Instead, it has retained a soft top similar in concept to that of today's G23-generation 4 Series Convertible. When lowered, the roof stows neatly beneath a dedicated rear tonneau cover.

The prototype captured here also provides the clearest look yet at how the Neue Klasse's dedicated electric platform has influenced the new open-top's design. It brings shorter overhangs at the front and rear, a longer wheelbase and proportions more closely aligned with the recently revealed i3 saloon.

Mechanically, the i4 Convertible is expected to borrow extensively from the new i3. The Neue Klasse platform supports an 800V electrical architecture, cylindrical battery cells and DC charging capability of up to 400kW.

Initial models are expected to mirror the i3 range, beginning with a rear-wheel-drive version before expanding to a four-wheel-drive i4 50 xDrive Convertible model featuring BMW's latest synchronous rear motor and asynchronous front motor. In i3 saloon specification, the dual-motor drivetrain develops 463bhp and 476lb ft. More powerful M Performance variants are also likely.

The i4 Convertible will not immediately replace its combustion-engined counterpart. BMW plans to continue producing the G23-generation 4 Series Convertible alongside the new electric model until around mid-2029.

Speaking to Autocar earlier this year, Joachim Post, who oversees the development of all new BMWs, said: "The 4 Series is an important car for us. It's more sporty, and BMW is a sporty brand which has a clear heritage also on the performance side. It will play an important role also for the future."

Forget JPS and Gulf – the best liveries are worn by art cars

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0100

Racing cars covered in corporate logos are dull; bold, creative art cars are what truly capture fans' imaginations

One appealing aspect of car culture is that, whether mechanically or through design, vehicles can be used to express individuality and creativity. And, when it comes to the cosmetic side of things, to me there’s no better expression of that than the ‘art car’.

My favourite art cars are those found within motorsport, where standing out for maximum visibility is one of the main aims of the game – second only, perhaps, to winning.

Yes, motorsport liveries are usually intended to accommodate sponsors, which play an essential role in financing a team, but they can also allow a car to draw the eye on a grid of a dozen or more other similar shapes, which could ultimately be the difference in gaining supporters.

They also allow teams to show some creativity in circumstances where restrictive regulations usually mean they’re either unable to or can only do so in areas that the casual fan will never fully appreciate.

A good livery can give a car an extra layer of identity, and the best examples have the ability to stay in the memory of fans and spectators for much longer than where the car finished in a race, or even the name of the driver at its helm.

Because they’re rare, art car liveries always feel a little more special, a point of difference on the grid, and usually do a better job than anything else of winning the hearts of the spectators.

Many of them even abandon big title sponsors – and the financial benefits they bring – to ensure the livery isn’t dictated by logos or brand names. Their only purpose is to make a statement and put smiles on the faces of the fans,which you have to admire.

BMW is the undisputed king of the art car. For 50 years the Munich brand has been associated with liveries dreamed up by artists, from the 1975 3.0 CSL by Alexander Calder and the 1977 Roy Lichtenstein 320i Group 5, to the 1979 Andy Warhol M1 Procar and, most recently, the M Hybrid V8 hypercar designed by Julie Mehretu for the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours.

The Jeff Koons M3 GT2 from 2010 is still my personal favourite, with its many multicoloured ribbons. The lineage currently stands at 20 art cars that punctuate BMW’s motorsport history, as well as a few road cars, and I hope that number continues to grow into the future.

The motion of an art car is still pleasingly called upon by others, too, as displayed by the fantastic HWA 190E Evo R that recently raced in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, featuring an awesome glow-in-the-dark livery by Hanna Schönwald that came alive after the circuit was plunged into darkness for the night stint.

That colourful faux-Mercedes received plenty of attention, which isn’t much of a surprise: my love for art cars is clearly shared by plenty of others, and I think the motorsport world wouldn’t be quite as fun without them.

New driver monitoring tech means your mirrors look back at you

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0100

Magna's new mirror contains camera that detects driver distraction, drowsiness or fatigue

As car makers push for greater safety and automation, are drivers ready to hand over full control?

Robotics in the form advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have been here in Europe since 2015, when it became essential for car makers to adopt features such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) to gain a five-star Euro NCAP safety score.

Drivers of fully loaded 2026 model-year cars will notice how lane-keeping features, which a few years ago may only vibrated the steering wheel, have evolved to positive automated steering input and now to full-blown overtaking assist.

Along with features that physically intervene with the control of the car has come occupant status monitoring (OSM). This electronic big brother can include child presence detection and seatbelt reminders, and it can actively check if a driver is nodding off, looking drowsy or simply being distracted, perhaps rubber-necking an incident on the opposite carriageway.

Whether drivers view these aids as nannying, helpful or simply distracting (because of the beeps and warning lights they trigger), Thatcham Research data makes a strong case for technology to mitigate the problem. Thatcham says impairment or distraction is a contributing factor in 14.8% of UK accidents, and that figure rises to 28% in fatal accidents. OSM can detect the "alertness, attention and availability of the drivers and other passengers in the vehicle."

Thatcham says OSM is the key enabling technology for automation and driver-controlled assistance systems (DCAS), which is the 'hands off, eyes on' type of assistance we see today.

But there's more to OSM than keeping a watchful eye. Last year ZF showed its Lifetec system, which blends camera and sensor data to classify occupants. Airbags and seatbelt systems can tailor responses to each individual, taking into account their seating position irrespective of whether a person is small, large, muscular or petite.

Supply giant Magna has recently been awarded a driver and occupant monitoring system (DMS/OSM) programme with a European manufacturer. The tech is built into the rear-view mirror, which contains 'behind-the-glass camera architecture', and is integrated with the car's central computing systems.

The camera monitors the driver's head, eye and body movements to detect distraction, drowsiness and fatigue. The technology has been in the market for a couple of years now; it's designed as a system and can be scaled to include child presence detection and seat-belt detection. It can also be used to identify specific passengers to enable user-preference memory settings.

Car makers have been developing technologies to read our minds for a number of years. Back in 2011, Mercedes showed a wearable device (the prototype resembled a swimming cap) to monitor 'alpha spindles' in brainwave patterns to establish whether a driver was becoming drowsy.

Exclusive: China's Stratos UK-bound as £50,000 EV sports car

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Two-seat SC01 features 'mid-engined' design, with importer calling it "the car Lotus should have made"

China's first 'mid-engined' sports car will reach the UK in April 2027 under the billing of "the car Lotus should have built".

The Lancia Stratos-inspired SC-01 is built on a dedicated spaceframe chassis with the battery mounted behind the two seats and an electric motor on each axle.

Already on sale in China (where it's part of EV maker JMEV's line-up and named the Yichi 01) and some other global markets, including Italy, it will now be made in right-hand drive, with prices starting from around £50,000.

Mark Cotton is the founder, boss and for now, sole employee of the Small Sports Car Company. The former BMW, Bentley, McLaren and RML executive has acquired the UK import rights for the SC-01 and is close to securing three dealer partners to sell and service the car, as well as other partners to manage all distribution, financing and aftersales.

The SC-01 was created in China by Feng Xiaotong, who around a decade ago set up a firm called China Car Custom (or the Tianjin Gongjiangpai Automobile Technology Co), specialising in restoring and upgrading modern classics.

A keen enthusiast and driver, Feng spotted a gap in the market for a true electric sports car that majored on handling joy, offered the right level of performance, wasn't too heavy and represented simple, accessible fun - hence the comparison to Lotus's historic output.

Cotton has created the SSCC brand for the UK market and is also helping Feng work on launch plans for other right-hand-drive markets.

He has deliberately kept the company lean at the start and kept sales targets modest: around 160 cars in the first year, rising to 360 in the third year.

Cotton said the project doesn't need much volume to be a success and "it's easy to justify a specialist product, designed as an enthusiast driver's car, that sells 200 to 300 units a year. Based on [my] data, that's not a stretch."

He first approached Feng, who has backers for his sports car at home in China (including tech giant Xiaomi), after news of the project first emerged in the media, including via an Autocar story in 2023, and plans have now evolved to the point where he is ready to go public with the car's UK launch.

Cotton told Autocar the SC-01 isn't an EV all about acceleration and going fast in a straight line but rather one with "an emotional connection and a soul", comparing it to the Lotus Elise in the way it drives.

Its spaceframe chassis is bespoke, as are all the major components that are sourced in China, where the car is also built.

The 60kWh battery pack, which nets a range of 311 miles on the Chinese test cycle, isn't a structural part of the car. Instead it's designed to be removable and easy to service.

It sits between the axles for that mid-engined feel and low down for a centre of gravity that is claimed to be lower than that of a Porsche 911.

The suspension is bespoke and manually adjustable, while the driver can switch between the two motors powering the car for either front- or rear-wheel drive, or combine them for four-wheel drive.

The motors are identical and produce combined peaks of 429bhp and 413lb ft of torque to give a 0-62mph time of 2.9sec - as quick as the Ferrari 296 GTB.

The SC-01 weighs 1380kg, some 500kg more than an Elise but about in line with what the upcoming Alpine A110 EV is expected to weigh.

Crucial to minimising weight is a simple interior that features only a small driver's display (so no central touchscreen), drive selector buttons and a manual handbrake.

It shuns all ADAS too, so will be sold here under either Individual Vehicle Approval or Small Series Type Approval regulations, depending on the volume that is reached each year.

"It's a great sports car first before it's an EV," said Cotton. "When I first heard about the project, I knew it was right for the UK, and Feng's passion for getting the car here is strong."

Opinion: Can they make small big?

Low-volume sports cars from unknown brands, shed-based or otherwise, are nothing new on these pages. Many have been great to drive but even so have fallen down commercially. A good car doesn't always make for good business when the volumes are this small.

What the SSCC SC-01 has over the likes of upcoming rivals, including the Caterham Project V and Longbow Roadster, is that it already exists and is in production; it's not some prototype that's a minimum of two years away.

The question, then, becomes simply: will SSCC work as a brand and a commercial operation here?

Boss Mark Cotton said that in China the SC-01 is bringing younger buyers into the sports car space, attracting an audience that wouldn't go near traditional sports cars like the Lotus Elise. Maybe that will play out elsewhere too.

Cotton has credibility, with a background in bringing new brands and models to market - most notably at McLaren and Bentley.

While the projected numbers seem small, in year three it's still a car a day at 360. Maserati sold just 255 cars in the UK in the first half of this year. Yes, the Italian brand should be embarrassed to have sold fewer than half as many cars as Lotus, but that shows how tough it can be to shift metal.

Then there's the name: SC-01 isn't catchy enough and sounds like the engineering team were left to handle that part of the project as well.

Cotton seems open to making a change before it reaches showrooms, which is promising, as a car like this needs a name you will remember. Dragon, perhaps?

Mercedes C-Class Electric

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 02:00:00 +0100

The long-running German saloon has gone electric – but it keeps all the strengths that made it great The arrival of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Electric seems a seminal moment on the road to full electrification. Here we have the firm whose founder, Karl Benz, patented the combustion-powered passenger vehicle 140 years ago, launching an electric version of the defining model in its line-up.Boss Ola Källenius describes this new EV as designed to “hit the centre of the Mercedes fan base”. While the GLC SUV is Stuttgart’s best-seller nowadays, the compact executive saloon market remains the arena in which German premium brands are judged (and with the Neue Klasse BMW i3 on the way, our road testers are already salivating to do some judging). So an electric C-Class is a big deal, even if Källenius claims the aim is to ensure you don’t really notice the change in powertrain. “The feedback from dealers and customers is that we’ve hit the spot,” he tells me. “They say ‘that’s a beautiful car and oh, it’s electric? Yeah, great.’”As with the closely related new electric GLC, in style and name this is an electric C-Class and not, say, an EQC saloon. In fact, Mercedes has quietly ditched its EQ branding entirely here: the official name of this first variant is the 400 4Matic electric. Yes, with a lower-case ‘e’.So is this a true C-Class that happens to be electric, or is just an average electric saloon with a fancy grille? Let's find out.

Mercedes G-Class Cabriolet returns after nearly a decade off sale

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:34:46 +0100

New images show drop-top G-Class with its roof down as its launch date approaches

Mercedes-Benz is reviving the G-Class Cabriolet almost a decade after the last open-top version of the hardcore off-roader was phased out.

New images show the new Cabriolet with its roof down and the folded fabric top occupying the space where the boot is on the regular G-Class.

Technical details have yet to be disclosed, though the new images are of an AMG derivative with side-exit exhausts. The regular-bodied AMG G63 is powered by a 577bhp twin-turbocharged petrol V8.

No launch date has been revealed yet, but given the drop-top car is already testing and is a variant of a model already on sale, it is likely to arrive in the coming months.

The new G-Class Cabriolet is expected to carry a hefty premium over current models, which start at more than £130,000.

Cabriolets have long been part of the G-Class line-up. The first, a two-door short-wheelbase model, was introduced as part of the original line-up in 1979 and was produced up until 2013.

Later came the ultra-luxury four-door G-Class Maybach G650 Landaulet, introduced in 2017 with a 621bhp twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine and based on the high-riding G63 4x4². Produced in a limited run of just 99 units, it combined a front hard top with a rear folding roof section, individual rear seats set back in the chassis and a price close to £600,000 in the UK.

Why this year's Festival of the Unexceptional was the best yet

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:14 +0100

Well-used Volkswagen Polo was the big winner from the annual celebration of brilliantly mundane motors

Find me another car show, if you can, where the victorious car is 25 years old, has done 176,000 miles, was its owner’s wedding car and has been his daily driver ever since he bought it 20 years ago.

The car I’m talking about is a 999cc, 49bhp Volkswagen Polo C owned by Gordon McNeill, winner at the 2026 Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional, held last weekend at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire.

Not only has McNeill only ever had this one car, but he and his wife swear they have no plans ever to buy another.

So far the Polo has been to the Nürburgring, has lapped Silverstone, has run at Santa Pod and recently returned from a long holiday in Spain.

In 20 years and 140,000 miles, it has had one valve job and one sill replacement, the second repair so thoroughly botched by a 'specialist' that McNeill himself took to studying car body repair techniques so as to manage the restoration himself.

It's a dozen years since a bunch of inspired people came up with the idea for an entirely different kind of car show designed to embrace mundane, everyday and largely forgotten cars, called Festival of the Unexceptional.

In its earliest days there was a big tongue-in-cheek aspect to the whole deal. The eligible cars, which had to be made in a rolling 30-year zone that began 25 years earlier (and thus advanced) by one every year, were deemed to have very little value and largely to be figures of fun.

But in 12 years a remarkable thing has happened: the whole thing has become gradually more serious and worthwhile. I’ve witnessed the progression from the inside as a member of the judging panel of eight to 12 people.

There’s still a certain levity attached to the whole exercise (nobody is trying to pretend that a 1995 Austin Maestro about to join the ranks of the great cars), but it has become clear that many of the eligible cars last and function much better than their ancestors used to, and that for many owners they have an emotional connection far stronger than any casually bought classic car. McNeill is a prime example.

This year’s event was by every measure the best yet. The weather was perfect for the 5000-plus people who arrived in more than 2000 cars – the biggest number ever, filling the long castle front avenue to capacity. The quality and relevance of many casual arrivals matched that of the 40 pre-selected finalists, parked as usual on the inner castle lawn.

From these a first, second and third prize winner were selected, as well as a bunch of 'special mentions'. Second place went to a beautifully preserved yet relatively high-mileage Toyota Previa; third to a Ford Focus whose young owner had conserved the car in honour of his departed grandfather, the original owner.

More than ever, the joy of ordinary car ownership was enormously evident. Many owners were in their 20s and 30s, attracted by a competition that involved cars they remembered from childhood and could afford to buy and mend.

The role of elderly drivers in preserving these cars of yesterday was also recognised: many an entrant brought a car stored for a decade after its owner had stopped driving and simply garaged the car. The condition of many cars was near-faultless, as was the research into their histories.

Remarkable stories surrounded a huge proportion of the cars. Among standouts was a battered, basic-spec Ford Sierra 1.6 whose owner had two others but preferred this one because of the colourful life it had led: it had been stolen twice and broken into regularly as well, although all the thieves had only ever taken a screwdriver.

Another entrant who brought a faultless, rare-in-Britain 2000 Kia Clarus from the Netherlands, found a new way of getting the judges’ attention by wearing a specially made T-shirt with a pattern echoing that of the car's flamboyant velour upholstery.

From start to finish this was a joyous event, remarkable for the youth of its entrants and the fact that the vast majority of those who came to Grimsthorpe 'got' the rules of the competition and did their best to bring an appropriate car.

Britain abounds with car meetings and competitions at this time of the year, but for sheer, unalloyed car love, I would argue that Festival of the Unexceptional beats them all.

Aion V

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0100

EV from Chinese giant GAC targets quality, safety and mid-market value The Aion V is the European debut model of one of China’ s lesser-known, local-government-owned car-making operations, Guangzhou Automobile (GAC). Although not nearly as large, GAC is notionally similar to MG’s parent company, SAIC. It has had particular domestic success with EVs, and also learned plenty from several long-standing joint ventures with PSA, FCA, Honda and Toyota.By 2030, we’re told, Aion will have eight models in UK showrooms – among them EVs, PHEVs, range-extenders and regular hybrids. It’s already doing business in Portugal, Poland, Finland and Greece, and now arrives over here with a mid-sized and perhaps unexpectedly mid-market electric family SUV.

Mercedes-AMG A45 S bows out with £68k Final Edition

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 10:59:38 +0100

Mad 415bhp hot hatch is on the cusp of retirement, although less powerful A35 will remain on sale

The new Final Edition variant of the Mercedes-AMG A45 S marks the end of the line for the wild hot hatch after seven years on sale.

The A45 S was unveiled in 2019, packing the most potent four-cylinder engine yet fitted in a production car, its turbocharged 2.0-litre unit putting out 416bhp and 369lb ft of torque.

That gave it a 0-62mph sprint time of 3.9sec and a top speed of 168mph – figures to rival thoroughbred sports cars.

Autocar last year reported that the most powerful derivative of the M139 engine didn't comply with the new Euro 7 emissions standard and would have been expensive to re-engineer to meet it. Mercedes declined to comment.

As reported, other AMG performance models to use the high-output version of the M139 are due to be replaced by cars powered by straight sixes.

A fifth-generation A-Class is currently in the works for 2028, based on the same MMA platform as the new CLA saloon/estate.

Mercedes recently unveiled the AMG derivative of that car as a 671bhp tri-motor EV, signalling the direction that it may take with a future replacement for the A45 S.

Among AMG's objectives for the new electric CLA 45 is to convince buyers of its previous hot hatches to make the switch to battery power.

In the meantime, the A45 S Final Edition brings a fresh look inspired by Mercedes’ race cars: matt grey paint is matched with yellow accents around the aerodynamic elements, while ‘45S’ graphics mimic racing numbers. That motif can be found inside the car too.

Prices for the Final Edition start at £67,965, but Mercedes declined to confirm how many examples will be imported into the UK.

It did, however, confirm that the 316bhp AMG A35 will remain on sale for the foreseeable future. It's priced from £48,030.

Calls for stable policy as EVs exceed 80% of company car orders

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 09:46:08 +0100

Void between private and fleet demand is putting pressure on leasing firm profits

Electric company cars have reached a market share beyond the government’s 80% ZEV mandate target for 2030, according to leasing firms, but they warn that weak retail demand and shifting policies pose longer-term risks for a sector that now owns more than a third of the country’s EVs.

Demand for company cars has surged since ultra-low tax rates for electric cars (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) were reintroduced in 2020.

All company cars are assigned a ‘taxable value’, which is a percentage of the list price weighted on its CO2 emissions, and drivers pay benefit in kind (BIK) on that value at the same rate as their income tax – typically 20% or 40% - although Scotland has different bands.

As EVs are rated at 0g/km CO2, they get the lowest tax rates – currently 4%, compared with at least 25% for the most efficient non-plug-ins. The resulting five-fold reduction in tax bills has made it increasingly attractive to opt back into a company car.

That’s backed up by new data from HMRC showing a 24% rise in company car drivers, to 920,000 people, between 2020/21 and 2024/25. This includes both company car and salary sacrifice schemes, as vehicles under 75g/km are taxed at the same rates in both cases.

It’s such a significant swing that the total tax take has declined significantly, despite the growing number of drivers and rising vehicle prices.

With 75% now driving a PHEV (24%) or EV (51%), the average taxable value of a company car has halved since 2019/20, contributing a combined £3.07 billion in tax revenue – 43% less (£2.36bn) than before the low rates were introduced.

As most of those cars are leased, members of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) are claiming 90% of company car orders and 47% of their combined business contract hire (BCH) fleet – comprising 948,000 vehicles, and 6.1% larger than in the first quarter of 2025 – are now EVs, according to the industry body’s latest Leasing Outlook report.

Salary sacrifice schemes are also booming, up 165% year on year to 266,816 cars and overtaking personal contract hire (PCH) to become the most popular way for individuals to lease a car. These enable drivers to lease vehicles through their employer, funded by their pre-tax salary and – if it emits 75g/km or less – to pay low-rate BIK on top of the monthly rentals.

It’s estimated that 20-25% of new EVs are leased into salary sacrifice schemes, while leasing firms jointly own an estimated 750,000 of the UK’s two million EVs.

However, BVRLA members are increasingly concerned about the relative lack of support for retail channels. Only 20% of PCH cars are electric, while the organisation says firms are “haemorrhaging” money when three-year-old EVs are remarketed due to weak second-hand demand, exacerbated by aggressive discounts on new cars to meet ZEV mandate targets.

To reduce the need for higher monthly rentals to cover those costs, members are looking to second-life leasing as a way to spread their losses. There are now 20,471 used cars in the BCH fleet (up 50% year on year) and 9140 on salary sacrifice schemes (up 474%).

Uncertain policy also doesn’t help, said members, highlighting the potential review of mandatory targets and proposed pay-per-mile taxes for EVs and PHEVs due in 2028. Recent adjustments to the mileage rates for expensing the use of privately owned cars are also a challenge, as they risk undermining the value of salary sacrifice schemes by paying drivers more to use what they already have.

Toby Poston, BVRLA chief executive, said: "The leasing sector continues to prove its resilience. Fleets are growing and our members remain the engine room of the UK's transition to zero-emission road transport. "That progress cannot be taken for granted. Our members continue to invest through difficult market conditions, but long-term success depends on policy that is stable, predictable and supports confidence across both the new and used EV markets."

Honda Civic buying guide: Brit-built family hero is yours for £5k

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0100

The Swindon-built 10th-gen Civic is an appealing, practical choice

Cars that wear the 'built in Britain' tag tend to err towards being luxurious, expensive and/or sporty - think Aston Martin, McLaren and Land Rover, to name but a few.

There are, however, a couple of reliable Japanese but British-built hatchbacks - one of them being the 10th-generation Honda Civic, a practical, fun-to-drive family car that was launched in the UK in 2017.

Unlike earlier Civics, this one was conceived as a single model for all markets. As the US was and is the largest, the British-built Civic hatch would fundamentally be designed for our friends across the pond.

Normally, this would fill us with trepidation, but it gave the Mk10 car an edge: the US's preference for larger modes of transport meant this Civic was the biggest car in its class, so an obvious win for practicality. Furthermore, a big development budget meant the Civic improved in other ways: it was a bit lighter and better to drive than before, and its tech really moved the game on.

A Ford Focus or Mazda 3 will be even more enjoyable to drive, and a Volkswagen Golf will have tech that is easier to fathom, but the Civic is a great compromise - and it earned itself a four-star road test rating.

Residuals remain strong thanks to Honda's stellar reliability record, but there's a caveat to that, which we'll come to.

But first, the interior. Unlike the slightly bloated exterior, the inside of the Mk10 Civic is restrained in all the right ways. The BMW-like driver-centric dashboard gives a sporty, wraparound feel, and the fabulous short-throw manual gearlever is in the perfect place. There's lots of adjustment in the steering wheel and driver's seat (set it to the lowest in the class, if you wish), too, along with well-aligned pedals.

All Civics get a digital driver's display. A 7in sat-nav with reversing camera and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto is standard from Sport trim up, with base-level SE getting only a Bluetooth DAB radio. The touchscreen is laggy, but a plethora of physical controls means it's not omnipotent. In the back, there is generous leg room and decent head room, while the boot holds 478 litres.

Trims range from SE through SR and Sport, with EX at the top. SE is quite basic, but SR has two- zone climate control, automatic wipers, all-round parking sensors and a leather steering wheel and gearknob. Sport adds heated seats, while Sport Plus gets adaptive suspension - it's nice to have, but the Civic is comfortable enough without it. EX adds leather seats and a panoramic sunroof.

On the road, the Civic is mostly quiet and comfortable, although some road roar and a degree of unsettledness makes its way into the cabin on coarse surfaces. The handling is precise and responsive enough, and grip levels are fairly high, but there isn't the verve and agility you get from a Focus.

There are three engines to choose from. The standard 1.0-litre three-pot turbo would be very recommendable if it weren't for its wet belt, which can degrade and cause engine failure. Thankfully, the 1.6 diesel is only a little down on power (it has 118bhp compared with the 1.0's 127bhp), is impressively refined and is more economical - expect 55mpg to the 1.0's 45mpg. A turbocharged 1.5-litre four-pot with 180bhp rounds out the choices. It's warm-hatch quick (we timed it to 60mph in 7.8sec) while hardly less economical than the 1.0-litre.

What to look out for

Engine: 'Wet belt' has become a dirty term with used cars, and the Civic is no different. The 1.0-litre is a lovely engine to drive, but the belt can fail as early as 40,000 miles, leaving a huge bill. If you replace it preventatively, budget £1200, but it could still go without warning afterwards. Turbos and the alternator are also weak points with this engine. The diesel suffers from DPF issues if continually driven on short, urban journeys, while the 1.5-litre petrol proves thirsty in the same circumstances (30mpg can be expected around town).

Gearbox: The diesel is paired with a six-speed manual or nine-speed automatic gearbox, the petrols the same manual or a CVT. The manuals are most common, and for good reason: they have a lovely shift action and are faster and more economical than the automatics.

Interior: The cloth seats suffer premature wear and stain easily, but leather was only available on top-spec EX cars. Plastics weren't as well screwed together as they should have been in some cars, so rattles can be commonplace. Check the air conditioning works properly - the compressor is a known weak point.

Electrics: The reversing camera can suffer from water ingress, which blurs the image. Replacement is the only way to sort it.

Also worth knowing

Earlier this year, Honda recalled the 10th-generation Civic over an issue that could result in a wheel falling off the car while driving. Affected owners are being contacted, but if you have your eye on a used one, ask for the VIN to enter into the Honda website to check for updates.

A saloon was added to the range in 2018, to replace the Accord. It has an even larger boot (519 litres) than the hatch and more coherent styling, to some eyes. It's a rare thing and wasn't available in Sport trim or with the 1.5-litre engine.

The 10th-generation Civic was treated to a very light facelift in 2020 with an electric driver's seat for the Prestige model (replacing EX) and more buttons for the infotainment system. You can tell it apart by the coloured inserts in the bumper.

There's a flat £200 VED rate, while insurance groups range between 15 and 22 for regular models. A different beast entirely, the 316bhp Type R is group 38.

How much to spend

£4500-£7999 Early cars with more than 10,000 miles per year clocked up. Some are well into six figures.

£8000-£11,999 A nice selection of average-mileage examples with good history. There is no significant premium for saloons.

£12,000-£19,999 Low-mileage examples and late facelifts - they make up the bulk of the classifieds.

£20,000-£40,000 A range of Type Rs from early, high-mileage examples to those with only a few thousand miles.

An owner's view

O'Baid Chaudhry: "I love that the Civic comes so well equipped as standard, so there is no requirement - unlike with the German brands - for specifying extras such as cruise control and heated seats. The diesel runs very smoothly and very economically, and it has plenty of power for the real world. Maintenance on mine has been minimal, with only basic servicing required."

Discovery Sport production ends this year; Evoque and Velar live on

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0100

JLR will retire its entry-level SUV after 11 years on sale as GSR2 safety regulations come into force in EU

Land Rover will end production of the Discovery Sport at the end of 2026, after more than 11 years.

The SUV remains configurable in the UK but is no longer available to order from the factory in various European markets, including France, Germany and Spain.

A JLR spokesperson told Autocar: “Discovery Sport production will end in December 2026, in line with normal product lifecycles. As part of this transition there will be a managed sunset of manufacturing ahead of this date for certain markets.”

This brings an end to one of the longest on-sale runs in the UK: the Discovery Sport was launched here in February 2015, making it older than the Mazda MX-5 and Alfa Romeo Giulia. After it goes, the Volvo XC90 will be the UK’s oldest car.

The removal of the Discovery Sport from order books coincides with the imposition this month of the EU’s updated General Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2) ruleset, which mandates several safety functions not fitted to the SUV.

JLR has updated its other models to comply with GSR2, but the Discovery Sport’s age – and comparatively thin profit margins – probably made such an investment unviable.

Porsche made the same decision with the Macan, which was launched at around the same time as the Discovery Sport, and is bowing out of production this month.

It isn't yet clear when the Discovery Sport will exit its home market (where GSR2 is not a legal obligation), but it's likely that JLR will stop taking new orders in advance of its retirement.

The entry-level SUV has historically been a significant volume generator for the company, ranking as its top seller in 2016 (its first full year on sale), with more than 122,000 examples sold globally.

A significant overhaul in 2019 – including a new platform and interior – helped to keep it fresh against rivals, but in more recent years its age has caught up with it, and JLR sold less than a tenth of that 2016 figure in 2025.

That made it the company’s slowest selling-model, behind the full-sized Land Rover Discovery, which is also coming up for retirement as the 10th anniversary of its unveiling approaches.

The Discovery Sport’s cancellation raises questions over the future of the closely related Range Rover Evoque, which is built alongside it at JLR’s Halewood plant on Merseyside.

Range Rover MD Martin Limpert suggested to Autocar last week that the brand had no immediate plans to wind down the Evoque and would continue to produce the entry-level model while it focused investment and resources on renewing and electrifying the more profitable flagship model.

“We’ve had a big focus on launching Range Rover [Electric] and Range Rover Sport Electric, which was a big pivotal moment that we had to get over the line,” he said. “Range Rover GT [pictured above] is the first car built on our new EMA architecture, so obviously there was lots of focus to bring that to life.

“But we also refreshed the Range Rover Evoque two-and-a-half years ago, and we have launched the market editions for the Evoque and Velar [such as the Belgravia and Hoxton Editions] to keep them present in the marketplace. We have loyal audiences for these cars, and we can’t do everything at once.”

While the Discovery Sport’s retirement is understood to make room for the sleek new Range Rover GT, the Evoque could remain in production until that car’s more rugged sibling, the Land Rover Defender Sport, arrives next year.

While the GT is a new model with no direct predecessor, it's possible that the Defender Sport could serve as a replacement for both the Evoque and Discovery Sport, given its similar footprint and expected positioning.