The updated Kia Sportage will arrive in UK showrooms this summer, priced from £30,885. One of the UK’s best-selling cars, the crossover has been reworked to bring its styling into line with its newer stablemates, such as the Picanto, Sorento and electric EV3. The new treatment comprises column-like headlights and a blockier grille up front,… Continue reading New Kia Sportage offers 236bhp hybrid for £34,425
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
New Kia EV4 hatchback brings 388-mile range for £37,695
The new Kia EV4 hatchback will be priced from £34,695 when the first examples land in the UK this autumn. Little changed from the concept shown in 2023, the EV4 shares its underpinnings with the smaller EV3 hatchback. The EV4 will be offered with both hatchback and saloon bodies, with the former roughly as large… Continue reading New Kia EV4 hatchback brings 388-mile range for £37,695
Renault-backed van start-up reveals new logo
Flexis, the electric van joint venture backed by Renault, Volvo Trucks and French logistics firm CMA CGM, has revealed its new logo. An angled ‘F’ resembling a building plan, the company said the new symbol represents its commitment to “city-positive logistics”. It features prominently on the start-up’s three vans, replacing the wordmark that was previously fitted on their front fascias.… Continue reading Renault-backed van start-up reveals new logo
Audi F1 team opens new base at Bicester Motion
Sauber Motorsport, the firm that will run the new Audi Formula 1 team from 2026, has opened a new base at Bicester Motion. The new technology centre in Oxfordshire will support the work of the team’s headquarters in Hinwil, Switzerland, helping with preparations for the 2026 season. The firms cited access to the talent pool in the… Continue reading Audi F1 team opens new base at Bicester Motion
From Renault 5 to Panda: How François Leboine saved small cars
That is some achievement for a budget car, and Leboine admits “it was a big fight”, although he notes that “everything” was a fight: “We had to push for the lowest cost possible, but we had to defend what we thought was necessary to make this a Grande Panda.” Given that it has no function… Continue reading From Renault 5 to Panda: How François Leboine saved small cars
Skoda Epiq breaks cover as testing of £25k EV ramps up
Testing is beginning to ramp up for Skoda’s new entry-level EV ahead of its arrival in the middle of next year. Set to be priced under £25,000, the Epiq will sit below the new Elroq in the Czech firm’s line-up. It will use the Volkswagen Group’s new MEB Entry EV platform and be a sibling to… Continue reading Skoda Epiq breaks cover as testing of £25k EV ramps up
Hyundai to reveal new electric crossover in the “next few months”
Hyundai will reveal a electric crossover, likely an electric alternative to the Bayon, in “the next few months” as it pushes to expand its EV offerings. Understood by Autocar to be twinned with sibling brand Kia’s incoming EV2, the crossover will plug the gap between the incoming Inster and the Kona Electric. This size, thought to be near to… Continue reading Hyundai to reveal new electric crossover in the “next few months”
Volkswagen Multivan and California gain four-wheel-drive PHEV
The Volkswagen Multivan and its camper van counterpart the California have gained the four-wheel drive with the introduction of a new plug-in-hybrid powertrain. Priced from £54,525 in the Multivan and £71,295 in the California, the new system comprises a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, a six-speed automatic gearbox and two electric motors (one per axle). They… Continue reading Volkswagen Multivan and California gain four-wheel-drive PHEV
Women feel unwelcome and patronised at car showrooms
The motor trade isn’t doing enough to make women feel welcome when they’re buying a car, according to new research. In 2023, almost 17 million women held a UK driving licence, compared with almost 18 million men, and many women buy their own car or are responsible for a shared purchase of one. Yet in… Continue reading Women feel unwelcome and patronised at car showrooms
Mercedes-AMG to simulate gearboxes in ’emotional’ EVs
Mercedes-AMG will simulate internal-combustion powertrains in its upcoming EVs in a bid to hit the “emotional” benchmarks set by its previous V8- and V12-powered sports cars. Speaking to Autocar at the launch of the AMG Concept GT XX, Mercedes-Benz Group tech chief Markus Schäfer suggested that the brand could go as far as simulating gearchanges… Continue reading Mercedes-AMG to simulate gearboxes in ’emotional’ EVs