Thousands of Smart #1 EVs could be recalled due to a fault whereby the rear passenger’s seatbelt may unbuckle during a high-speed manoeuvre. Discovered by Finnish automotive magazine Tekniikan Maailma (TM), the fault occurs when three passengers are seated in the rear of the car. When a high-speed evasion movement is made, the central passenger’s belt lock… Continue reading Smart #1 recall expected as dangerous seatbelt fault found
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
New BYD e6 MPV set for UK launch with 258-mile range
BYD has quietly added a new electric MPV to its UK line-up, which looks to tempt taxi drivers with more than 250 miles of range and a capacious cabin. Autocar has found official UK specifications for the second-generation e6, a five-seat MPV based on the Chinese-market Song Max. Although BYD refused to give more details, a launch here is… Continue reading New BYD e6 MPV set for UK launch with 258-mile range
When Stirling Moss hit 246mph in a record-breaking MG
At the Beijing motor show, MG unwrapped an attention-grabbing new concept car in celebration of its centenary: an electric hypercar named the EXE181, with an ultra-low profile and a single, central seat. But while it looked futuristic, it was directly inspired by a famous MG from 67 years ago, the EX181 (‘EX’ standing for ‘experimental’).… Continue reading When Stirling Moss hit 246mph in a record-breaking MG
ZEV mandate: what it is and how it will impact UK drivers
“One of the most remarkable interventions in any industry ever” is how Mike Hawes, chief of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, described the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate that the UK government introduced into the country’s new car market at the start of this year. However dry and dull the ZEV mandate might sound,… Continue reading ZEV mandate: what it is and how it will impact UK drivers
Four-door Ford Mustang super saloon in the pipeline
For all his expansionist plans, Farley believes Ford needs to be careful about diversifying the brand too far. He said: “Some people think we could mix Mustang with off-road driving – look at what Porsche has done with the 911 Dakar, and what Lamborghini has been doing. But I’m not so sure about that.” One… Continue reading Four-door Ford Mustang super saloon in the pipeline
Editor’s letter: No more questions over future of Cupra and Seat
What’s Spanish for ‘meltdown’? That’s what Seat chairman Thomas Schäfer caused at the Munich motor show last September when asked about the long-questioned future of the country’s national car maker. In a roundtable interview at which Autocar was present and reported his comments from first, Schäfer said “the future of Seat is Cupra”; investments would go to Cupra… Continue reading Editor’s letter: No more questions over future of Cupra and Seat
Digging for gold in scrap: inside Stellantis’ circular economy gambit
Of all the senior jobs created amid the current transformation of the automotive industry, the one held at Stellantis by Alison Jones sounds like the one with the most grit and the least glamour. As vice-president of Circular Economy, it’s Jones’s job to pull together myriad unsexy activities, such as used part sales, across the multinational giant’s… Continue reading Digging for gold in scrap: inside Stellantis’ circular economy gambit
First look at new 771bhp Bentley Continental GT PHEV
Bentley has released the first pictures of the next-generation Continental GT, which will pack nearly 800bhp from a new hybrid drivetrain, making it the firm’s most powerful car yet. A heavy revision of today’s third-generation car, it is the first Bentley to use the new ‘ultra-performance hybrid’ set-up, which pairs an uprated 4.0-litre V8 with a… Continue reading First look at new 771bhp Bentley Continental GT PHEV
Morgan and Pininfarina reveal striking £200k barchetta
In particular, they are fuller behind the front wheels, which gives a more purposeful stance and improves aero. The rear wings also have a chamfer on their leading surface for aero reasons and there’s even a subtle diffuser under the car’s rear to counter lift at speed. Hand-formed stainless steel finishers along the sills add… Continue reading Morgan and Pininfarina reveal striking £200k barchetta
Smart #3
Smart may no longer make exclusively small cars but, according to its current designers, it does want to offer the best-packaged passenger car in every market niche in which it competes. The interior of the #1 certainly bore out that strategy and the #3 does too, albeit to a predictably less striking extent. Bigger doesn’t… Continue reading Smart #3