Author: Autocar Magazine UK

BMW X3

The X3’s driving environment looks and feels quite different than it used to. You sit only medium-high, in a comfortable and widely adjustable seat, but in front of one of BMW’s latest-generation ‘curved display’ instrumentation and multimedia consoles, which brings a big extra hit of widescreen digital tech appeal. This uses BMW’s latest Operating System… Continue reading BMW X3

First STLA Small car “on track” for 2026 launch, says Tavares

Stellantis is “on track” to launch its first STLA Small-based car in 2026, with the platform to underpin vehicles made specifically for the European market, boss Carlos Tavares has confirmed. The platform itself will be unveiled between late 2025 and early 2026, he told reporters. It will be crucial in underpinning the group’s next generation of small cars ranging from the A-segment… Continue reading First STLA Small car “on track” for 2026 launch, says Tavares

Reborn Renault 5 undercuts rivals with £22,995 starting price

Interior  The 5’s interior melds the clean-cut styling of the Mégane with a brutalistic look inspired by the classic 5 Turbo. The 10.0in instrument and infotainment screens are encased in chunky plastic shrouds designed to recall the homologation special’s analogue gauges, while the seats feature thick, corduroy-style padded inserts. The dashboard, too, is inspired by the… Continue reading Reborn Renault 5 undercuts rivals with £22,995 starting price

Dealers’ margins squeezed by EV shift, greater consumer protection

Dealers are facing a profit-margin squeeze from the double whammy of the transition to EVs threatening their lucrative aftersales business and a legal clampdown curtailing profitable commissions for selling finance and insurance (F&I). Dealers rely on both aftersales and F&I to generate income to supplement the much lower-margin business of actually selling new cars. Dealer group Vertu… Continue reading Dealers’ margins squeezed by EV shift, greater consumer protection

Audi A1

While Audi has made an effort to differentiate the A1’s cabin from that of its Volkswagen Polo and Seat Ibiza cousins by employing a slightly more tasteful palette of trim materials and switchgear, that relationship hasn’t been entirely masked. Sure, it might exude more in the way of immediate opulence on first acquaintance, but closer… Continue reading Audi A1

Jaguar’s scrapped electric XJ pictured in production spec for first time

Pictures have surfaced of an almost production-ready version of Jaguar’s electric XJ, the car that was tipped to lead the brand’s electric reinvention before it was scrapped in 2021. The electric XJ was first previewed by the brand in 2019 and was spotted several times road testing in the advanced stages of its development. But… Continue reading Jaguar’s scrapped electric XJ pictured in production spec for first time

Are we at the top of the supercar S-curve?

So McLaren has launched not simply a new flagship supercar but, in its own words, “the real supercar”. A supercar created with a “World Championship mindset”; “multiple patents filed”.  It’s a punchy press release, the copywriters at the MTC mothership understandably milking the chance to go as big as they damn well please. The W1… Continue reading Are we at the top of the supercar S-curve?

Abarth won’t launch another combustion model

Abarth won’t produce any more pure-combustion cars, focusing instead on electric cars, its European boss has told Autocar.  The brand last year launched its first EV with the 500e, and recently its second, the larger 600e, while the petrol 595 and 695 were taken off sale in August. Citing increasingly strict emissions rules, European head of Fiat and Abarth… Continue reading Abarth won’t launch another combustion model

New Mercedes CLA gets 1.5-litre petrol with diesel-level efficiency

The new Mercedes-Benz CLA will be revealed in the coming months with the choice of two battery-electric powertrains or an all-new petrol engine that promises diesel levels of efficiency. The first car on Mercedes‘s new MMA platform has been engineered as an EV first, with heavy technical and design influence from the record-breaking EQXX concept,… Continue reading New Mercedes CLA gets 1.5-litre petrol with diesel-level efficiency