When McLaren Automotive chief design officer Tobias Sühlmann is looking for inspiration, he doesn’t have to go far to find it: he just needs to go out for a sandwich. “Every day when I go for lunch, I walk along this boulevard and suck in the history of the brand, and that’s something we need… Continue reading How McLaren’s designs will change for the future
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
When will cars stop looking so angry?
I wonder if the mock diffuser at the back of the new Kia Picanto will make it look so sporty and fast that it’ll stop it being tailgated on motorways, as is the fate of so many small cars. And will its newly beefed-up front end shoo slowcoaches from the outside lane in a way… Continue reading When will cars stop looking so angry?
Ultimate GT? 820 miles in 12 hours with the Bentley Continental
It’s not an easy balance to strike, but get it right and what the driver receives is a heady blend of restorative comfort and energising involvement. It’s like listening to Dark Side of the Moon on a £20k hi-fi. Not everyone perfects this, or even attempts to. Front-engined Ferraris are too…competizione. Modern Aston Martins get closer… Continue reading Ultimate GT? 820 miles in 12 hours with the Bentley Continental
Mercedes-AMG CLE 63 switches four-pot PHEV for 585bhp V8
The upcoming Mercedes-AMG CLE 63 will receive a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine developing up to 585bhp, senior officials at the division’s Mercedes-Benz parent company have confirmed. The decision reverses an earlier plan to give the hot new coupé and cabriolet the same 670bhp plug-in hybrid drivetrain as the latest C63 and GLC 63, due… Continue reading Mercedes-AMG CLE 63 switches four-pot PHEV for 585bhp V8
Alpine reveals hydrogen-combustion sports car with 335bhp
Alpine has unveiled the Alpenglow Hy4, a hydrogen-combustion supercar that will be used to develop the technology for future road and track cars. An evolution of the Alpenglow concept shown two years ago, it tomorrow makes its dynamic debut at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium as a showcase of the performance potential of the emerging technology. It is powered… Continue reading Alpine reveals hydrogen-combustion sports car with 335bhp
From the archive: fighting crime in morse code and recording on wax
We take for granted these days that communications will be easy, instant and possible everywhere. Indeed, almost everything in the modern world relies on it being so: just see what happens when the wi-fi drops in an office. It’s therefore fascinating to see how complex such simple things used to be. Imagine you park your… Continue reading From the archive: fighting crime in morse code and recording on wax
Editor’s letter: Chinese car firms are taking back control from western rivals
Piece by piece, western brands have seen their perceived advantages over Chinese car companies eroded. As was evident at the recent Beijing motor show, several Chinese car companies are now there or thereabouts with quality cars with international appeal yet that key issue of the quality and appeal of the brands and branding is very… Continue reading Editor’s letter: Chinese car firms are taking back control from western rivals
Volkswagen will retire GTX name to make way for hot GTI and R EVs
Volkswagen will retire its GTX branding for sporting EVs to make way for its first electric GTI and R models. The GTX badge was first used for warmed-up, range-topping versions of the Volkswagen ID 4 and ID 5 SUVs in 2021, and has since been extended across the wider ID family, with more potent GTX… Continue reading Volkswagen will retire GTX name to make way for hot GTI and R EVs
How software can detect loose wheels on cars and trucks
Wheels falling off vehicles may not be the first thing that springs to mind when it comes to road safety, but it does happen, and it’s well documented. A two-phase project carried out by The Transport Road Laboratory between 2006 and 2010 established that every year in that period, there were between 7500 and 10,000… Continue reading How software can detect loose wheels on cars and trucks
Seat confirms plans to launch €20k electric car below Cupra
The Seat brand will live on in the future with a lower-cost electric car positioned below the Cupra range. Seat and Cupra boss Wayne Griffiths sought to put an end to speculation about the future of the Seat brand once and for all by confirming the likelihood of such a model in the future. That… Continue reading Seat confirms plans to launch €20k electric car below Cupra