Renault has revived the Estafette as a high-tech, city-focused load-lugger called the ZFlexEVan. The new concept previews the debut model from the French company’s tie-up with Volvo Trucks, called Flexis, and it has been designed to stand out from the aggressive-looking diesel vans on the market. It inherits its twin round headlights and soft curves from the Estafette, which – combined with… Continue reading Renault Estafette reborn as futuristic van for cities
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
Kia plots Picanto, Stinger GT successors to bookend EV line-up
Kia is planning to bookend its range of EVs, with an entry-level city car and a new halo model under consideration. The Korean brand has trademarked names from EV1 to EV9 for a range of models, and while it has confirmed that an EV2 will sit below the new EV3, the prospect of an EV1… Continue reading Kia plots Picanto, Stinger GT successors to bookend EV line-up
Rising star: we go for a ride in Polestar’s new electric boat
Each C-Pod contains a pair of electric motors, driving a pair of contra-rotating propellers with a total of 67bhp. That’s more efficient than a single motor. At higher speeds, the pressure in the flow around a large propeller creates a vacuum that adds noise and inefficiency. There’s also a lot of computing power packed into… Continue reading Rising star: we go for a ride in Polestar’s new electric boat
Why a classic Land Rover Defender can cost £7k or £230k
What a month for Land Rover Defender residuals, with the announcement of not one but two restoration-and-modification specials. I also see that we’re deep into territory that I predicted (go me) in 2016, when I thought that within a few years, old Defenders would be rebranded as Defender Classics. I was partly right: it seems to… Continue reading Why a classic Land Rover Defender can cost £7k or £230k
When Mercedes made world-beating rally cars
Apart from that, the trip over the Atlas mountains was uneventful, if not for the heavy traffic that had churned up the road while carrying equipment to the French atomic research base (a year prior, scientists had tested a nuclear bomb at a still-classified location, releasing four times the energy of the bomb dropped on… Continue reading When Mercedes made world-beating rally cars
Former Polestar design chief moves to BMW to oversee Alpina
Former Polestar design boss Maximilian Missoni has joined BMW to lead design for Alpina as it begins life under full BMW ownership. Arriving as part of a wide-reaching shake-up of design teams at the BMW Group, Missoni will also oversee the design of upper mid-size and luxury-class BMW models. Other notable moves at the German firm include… Continue reading Former Polestar design chief moves to BMW to oversee Alpina
BMW design boss Domagoj Dukec takes over at Rolls-Royce
Domagoj Dukec is moving from BMW to Rolls-Royce to take over as director of design from Anders Warming, as part of a dramatic overhaul of the BMW Group’s design operations. Warming has steered Rolls-Royce’s design department for three years, having previously worked under Chris Bangle at BMW and then been appointed chief of design at Mini. Cars… Continue reading BMW design boss Domagoj Dukec takes over at Rolls-Royce
Peugeot 3008 gains 53-mile plug-in hybrid for £40,650
Peugeot has added a plug-in hybrid to the range of powertrains available in the new 3008 SUV. It pairs an updated version of the turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine offered in the previous 3008 with a 123bhp electric motor, which is integrated into a seven-speed automatic gearbox. Combined, they put out 192bhp and 258lb ft of torque.… Continue reading Peugeot 3008 gains 53-mile plug-in hybrid for £40,650
Fiat 500e production paused due to sales slump
Production of the Fiat 500e will be paused for a month from 13 September, due to low demand. Fiat parent firm Stellantis said in a statement that the slump in sales is “linked to the deep difficulties experienced in the European [EV] market by all producers”. According to figures from Jato Dynamics, Fiat sold 74,885… Continue reading Fiat 500e production paused due to sales slump
Genesis to enter top-flight endurance racing
Hyundai has announced that premium spin-off Genesis will enter top-flight endurance racing. It said in a statement that it will develop a car according to the LMDh ruleset, which requires competitors to use a greater number of off-the-shelf components than the alternative Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) specification. The chassis, for example, must be sourced from… Continue reading Genesis to enter top-flight endurance racing