1 DAY AGO - Citroën C4 successor, here imagined by Autocar, will take inspiration from the Oli concept “No limits” to scaling up Smart Car architecture, boss says, as bigger cars “don’t need to be full of technology” Citroën is open to using its new low-cost Smart Car platform for larger models as it seeks to bring down the cost of new cars in a fightback against them being laden with unnecessary technology.   CEO Thierry Koskas told Autocar in a press conference following the new Citroën C3’s nomination to the Car of the Year 2025 shortlist that the rising costs of new cars would mean buyers of larger models would also look to benefit from cost reductions that the brand is bringing to the supermini segment with the C3’s new Smart Car platform.  He said there are “no limits” to scaling up the Smart Car platform to be used in C-segment models [C4-sized] in the future and this is a “direction we would like to explore”. “What we’ve said about the B-segment [C3-sized] and the need for essential Collapse

2 DAYS AGO - The SUV concept (right) will be showcased at CES alongside the Saloon prototype… The SUV is one of seven planned 0 Series models set to arrive before the end of the decade A prototype of the Honda 0 Series SUV will be unveiled next month ahead of production starting in 2026. To be showcased alongside the previously revealed Honda 0 Series Saloon prototype at CES in Las Vegas, the SUV is the second of seven planned 0 Series models that will arrive before the end of the decade. These futuristic-looking new-era Honda EVs will all sit on a new bespoke platform developed from a clean sheet of paper.  The first to arrive will be the saloon, which will offer around 482bhp and a range of more than 300 miles.  This will be followed in 2026 by the production version of the new SUV prototype, which is expected to be what Honda calls its mid-sized SUV. A smaller entry-level SUV and a larger range-topping SUV will join the line up shortly after. By the end of the decade, a compact SUV, a small Collapse

2 DAYS AGO - C-Class EV, pictured, is due around 2026 – but won't replace the combustion-engined version New MB.EA platform will bring battery-electric options for Mercedes' big-selling exec and its SUV twin As Mercedes-AMG launches AMG.EA as its breakthrough electric architecture, Mercedes-Benz will follow suit with MB.EA, a platform that has been called the “backbone” of the brand’s future electric line-up. MB.EA will underpin the C-Class’s move to electric power from 2026, along with its GLC sibling, which is currently the firm’s best-selling model. Based on the platform’s Medium variant, the new C-Class and GLC will slot into the brand’s line-up between the new CLA and the EQE to rival BMW’s upcoming Neue Klasse 3 Series and Tesla’s Model 3. With Mercedes heavily developing the efficiency of the next CLA to achieve upwards of 5.0mpkWh and ranges north of 400 miles, it is expected that the C-Class will match or better these figures. Power is also likely to exceed the predicted 375bhp of the Collapse

2 DAYS AGO - Wide-reaching merger would create a company selling more than seven million cars per year The reported merger talks between Honda and Nissan could divide the Japanese car-making industry into two powerful entities. Neither Honda nor Nissan has confirmed plans for a merger, first reported on 17 December by the Japanese newspaper Nikkei. However, the pair agreed to work together on software and EVs in August. A merger would create an automotive force with sales of more than seven million cars annually, based on last year’s figures for both companies. That would have the new company vying for third place in the global automotive sales charts, along with Hyundai Group, which last year sold 7.3 million cars. Mitsubishi could also join the new company, according to Nikkei, adding another million sales and taking the combined entity closer to the Volkswagen Group. Japan is already home to the world's biggest car maker in Toyota, which sold 11.2 million cars last year. It also owns Daihatsu Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - MG sibling brand IM's L6 saloon can be had with a range-boosting semi-solid-state battery Lighter battery tech is finally edging closer towards production after years of delays Solid-state batteries have long been touted as the technological breakthrough that electric car makers are striving to bring to market. Finally, it looks like 2025 could mark a crucial step on the technology's path to becoming ready for production. These next-generation batteries are regarded as a holy grail for EVs because they offer greater capacity and more range than similar-sized lithium ion packs used today. Those batteries are composed of an anode and a cathode at opposite ends of the cell, with a physical ‘separator’ preventing them from touching, and a gel-like liquid in the middle. In a solid-state battery, the make-up is simplified. The liquid is replaced by a solid block, which is lighter than its counterpart and can carry more energy within the same capacity. The solid element is also less Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - New Prelude will be based on the Civic, serving as a halo car for Honda's electrified tech Revived sports coupé will be launched in 2026 with new S+ Shift system and hybrid powertrain The new Honda Prelude hybrid coupé will feature a unique simulated gearbox when it is launched in 2026 as part of an effort to ensure it offers driving thrills. The Japanese firm will revive the long-running model after a gap of more than 20 years – and the new version is set to serve as a halo product for its electrified technologies. The new Prelude will be based on the Civic and have a 2.0-litre powertrain that uses Honda's e:HEV hybrid system. The complex set-up of that system effectively prohibits a manual transmission being fitted – so Honda will instead introduce a new S+ Shift system. Honda says the new system will "simulate the sound and feel of quick automatic gearchanges". Hans De Jaeger, the firm's Europe senior-vice president, said this will  "not only deliver exceptional efficiency, but Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - The BMW X1 compromises ride comfort for a sportier drive, quite unlike the cars that built the brand's reputation Are mainstream BMWs getting sportier, or am I just getting older? I pondered this a little warily the other day, as a road tester accelerating into middle age a little like a hastily parked supermarket grocery delivery van with its handbrake left off. It's a thought that came to mind after I recently drove a fourth-generation BMW X3. This car has had the kind of renovation you might expect from BMW at the moment, as the company shovels money at its Neue Klasse electric car platform while simultaneously trying to keep its combustion-engined models competitive. Technically, it isn’t very new. The plug-in hybrid version gets a bit more electric range; the range-topping M Performance version gets a bit more power. But the car’s dimensions have changed little. Mostly, it leans on fresh exterior styling, BMW’s latest networked infotainment tech and a new cabin design to lure Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - For the first three quarters of 2024, the VW Group was China's most prolific seller of PHEVs Plug-in hybrid ‘compliance cars’ are generally too expensive for retail customers, but China is working to change that Strong demand in China could prove the saviour of the plug-in hybrid globally as the ‘bridge to EV’ technology stumbles at legislative hurdles in the UK and Europe. Chinese makers now dominate the global PHEV market after sales rapidly grew this year, topped by BYD. “Initially of European origin, PHEV technology has gradually become a Chinese specialty,” automotive analyst Inovev said in a new report revealing the extent of the Chinese dominance. Having grown the market so far this year in China, brands such as BYD, SAIC's MG, Geely's Lynk&Co and Chery’s Jaecoo are now targeting Europe with PHEVs that significantly undercut equivalents from established global car makers, providing that crucial element of affordability that the tech has so far lacked. Lower prices are Collapse

5 DAYS AGO - The Seat Ibiza is good-looking and spacious supermini – is it time to buy a used example? The Seat Ibiza of 2008-2017 was far more than a Volkswagen Polo in a fancy outfit: it balanced refinement, spaciousness, performance and style to make it a front-runner in the dog-eat-dog supermini class.The fourth-generation Ibiza ushered in an entirely new design language for Seat, being the first model sketched under the direction of Luc Donckerwolke, the man behind the Lamborghini Murciélago and Gallardo.It was far more stylish than its bug-eyed predecessor. Sharp lines and an aggressive-looking front end endowed the Mk4 Ibiza with sufficient kerb appeal to rival the Ford Fiesta – and for a car that landed 16 years ago, it still looks contemporary today.Riding on the Volkswagen Group’s modular PQ25 platform – which also underpinned the Polo and Audi A1 – the Mk4 Ibiza was 99mm longer than the car it replaced, to the benefit of interior space and practicality.You could fit three adults Collapse