BMW Neue Klasse SUV concept confirmed for 21 March unveiling
16 HRS AGO - New SUV will take design influence from Vision Neue Klasse concept
New Vision Neue Klasse X will Expand
16 HRS AGO - New SUV will take design influence from Vision Neue Klasse concept
New Vision Neue Klasse X will preview future of the brand’s SUV line-up, as one of six EVs arriving from 2025
BMW will provide a first look at the future of its SUV line-up on 21 March, when it unveils the new Vision Neue Klasse X concept.
The German brand confirmed the reveal date on social media with a teaser image showing the car’s side profile, revealing it to have a similar silhouette to the current iX.
The concept is expected to closely preview the first of six cars based on BMW’s Neue Klasse EV platform that will arrive from the latter half of 2025.
A bold, five-seat SUV set to succeed the existing iX3, the bold five-seat SUV will pack close to 600bhp in its most potent form.
It will be joined by the radical i3 saloon, which was previewed as the Neue Klasse concept at the Munich show in September.
Unveiling the future of the Sports Activity Vehicle. Mark an X in the calendar, see you on March Collapse
Maserati Grecale Folgore
2 DAYS AGO - Big SUV relinquishes V6 engine as Italian luxury brand initiates electric transition
Electric Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Big SUV relinquishes V6 engine as Italian luxury brand initiates electric transition
Electric cars struggle to excite enthusiasts, so Maserati has used some powerful imagery to sell its inaugural crop of EVs: lightning, or folgore if you’re Italian.The first of them to arrive is the Maserati Grecale Folgore, a large (4.8m-long) SUV that has been on sale here in V6 and four-cylinder turbo petrol forms (and viewed with tempered admiration by Autocar) since 2022.There’s a lot of weight on its broad shoulders, not just because it sets the tone for the Italian luxury brand’s switch to electric power but also because it will be the volume seller – well, at least relative to the impending Maserati Granturismo Folgore coupé and Maserati MC20 Folgore supercar.That might be why, unlike the standard Maserati Grecale, which was very late to the D-segment SUV party, the Grecale Folgore has arrived promptly to fight it out with the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV and the closely related inbound Porsche Collapse
Driving 100 laps of the M25 in the 1999 COTY-winning Ford Focus
2 DAYS AGO - We wanted to do a year’s worth of driving in one week to see how it coped. It excelled
While the Expand
2 DAYS AGO - We wanted to do a year’s worth of driving in one week to see how it coped. It excelled
While the original Ford Focus is now renowned and loved, when it won COTY we gave it a much harder time
When we first announced the Ford Focus as European Car of the Year in our 18 November 1998 issue, would we have predicted, 25 years on, that it would remain the contest’s most significant winner, in our judging panel’s opinion?
Well, we must have had an inkling, because the test that Autocar conceived to welcome Ford’s new wunder-model into the market was as audacious as the Focus was groundbreaking.
Then editor Patrick Fuller tasked the road test team, which I’d recently joined, to take one of the first Focus press cars and accrue as many miles as possible in a week. Perhaps as a joke, some bright spark suggested 100 laps of the M25 – or roughly 12,000 miles.
But after the guffaws subsided, the idea somehow stuck, and thanks to a nicely timed embargo, Autocar was able to run the full story on Collapse
Volkswagen close to final design of £17k ID 1 electric car
3 DAYS AGO - Successor to the VW e-Up is scheduled to go on sale by the end of 2027
Company to decide on one Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Successor to the VW e-Up is scheduled to go on sale by the end of 2027
Company to decide on one of four proposals for the price-leading Renault Twingo rival due in 2027
Volkswagen is set to sign off the final design of the Volkswagen ID 1 imminently, brand chairman Thomas Schäfer has said, with four proposals being debated for the £17,000 entry-level electric car.
Conceived as a replacement for the 11-year-old e-Up, the new model is planned to go on sale across Europe by the end of 2027 at a price equivalent to around £17,000.
Speaking at the company’s annual accounts press conference, Schäfer confirmed Volkswagen will decide within the next few weeks what direction the ID 1 will ultimately take.
“The working title is ID 1 and the vehicle is planned for 2027. We’re in the middle of it all. We know what the car should look like,” he said.
The ID 1 will directly rival the fourth-generation Renault Twingo, which is planned to be launched in 2026 as an electric hatchback with styling Collapse
2025 Skoda Epiq is rugged urban EV for sub-£25,000
3 DAYS AGO - The Epiq name is derived from the ancient Greek word ‘epos’
New entry-level SUV is due on sale Expand
3 DAYS AGO - The Epiq name is derived from the ancient Greek word ‘epos’
New entry-level SUV is due on sale next year at less than £25,000, targeting reborn Renault 4 and Fiat Panda
The next model in Skoda’s electric car offensive is a new entry-level SUV called the Epiq, due on sale next year at less than £25,000.
Revealed in concept form as part of Skoda’s annual press conference, the Epiq is a rugged, 4x4-inspired sibling to the Cupra Raval and Volkswagen ID 2 superminis that will square off with the likes of the next Fiat Panda and reborn Renault 4.
It's the second of six new EVs due from Skoda in the coming years, the first being a compact crossover called the Elroq, which will be closely related to the Volkswagen ID 3 and effectively serve as an electric alternative to the Karoq.
That car will be revealed in production form in the coming months and has been earmarked to receive a sporting vRS version.
Skoda has revealed few details of the Epiq so far, apart from its target price of Collapse
Jaguar F-Pace owners hit with electric power steering fault
3 DAYS AGO - There has been a spate of failures concerning the F-Pace's electric power steering motors
Expand
3 DAYS AGO - There has been a spate of failures concerning the F-Pace's electric power steering motors
JLR's efforts to resolve the crisis at its logistics hub are being severely tested
Just weeks after admitting its new logistics hub has been the cause of thousands of vehicle parts being delayed, JLR's efforts to resolve the crisis are being severely tested by a spate of failures concerning the electric power steering motors fitted to the Jaguar F-Pace.
It was reported last October that as a result of supply issues caused when JLR reconfigured its UK parts supply network from 18 warehouses to one ‘super centre’, 10,000 of the manufacturer's cars were off the road awaiting replacement parts.
In January JLR boss Adrian Mardell claimed the backlog had been reduced to fewer than 2000 parts and the following month said the company was resolving the problem, although cautioned that it would take dealers time to repair affected cars.
“That's going to take a bit more time but the original Collapse
Editor’s letter: Looking ahead to a very different Beijing motor show
3 DAYS AGO - First fully open post-pandemic show since 2019 will reveal the dramatic change that's occurred in Expand
3 DAYS AGO - First fully open post-pandemic show since 2019 will reveal the dramatic change that's occurred in China’s car parc
In just over a month, the global automotive media will return to China en masse for the first time since the pandemic.
The 2024 Beijing motor show is the first to be held truly free of Covid restrictions, and therefore will be the first chance since 2019 for many to appreciate the dramatic change that has occurred in China’s car parc - and to the automotive industry in the world’s largest market.
For starters, the show stands (and the cars on them) from the domestic car makers will have a very different look and feel compared with five years ago. Long gone are the days of copycats and endless dull saloons, which have been replaced with genuinely cutting-edge electric cars.
Over the previous decade, the design and technology of Chinese cars quickly caught up with that of Western cars, and the driving dynamics soon followed suit. The branding of the companies Collapse
Top 10 best supercars 2024
4 DAYS AGO - Exactly how - and where - do our road testers rate the latest mid-engined Ferraris, Lamborghinis Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Exactly how - and where - do our road testers rate the latest mid-engined Ferraris, Lamborghinis and McLarens relative to one other? Read on to find out
Very few cars inspire the kind of instant, childish, gleeful excitement that modern supercars do.
While thirty years ago, powerful mid-engined exotics were much rarer sights on UK roads, today their greater prominence only seems to give them greater reach and impact. You see them more often, but still really notice when you do.
The technical definition of this kind of car has become a little fluid over the last few years, but essentially they aim to combine exotic and singularly purposeful looks, with kidney-crushing performance and physics-testing handling, at a price that shouldn’t mean that only billionaires need apply. This isn’t where you’ll find million-pound hypercars ranked, then; instead, those slightly more accessible dream machines that only cost the price of an average three-bed semi-detached house.
The route to Collapse
Drivers to be affected as M25 section set to close this weekend
4 DAYS AGO - Major route will close to demolish a bridge; diversion set up between Addlestone and Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Major route will close to demolish a bridge; diversion set up between Addlestone and Cobham
Drivers are expected to be affected as a stretch of the M25 will close for for the entire weekend from this Friday.
The closure has led National Highways to set up a main diversion between Addlestone and Cobham, passing through Sheerwater, West Byfleet and Cobham itself.
Drivers have been warned to “only travel if absolutely necessary” during the first of five closures that will happen between now and September.
England's roads authority has urged motorists to make alternative arrangements if they are due to pass through the area during the affected period, with some warning drivers not to follow their sat navs.
Where is the M25 closing this weekend?
With huge delays expected, the five-mile stretch of motorway will be closed in both directions from junction 10 (A3 Wisley) to junction 11 (A320 Chertsey Interchange) from 9pm on Friday, 15 March to 6am on Monday, 18 March.
Is there a Collapse
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First Bentley EV will feature unique distinctive design
19 HRS AGO - The brand's first EV will be one of five; its design details are being finalised
Robin Page Expand
19 HRS AGO - The brand's first EV will be one of five; its design details are being finalised
Robin Page talks to Autocar about 2025-bound EV, as well as future concepts and working with VW
Bentley’s design director of the past five months, Robin Page, can be reasonably described as a Bentley ‘lifer’, even though he was busy designing Volvos for a decade immediately before he took up his current role.
Page worked in Bentley’s Crewe HQ for 17 years of his early career, rising to become head of interior design between 2001 and 2013, the crucial years that produced the seminal Continental GT and launched Bentley into the modern era.
Now Page returns at another vital moment, just as the company gears up to launch, in 2025, the first of five electric models that will make up its model range by 2030.
To complicate matters, Bentley has recently had several design bosses arrive and depart in short order, so this is as much a time for steadiness as high creativity, as he tells Autocar in an exclusive Collapse
On the scene at the M25 closure: did it really cause traffic chaos?
2 DAYS AGO - The M25 is completely closed between junctions 10 and 11
The first daytime closure of part of Expand
2 DAYS AGO - The M25 is completely closed between junctions 10 and 11
The first daytime closure of part of the M25 was set to affect millions of drivers. Our man assesses the fallout
The first-ever planned full closure of a stretch of the M25, Britain’s busiest motorway, this weekend had sparked warnings of traffic chaos. Intrigued to know how south-west London’s infrastructure would cope with the potential chaos, we decided to pay a visit.
On the scene at the M25 diversion: Saturday 16 March
Concorde, the Intercity 125 and the M25 motorway. Three icons of British transportation, but only the latter remains in heavy public use. The plane didn’t last too long beyond the turn of the century, and the train has been relegated to regional use rather than the cross-country routes it was designed to serve. The motorway hasn’t seen a change of use, though - unlike the others, it simply can’t afford to.
Whether you’re heading into the city itself or trying desperately to avoid it, there’s no escaping Collapse
Mazda 2 Hybrid
3 DAYS AGO - When is a Mazda 2 not a Mazda 2? When it's a Mazda 2 Hybrid…
You don’t have to look that hard at Expand
3 DAYS AGO - When is a Mazda 2 not a Mazda 2? When it's a Mazda 2 Hybrid…
You don’t have to look that hard at the new Mazda 2 Hybrid to recognise that it’s not actually a Mazda 2. Sure, it’s a compact, practical, Japanese supermini, but the lines, styling and key details are quite different. Strip away the effort at some fancy dress and it’s very similar, in fact, to the Toyota Yaris.That’s not a coincidence, of course: the Mazda 2 Hybrid is essentially a rebadged Yaris, the product of a partnership between the two Japanese firms – one that, bizarrely, includes a rebadged Mazda 2 being sold as a Toyota Yaris in America. Anyway, there’s no shame in such a deal. It gives Mazda access to proven hybrid technology that, as a relatively small manufacturer, it would be prohibitive to develop in-house, and a model that will help to grow sales of its small cars, while it provides Toyota with a welcome source of income and some extra volume for its production. It just means it risks not being a Collapse
Mercedes Vision EQXX breaks own efficiency record with 8.4mpkWh
3 DAYS AGO - This was the advanced Vision EQXX concept's third epic efficiency test
The concept travelled Expand
3 DAYS AGO - This was the advanced Vision EQXX concept's third epic efficiency test
The concept travelled 627.6 miles across the Arabian Peninsula at an impressive average of 8.4 miles per kWh
The Mercedes Vision EQXX electric car concept has broken its own range and efficiency record, travelling 627.6 miles across the Arabian Peninsula with an impressive efficiency average of 8.4 miles per kWh.
It was the car’s third long-distance road trip, following two previous attempts in Europe, and the second time the sleek sports car has travelled for more than 1000km (621 miles).
This time, the Vision EQXX travelled 1010km (627.58 miles) in 14 hours and 42 minutes (12 hours 45 minutes in motion), at an average speed of 42.6mph (49.3mph in motion).
At the end of the test, the car’s on-board computer claimed a remaining range of 192 miles, indicating a total range of 819 miles. Mercedes says the 8.4mpkWh average is equivalent to 282mpg in a petrol-fuelled vehicle.
The EQXX’s previous drives, from Collapse
Honda and Nissan considering partnership on electric cars
3 DAYS AGO - Japanese giants may join forces to fight off “very aggressive” new competitors
Japanese titans Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Japanese giants may join forces to fight off “very aggressive” new competitors
Japanese titans Honda and Nissan are considering a partnership to reduce the cost of developing electric cars and advanced driver assistance technologies.
The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding and will soon begin investigating areas where they can most effectively cut costs through collaboration. This includes the joint procurement of key components to exploit economies of scale.
They added in a joint statement that any deal will primarily concern EV parts and software platforms and it may “further accelerate efforts toward carbon neutrality and zero traffic-accident fatalities”.
Nissan president and CEO Makoto Uchida said “Honda and Nissan face common challenges” and they “aim to find win-wins for sustainable growth”.
The prospective partnership comes as Japan’s car industry bids to ward off a new breed of fast-moving companies dedicated to electric cars, such as BYD and Collapse
Tesla Model 2 set for production next year as sub-£25k EV
3 DAYS AGO - The Model 2 will be crucial to Tesla's sales growth
EV will use new production process and Expand
3 DAYS AGO - The Model 2 will be crucial to Tesla's sales growth
EV will use new production process and next-gen battery tech; brand claims 700 million in sales for car's lifetime
Tesla’s long-awaited entry-level electric car is finally set to enter production next year, giving the firm a foothold in the increasingly competitive sub-£25k sector.
The ‘Model 2’, as it is known, has been on the cards for years. Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed development was under way as long ago as 2020, but it was not until late last year that the first details began to trickle out and the firm announced plans to start building it in 2025.
Being developed under the codename ‘Project Redwood’, the secretive new model has a crucial role to play in helping Tesla defend its hard-won position among the world’s leading electric car manufacturers, having been knocked off the top spot in the final quarter of 2023 by BYD.
In fact, giving shareholders a forecast for the performance of its future product portfolio last Collapse
Yangwang U8
4 DAYS AGO - The maker of the Seal and the Dolphin produces a car that can actually swim
Don’t you hate it Expand
4 DAYS AGO - The maker of the Seal and the Dolphin produces a car that can actually swim
Don’t you hate it when you take a wrong turn on the way to the office and end up in a lake? Clothes are ruined, car’s ruined, and the people fishing get cross. Well, the Yangwang U8 is here to help, because it can float for 30 minutes and even motor itself out by spinning the wheels. Allegedly.A Yangwhatnow? Yangwang is the prestige brand of BYD, and although there are no official plans to sell it in the Europe yet, the firm’s executives are strongly considering it, and the fact that they’re showing the U8 to a bunch of UK journalists does say something.Yangwang isn’t pronounced the way you might expect it to be, by the way. The ‘ang’ bits sound more like the ‘aww’ you might say to a cute kitten. Still, if you ask representatives whether they’ll actually call it that if it comes to Europe, the reaction varies from “we’re thinking about it” to “probably not”. It means something along the lines of ‘to look up Collapse
UK promises ‘robust measures’ on Chinese EVs
4 DAYS AGO - Chinese car makers can undercut rivals in Europe because their production costs are heavily Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Chinese car makers can undercut rivals in Europe because their production costs are heavily subsidised
Secretary of state for transport Mark Harper said plans revolve around creating a level playing field
The UK will apply “robust measures” to ensure a level playing field for local car makers in the face of increased competition from Chinese EV manufacturers, Mark Harper, secretary of state for transport, told the audience of the SMMT Connected event today.
The pressure has increased on the UK to respond to the EU’s toughened stance on subsidy-backed Chinese car makers. In March, the European Commission said it had evidence to show Chinese EVs were being supported directly by state subsidies following an investigation begun in October into Chinese car prices.
The EU is widely expected to increase tariffs on Chinese EVs later this year from the current 10%, charged by both the EU and the UK. Industry watchers in Brussels expect tariffs to rise to 25%, substantially increasing Collapse
Lancia revives HF name for 237bhp electric hot hatch
4 DAYS AGO - New logo uses the same shade of red as on the 1966 Fulvia Coupé HF
New Ypsilon will form the Expand
4 DAYS AGO - New logo uses the same shade of red as on the 1966 Fulvia Coupé HF
New Ypsilon will form the basis of a rapid EV and a possible return to the World Rally Championship
Lancia has confirmed the legendary HF badge will return next year for an electric hot hatch based on the new Ypsilon.
The Italian brand said the Ypsilon HF will put out 237bhp, suggesting that it will use the same front-mounted motor as sibling brand Abarth’s 600e.
The Ypsilon HF will also get a lower, wider suspension set-up and dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in 5.8sec, Lancia said.
Notably, that is quicker than the last HF-badged Lancia, the second-generation Delta HPE HF, which cracked 62mph in 7.5sec. It is, however, slightly behind the legendary Delta HF Integrale Evo 2, which did the same sprint in 5.7sec.
The new HF badge is a mix of the 1960s original – with the elephant mascot painted in the same shade of red used on the 1966 Fulvia Coupé HF – and that used through the 1990s, with italicised ‘HF’ script.
The Collapse
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Aero testing the new Ariel Atom 4R in Catesby tunnel
1 DAY AGO - Prior and Cropley tested the Atom with a series of sprint runs
Catesby is a 1.7-mile disused Expand
1 DAY AGO - Prior and Cropley tested the Atom with a series of sprint runs
Catesby is a 1.7-mile disused railway tunnel turned aero test facility - we help Ariel get some drag coefficients
If you need convincing that minimising aerodynamic drag is vital in cars, all you need to know is that above about 40mph, a car’s aero load is the main retarding force for its engine to overcome, exceeding stuff like mechanical drag and rolling resistance.
Since most cars can do much more than 40mph, another fact comes starkly into play: that aerodynamic drag rises as the square of speed. Double the speed and you need four times the power. Treble the speed and you need nine times the power.
A car that needs 40bhp to do 40mph needs around 360bhp to do 120mph. No wonder creators of both road and race machinery spend big money to keep drag as low as they can.
Yet even this is elementary stuff. A modern car also needs downforce for high-speed stability and on-rails cornering, plus more subtle diversions of its Collapse
Why UK speed limits are confusing for pick-up drivers
2 DAYS AGO - The Raptor may be seen as a performance car, but 50mph is its limit here
A confusing mess of Expand
2 DAYS AGO - The Raptor may be seen as a performance car, but 50mph is its limit here
A confusing mess of speed limit types leaves some vehicles with an unusual exception - Matt Prior explains
Well, this is a little embarrassing.
When I previously suggested that all drivers should be regularly reminded of their responsibilities on the road, reader Phil Townsend wrote to suggest that I ought not to be overtaking cars doing 60mph on dual carriageways in my Ford Ranger Raptor because its speed limit is also 60mph on such roads, owing to it being a light commercial vehicle.
Light commercial vehicles – vans and so on – have different speed limits to cars, as you may know, and indeed as I knew. They’re the same as cars for speed limits up to 50mph, but as for national speed limit roads, they’re limited to 50mph on single carriageways (not 60mph), 60mph on dual carriageways (not 70mph) and then revert to 70mph on motorways.
There are exceptions to this rule. Car-derived vans, such as the Toyota Collapse
Jaguar I-Pace owners angry as smart charging ability removed
3 DAYS AGO - Manufacturer says limiting third-party access to cars is to "keep clients’ data as safe as Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Manufacturer says limiting third-party access to cars is to "keep clients’ data as safe as possible”
Jaguar I-Pace owners are angry at JLR for abruptly pulling third-party access to its cars, ending the EV's ability to work with smart charging technology.
This means owners will now, in essence, see their energy bills soar, because they will no longer be able to remotely charge their EVs to preset amounts at the most economical times.
Smart energy tariffs such as Intelligent Octopus Go – which can achieve rates equivalent to 2.4p per mile by remotely regulating the car's charge – are no longer compatible with the I-Pace.
Apps for popular chargers such as the PodPoint Solo and Ohme Home Pro, which can also regulate charging times themselves, are also now redundant.
However, JLR said that those who use its recommended Octopus Go tariff are unaffected, as it requires no data access. This differs to Intelligent Octopus Go as it has set times for cheaper pricing and owners are required Collapse
Drivers to be affected as M25 section to close this weekend
3 DAYS AGO - Major route will close to demolish a bridge; diversion set up between Addlestone and Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Major route will close to demolish a bridge; diversion set up between Addlestone and Cobham
Drivers are expected to be affected as a stretch of the M25 will close for for the entire weekend from today.
The closure has led National Highways to set up a main diversion between Addlestone and Cobham, passing through Sheerwater, West Byfleet and Cobham itself.
Drivers have been warned to “only travel if absolutely necessary” during the first of five closures that will happen between now and September.
England's roads authority has urged motorists to make alternative arrangements if they are due to pass through the area during the affected period, with some warning drivers not to follow their sat navs.
Where is the M25 closing this weekend?
With huge delays expected, the five-mile stretch of motorway will be closed in both directions from junction 10 (A3 Wisley) to junction 11 (A320 Chertsey Interchange) from 9pm on Friday, 15 March to 6am on Monday, 18 March.
Is there a Collapse
Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV
3 DAYS AGO - Has S-Class luxury been successfully packaged into a modern-day high-rise EV?
When considering Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Has S-Class luxury been successfully packaged into a modern-day high-rise EV?
When considering the Mercedes EQS SUV, you find yourself wondering about what is a continuing quandary for the ‘legacy’ car manufacturers: how do you maintain your identity when there are no engines to establish it, and when the traditional rules of vehicle design no longer apply in quite the same way as they have done for 100 years?It clearly has an impact on model hierarchies, as they get frantically rejigged and renamed.The Mercedes S-Class is a well-understood concept: a luxury limousine that’s equally suited to being chauffeur- or owner-driven. The electric Mercedes EQS, while impressive in a number of ways, is more of a technical showcase and less of a prestige saloon. Strictly speaking, it is a hatchback and not a saloon at all.As we will find out, the EQS SUV doesn’t follow tradition any more than its hatch-saloon counterpart and is something rather different from the ‘tall electric S-Class’ that Collapse
The seatbelts that adapt to the size and weight of occupants
3 DAYS AGO - ZF tech lets seatbelt adapt better to the person it is protecting
New ZF-developed seatbelt Expand
3 DAYS AGO - ZF tech lets seatbelt adapt better to the person it is protecting
New ZF-developed seatbelt meets tougher safety requirements; more sympathetically manages effect on body
However smart cars are getting at avoiding or reducing the seriousness of accidents, engineers haven’t stopped looking at new ways to improve in-car passive safety too.
ZF recently announced a new prototype seatbelt technology that is due to go into service first with a European car manufacturer in 2025.
Based on a multi-stage load limiter (MSLL), the system adapts the power of its response to the size and weight of the wearer, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
The idea is to manage the effect on a human body more sympathetically as a crash takes its course, from the initial impact through to the point when person meets airbag.
It is designed to meet the tougher requirements of the Vision 2030 plan that safety assessment organisation Euro NCAP published in late 2022.
This called for “occupant Collapse
Electric Range Rover Velar to introduce hands-free driving
4 DAYS AGO - Autocar understands this test car is a prototype for the Velar
Sleek, low-slung Velar EV will Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Autocar understands this test car is a prototype for the Velar
Sleek, low-slung Velar EV will get level-two-plus autonomous capabilities thanks to new Nvidia Drive chip
JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover) will introduce hands-free, eyes-on driving in 2025 with the launch of the first model on the new electric EMA platform, understood to be the replacement for the Range Rover Velar.
Hands-free, eyes-on capability, known in the industry as level two-plus, is the final step towards autonomous driving, where the car fully takes over. Currently only the Ford Mustang Mach-E offers level two-plus in the UK, although BMW is poised to roll out the feature on new models such as the i5.
The capability for greater autonomy comes with JLR’s adoption of US tech specialist Nvidia’s Drive chip and software combination. The new Range Rover model, to be built in Halewood near Liverpool, is the first to use the new tech, a spokesperson told Autocar. They did not, however, confirm that this model is the Collapse
From the archive: coupés galore at a Geneva show to remember
4 DAYS AGO - Left to right: SM, C111, Montreal, Capri, Gremlin, Modulo, Moretti, Hai, Ranger, Garmisch, Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Left to right: SM, C111, Montreal, Capri, Gremlin, Modulo, Moretti, Hai, Ranger, Garmisch, Jarama
From V8 Alfa Romeos to the Citroën SM, we look back at the outstanding 1970 Geneva motor show
After 119 years, the future of the Geneva motor show is uncertain.
At its peak, it hosted more than 1300 firms and 660,000 people. But times have changed, to the great regret of industry figures and enthusiasts.
Let’s cheer ourselves up by looking back at one of the finest Geneva shows: 1970, when ‘electrifying’ referred to the effect of multifarious new V8 coupés on petrolheads.
Usually there’s a standout star of the show, but here it’s impossible to pick. However, “without doubt the most interesting technically”, we said, was the Citroën SM. Yes, a highly innovative, very complex, gorgeous GT with a Maserati V6 engine made by a financially troubled volume brand. Mad.
“Whenever we plan a new car, we like to achieve the impossible,” explained new president Claude-Alain Sarre. “This time, the Collapse
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