Author: Autocar Magazine UK

Audi A3 facelift brings new interior and ramped up S3

The Audi A3 has followed its Volkswagen Golf and Skoda Octavia platformmates in receiving a wide-reaching refresh for 2024, with a fresh interior, trick new lights and a more powerful S3 among the headlines. Offered in the UK in both Sportback and saloon forms, the revamped A3 will initially go on sale with a choice… Continue reading Audi A3 facelift brings new interior and ramped up S3

Wild Porsche Taycan Turbo GT boosted to 1093bhp

At California’s Laguna Seca raceway, the Turbo GT managed a lap time of 1min 27.87sec, only just trailing the 1min 26.75sec set by Tesla tuner Unplugged Performance’s radically overhauled Model S Plaid, which ran on non-road-legal Yokohama tyres.  Kevin Giek, who heads up development of all Taycan models, told Autocar that the Turbo GT was… Continue reading Wild Porsche Taycan Turbo GT boosted to 1093bhp

Volkswagen ID 3 GTX due imminently as electric Golf GTI alternative

Volkswagen has confirmed it will unveil a hot ‘GTX’ version of the ID 3 imminently, posting a teaser video of the new model to social media. The electric hot hatchback builds on plans first aired by Volkswagen with the unveiling of the smaller ID GTI concept at the Munich motor show in September last year, with… Continue reading Volkswagen ID 3 GTX due imminently as electric Golf GTI alternative

Skoda set to unveil £21,000 small electric SUV on Friday

Skoda is set to unveil a new entry-level electric car, which is expected to be twinned with the forthcoming Cupra Raval and Volkswagen ID 2 supermini EVs.  The Czech brand has confirmed on social media that it will show a new concept car at its annual press conference this Friday and previewed it in a short… Continue reading Skoda set to unveil £21,000 small electric SUV on Friday

Rolls-Royce primes Series 2 Ghost with V12 power

Rolls-Royce is gearing up for the launch of the Series 2 Ghost saloon, which is set to be one of its final V12-powered production cars. Former CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös confirmed in February 2023 that Rolls-Royce would go electric-only in 2030 and that all of its brand-new models would be EVs. However, the upgraded Series 2 versions of Goodwood’s existing cars – the… Continue reading Rolls-Royce primes Series 2 Ghost with V12 power

Mercedes-AMG E53 returns as hot 603bhp PHEV

The Mercedes-AMG E 53 has been revived as a hot plug-in hybrid with an aggressive new look, a wide-reaching chassis makeover and as much power as the old V8-powered E 63. The hot four-wheel-drive E-Class, introduced in 2016 to sit below the range-topping E 63 super-saloon, keeps its 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged straight six but receives a… Continue reading Mercedes-AMG E53 returns as hot 603bhp PHEV

Agency model under scrutiny after JLR’s U-turn

JLR’s decision to cancel its planned move to the so-called agency model of direct selling to customers is the clearest sign yet that car makers are rethinking their shake-up of their distribution system amid a return to discounting. Car makers that have pushed back their announced agency switchover include Mini, which reportedly moved its planned UK… Continue reading Agency model under scrutiny after JLR’s U-turn

Movie star cars: How much is product placement worth to makers?

“Manufacturers will do some pre-release awareness-raising – whether print media, online, digital or heavily targeted towards the customer database – for three weeks before the movie release and several weeks afterwards. “This often goes through a specialist agency like ours. We get the scripts, then go to clients and explain the opportunity. Manufacturers and production… Continue reading Movie star cars: How much is product placement worth to makers?

Posh rental cars: do you really get more for your money?

Think rental car and ranks of mainstream hatchbacks spring to mind – vanilla vehicles for that quick business trip or short break and, when finished with, discarded like a spent coffee cup. Not all rental cars are the same, however. In addition to the Kia Picantos, Nissan Qashqais and the rest, some of the major… Continue reading Posh rental cars: do you really get more for your money?