So, when you saw the 1995 Audi TT concept coupe for the very first time, did you think ‘wow, that’s very Bauhaus’? Or did you think several other things like, ‘that looks weird, but amazing.’ Or, ‘I want one’. Or perhaps, ‘from the rear, doesn’t the shape of its roof look a little bit like… Continue reading Not quite a classic: Audi TT
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
Smart #5
In many ways, the #5 could not be further removed from the snack-sized Smart cars of yore, but its designers claim to have taken inspiration from the Fortwo’s innovative packaging – loftily referred to as the ‘body space index’ – to maximise roominess. And so it proves: with the wheels pushed right to the corners… Continue reading Smart #5
UK government set to raise £40k ‘luxury car tax’ threshold for EVs
The UK government is considering raising the ‘luxury car tax‘ threshold for electric cars in a bid to drive uptake. Currently, the Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) applies to all cars – including EVs as of 1 April 2025 – priced above £40,000, adding £425 annually in additional vehicle excise duty (VED) from years two to six after… Continue reading UK government set to raise £40k ‘luxury car tax’ threshold for EVs
BYD Dolphin Surf
The few previous attempts at an affordable A-segment EV have produced acceptable enough but rather cheap-feeling results in the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03. The Surf is intended to feel entirely like a ‘proper’ car while being no more expensive than those rivals. As such, it’s based on the same e-Platform 3.0 that underpins the… Continue reading BYD Dolphin Surf
Testing ramps up ahead of Porsche Cayman EV’s 2026 launch
Porsche is stepping up testing of its 718 Cayman EV as it readies its first electric sports cars for next year. Autocar understands the German car maker will pull the covers off the 718 Boxster EV roadster first, with the Cayman coupé due to be shown, as with previous model generations, six months after that.… Continue reading Testing ramps up ahead of Porsche Cayman EV’s 2026 launch
After the relief, UK car industry anxiously awaits US tariff details
The relief that followed the government’s announcement that the UK was first to agree a deal with the US to lower the worst of president Donald Trump’s tariff hikes on imported cars has been tempered by concern in the industry that the details are still hazy. The so-called US-UK economic prosperity deal agreed that the tariffs… Continue reading After the relief, UK car industry anxiously awaits US tariff details
Nissan has “all the ingredients to be a big winner” in EV race – new boss Taylor
New Nissan UK managing director James Taylor wants the firm to adopt a “mindset of growth” as it prepares for a big product push in volume segments over the next two years. Taylor, who has only been in position for a matter of days since exiting the MD role at Vauxhall, was speaking at a… Continue reading Nissan has “all the ingredients to be a big winner” in EV race – new boss Taylor
Official reveal: Nissan Micra reinvented as Renault 5 twin
Described as “audacious, assertive and funky”, the new look takes inspiration from the bulbous Mk3 Micra of 2002, especially for its circular daytime-running lights at both ends. Cho added that “it was tough” when his designers were tasked with creating something that would differ visually from the “already good-looking” 5, especially given the fixed underpinnings.… Continue reading Official reveal: Nissan Micra reinvented as Renault 5 twin
New Lexus ES may be sold in UK exclusively with electric power
The Lexus ES is returning in eighth-generation form as a rival to the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series – but, unlike its German competition, it could do away with petrol power entirely in the UK. In Western Europe, the ES will be offered with a 199bhp hybrid powertrain as well as two battery-electric options. However,… Continue reading New Lexus ES may be sold in UK exclusively with electric power
Inside the firm that builds Batmobiles and portable EV chargers
A flatbed truck carrying two severely damaged vehicles rolls slowly by as we stand chatting on a concrete apron outside the headquarters of Fellten, an EV technology company based in Yate, near Bristol. Your first impression might be that these sorry vehicles have come to their last resting place, but not so. Instead, they’re beginning a… Continue reading Inside the firm that builds Batmobiles and portable EV chargers