Author: Autocar Magazine UK

You can sleep in Xpeng’s new EV – but should you?

Have you ever noticed that there are regional market trends for seat adjustment mechanisms? I never had, until a wise colleague some years ago pointed one out. “Japanese and Korean cars very often have lever-style adjusters for seat recline,” he said, “whereas European and American cars [those without motorised seats, at least] tend to have… Continue reading You can sleep in Xpeng’s new EV – but should you?

What we learned after 3000 miles in a £70,000 Lexus RX PHEV

Rather bluff nose aside, this is a good-looking car to my eyes, with the neatly resolved rear in particular a big step forward over the slightly ungainly old RX. And it’s made all the more handsome by the sharp F-Sport Design addenda, which brings us full circle, back to the subject of driver appeal. This… Continue reading What we learned after 3000 miles in a £70,000 Lexus RX PHEV

Get your kicks on Route 66: why American road trips rule

The US is so big that you tend to default to jumping on a plane for any intercity journey. Indeed, the Google Maps journey planner in North America treats plane journeys the same way as it does train journeys here. For example: Phoenix, Arizona, to San Diego, California, is given as a 1hr 25min flight for… Continue reading Get your kicks on Route 66: why American road trips rule

Affalterbach battle: Can a CLE 53 keep up with a CLK Black Series?

There was extra bracing in the engine bay and swathes of carbonfibre just about everywhere – even across the chasm left empty by its absent rear seats. Yet its kerb weight matched its base car, despite a bank of blanked-out switches; there’s not even a parking sensor to be found, somewhat terrifyingly, given the car’s… Continue reading Affalterbach battle: Can a CLE 53 keep up with a CLK Black Series?

MWIC Bonus Episode 2: Autocar meets Bentley CEO Frank Walliser

In this bonus podcast episode, Autocar’s Editor-in-chief, Steve Cropley, meets Bentley CEO Frank Walliser, who previously enjoyed a long spell at Porsche, about all things Bentley – and how he won’t try to turn it into making cars that are too sporty. Make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast. Subscribe to our podcasts via Apple… Continue reading MWIC Bonus Episode 2: Autocar meets Bentley CEO Frank Walliser

Volkswagen ID 4

The ID 4’s interior shares many hallmarks with the other cars in the ID range. That of the Volkswagen Golf loosely inspires the dashboard topography but, as with the ID 3, the cockpit is even more minimalistic. The conspicuous lack of buttons and switches might even seem quite shocking to someone coming from, say, a… Continue reading Volkswagen ID 4

Why China won’t come to the aid of European car manufacturing

One analyst on the Volkswagen Group’s annual results call this week hopefully put it to CEO Oliver Blume that Volkswagen might want to partner with a Chinese firm to build the ID 1 small EV locally. Maybe MG parent SAIC, a long-time partner of Volkswagen in China, which is looking to build cars in Europe. The… Continue reading Why China won’t come to the aid of European car manufacturing

BMW to launch 40 new or updated models by 2028

BMW is set to go on a massive product offensive, launching 40 models in the next three years. Announced by CEO Oliver Zipse during the brand’s annual results conference, the launches will be either new models or updates to current cars. At least two of these will be its first Neue Klasse models. The first will… Continue reading BMW to launch 40 new or updated models by 2028

Bold new 2026 BMW iX3 confirmed for September reveal

The next era of BMW will arrive in September, with the first Neue Klasse electric car, iX3 SUV, confirmed to be revealed at the Munich motor show. Previewed last year by the bold Neue Klasse Vision X concept (below), the second-generation iX3 will be the first of BMW’s new family of EVs, riding on the Gen6 platform, which promises significant improvements in range,… Continue reading Bold new 2026 BMW iX3 confirmed for September reveal