From its 1931 debut right up until its 1939 retirement, Alfa Romeo’s straight-eight gave rise to some of the world’s finest cars, including single-seat Grand Prix racers; a Le Mans 24 Hours winner; subjects of work by exalted coach builders for the tasteful rich; and perhaps the very fastest pre-war road car. Alfa’s UK importer… Continue reading From the archive: on this day in 1939
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
Volvo safety software is ‘digital seatbelt’ for new era
Volvo CEO Jim Rowan has said the car maker’s inhouse next-generation software will be its “three-point digital seatbelt” in driving future product and safety innovations. The Briton was a surprise choice to replace Håkan Samuelsson at the Swedish firm in March last year, given all of his previous experience had been in the tech industry,… Continue reading Volvo safety software is ‘digital seatbelt’ for new era
Autocar magazine 25 January: on sale now
This week in Autocar, we’ve compiled the ultimate guide on the best used cars you can buy in the UK today – from Fiestas to Ferraris, Peugeots to Porsches – it’s all in this week’s mag. We’ve also got all the details on how Porsche is set to take on BMW and Land Rover with… Continue reading Autocar magazine 25 January: on sale now
Official: Bentley design boss Andreas Mindt moves to Volkswagen
Bentley design boss Andreas Mindt will replace his counterpart Jozef Kaban at Volkswagen from 1 February. Mindt will be replaced in Crewe by Tobias Suehlmann, who already oversees Bentley’s exterior design department, having joined in late 2021 following stints at Bugatti, Aston Martin, McLaren and Volkswagen. According to a previous report from Automobilwoche, the high-profile job shuffle is a… Continue reading Official: Bentley design boss Andreas Mindt moves to Volkswagen
BYD in talks to buy Ford Focus factory in Germany
Ford will hold talks with Chinese giant BYD next week concerning a sale of the American firm’s factory in Saarlouis, Germany, a report has claimed. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reported that discussions are in a preliminary stage and might still fall through. As such, the terms of a potential deal – such… Continue reading BYD in talks to buy Ford Focus factory in Germany
Renault Espace to return as electrified family SUV
The Renault Espace will be reborn as an electrified family SUV for 2023, it has been confirmed, ahead of an unveiling in the coming weeks. Utilising the flexible CMF-CD platform that underpins the new Nissan X-Trail and smaller Renault Austral, it’s expected to be a stretched version of the latter. An Austral-based prototype with an extended… Continue reading Renault Espace to return as electrified family SUV
Updated Polestar 2 gets RWD layout and 395-mile range
Increased power, performance and range, as well as a move to a rear-wheel-drive layout, are key changes to the updated Polestar 2, which will arrive later this year. Available to order now with a £2800 bump in starting price, the 2’s update is more than just cosmetic. Single-motor versions of the electric saloon are now… Continue reading Updated Polestar 2 gets RWD layout and 395-mile range
Ford to cut 3200 European jobs, warns German union
Ford will cut up to 3200 jobs across Europe as it shifts development work to the US, according to German trade union IG Metall. The American firm plans to drop up to 2500 staff in product development and up to 700 in administration, affecting most German plants plus Belgium and the UK, the union said. It… Continue reading Ford to cut 3200 European jobs, warns German union
UK car sales will not recover from Covid before 2030
New-car sales in the UK won’t rebound to pre-Covid levels this decade, according to new data from market analyst Auto Forecast Solutions (AFS). The firm has predicted that registrations this decade will peak at 2.1 million in 2029, following steady upward growth. That’s 200,000 fewer than in the last pre-Covid year, 2019, and almost 600,000 short of… Continue reading UK car sales will not recover from Covid before 2030
Inside the industry: Cazoo’s spectacular stock market drop
You’ve probably heard of used car dealer Cazoo, despite it being only five years old. After all, as it built towards its £5 billion stock market flotation in 2021, it was spending close to £100 million a year on marketing. There were TV and radio adverts, billboards, boldly liveried delivery trucks and sports sponsorship galore,… Continue reading Inside the industry: Cazoo’s spectacular stock market drop