“My wife and I had just learned we were going to have a baby, so I’d swapped my much-loved Fiat Barchetta for a four-seater, a ratty old Porsche 911 SC that was permanently in danger of exploding. But I drove it to meet Jeremy [Clarkson] and Andy Wilman, the TG producer. They saw it and… Continue reading Richard Hammond on classic cars, TV, and the future of EVs
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
Large Stellantis EVs to get 500-mile range and Hellcat power
Stellantis has revealed a new electric car platform that will accommodate batteries big enough for 500 miles of range and “extreme” powertrains with more grunt than a Hellcat V8. The new STLA Large platform is related to the STLA Medium platform, which is designed for EVs measuring between 4.7 and 4.9 metres long and recently made its production debut under… Continue reading Large Stellantis EVs to get 500-mile range and Hellcat power
Mercedes-AMG readies electric CLA 45 with 500bhp
Mercedes-AMG is developing a hot version of the new third-generation CLA, due in 2025 as an electric alternative to the fearsome CLA 45. A disguised prototype of the new AMG model caught testing in northern Sweden this week reveals several changes over the standard car. As well as uprated brakes behind AMG sports wheels, this early… Continue reading Mercedes-AMG readies electric CLA 45 with 500bhp
Mercedes-Benz to launch electric-only ‘little G’ SUV in 2026
A smaller version of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class will be electric-only when it launches later in the decade. The model will be developed by Mercedes’ new specialist G division as the third model in an expanded G range, after the upcoming Mercedes EQG. Mercedes technical chief Markus Schäfer confirmed the powertrain plans to Autocar at the recent CES in… Continue reading Mercedes-Benz to launch electric-only ‘little G’ SUV in 2026
Porsche 911 Dakar
In terms of top speed, you have to wind the clock back 41 years to the 1983 3.0-litre SC to unearth a 911 with a top speed lower than that of the Dakar. But acceleration? That’s a different matter. We tested the car on a near-freezing cold day, when the traction potential of its all-terrain tyres would have… Continue reading Porsche 911 Dakar
Hyundai invents ‘adaptive’ snow tyre with inbuilt snow chains
Getting a grip in snow and ice is something drivers have been grappling with since the car was invented. Ways to avoid getting stuck range from winter tyres to snow socks, but few are quite as wacky as a new development from the Hyundai Motor Group, which the firm is patenting and hopes to bring… Continue reading Hyundai invents ‘adaptive’ snow tyre with inbuilt snow chains
Toyota primes baby Land Cruiser to take on Defender
At the other end of the expanded line-up will be the much larger and more luxurious Toyota Land Cruiser SE. It will be entirely unrelated – technically and visually – to the utilitarian, off-road-focused Land Cruisers that have gone before. It was displayed as a concept at the Tokyo show as part of a line-up… Continue reading Toyota primes baby Land Cruiser to take on Defender
Are solid-state batteries the next autonomous cars?
If you’d believed the hype around the first batch of autonomous concepts a decade or so ago, you’d have expected to be being driven home from the pub by now in a truly driverless car with no steering wheel. Yet the mood has long since shifted, and now a line has been drawn between driver-assistance… Continue reading Are solid-state batteries the next autonomous cars?
My Week In Cars: New Steve Cropley/Matt Prior podcast (ep. 71)
Episode 71 of the Autocar podcast My Week In Cars finds our resident car hacks Steve Cropley and Matt Prior dazzled by headlights, blissfully enjoying cheap cars until a Bentley turns up, driving the fantastic new Toyota GR Yaris, listening to the SMMT and talking much more besides, including your correspondence. Make sure you never… Continue reading My Week In Cars: New Steve Cropley/Matt Prior podcast (ep. 71)
New Hyundai Bayon gets technology and interior upgrades
The Hyundai Bayon has gained upgraded technology plus updates to its interior as part of a facelift for 2024 – its first update since the model launched in 2021. The i20-based Bayon is now claimed to “maximise front and rear passenger comfort”, with the biggest changes coming in the form of new standard equipment. A… Continue reading New Hyundai Bayon gets technology and interior upgrades