Car designer Peter Stevens, famed for the McLaren F1, is revealing the inspiration behind one of his latest projects: “I was working away from home in Coventry and staying in a very basic hotel. “There wasn’t even a chair in my room. So, one evening, I’m sitting on my bed eating a takeaway and feeling… Continue reading When the McLaren F1 designer made a Ford Transit
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
Honda Prelude
The Civic donates the Prelude its architecture, plus its 2.0-litre Atkinson-cycle engine and drive system dubbed e:HEV. It’s worth spending a bit of time on this because it’s not straightforward, and when the Civic first arrived, Honda used the term e-CVT or something like that, which is rather misleading. The engine predominantly acts as a… Continue reading Honda Prelude
Smart Roadster: spice up summer with a £1500 gem
The pauses didn’t help, nor not knowing quite when they’d come. And there was more than one kind of pause to be experienced aboard a Smart Roadster. The most obvious, and persistent, was the between-gears interruption generated by the automated manual transmission. The Roadster’s gearbox was not an especially speedy shuffler of clustered cogs and… Continue reading Smart Roadster: spice up summer with a £1500 gem
Ramon Bäurle on designing Audi’s most advanced interior yet
A good interior also has to match the essence of the car, whether it’s a car that’s more angled towards the driving experience, or a car where you’re more connected to your surroundings through connectivity features – a car designed for long distances, for example. And a good interior has to use the right materials.… Continue reading Ramon Bäurle on designing Audi’s most advanced interior yet
New look and 451kW charging for updated Xpeng G6
Xpeng has updated its Tesla Model Y rival, the G6 crossover, with a round of styling tweaks and new battery technology that the firm claims will make it the fastest-charging EV in its class. The Chinese EV maker’s mid-sized electric SUV was only revealed two years ago and has been on sale in the UK for just… Continue reading New look and 451kW charging for updated Xpeng G6
MG Cyber X SUV could be on UK roads by 2027
A production version of the MG Cyber X concept could be on UK roads by 2027, UK boss David Allison has told Autocar. The rugged, boxy SUV concept, that previews the second model in its fashion-focused Cyber line-up, was revealed earlier this year at the Shanghai motor show. Asked by Autocar if we could see a production version… Continue reading MG Cyber X SUV could be on UK roads by 2027
Alpine to introduce bespoke, button-heavy interiors with next A110
“But you have also an emotional relation with the machine, and you control the machines – it’s not the screens controlling the machine. “When you buy a sports car, you want to be in control. You don’t want the car to start itself. You want to master the car. You want to start the car.… Continue reading Alpine to introduce bespoke, button-heavy interiors with next A110
Bugatti Mistral
All engines make some kind of noise. Mostly though they only make one or two which, if you’re lucky, are pleasant. In the Mistral’s case I think I counted at least six distinctly different sounds. And if you time it just right, or get your throttle position just-so, you can actually pick and choose the… Continue reading Bugatti Mistral
Christoph Häußinger: Meet the man transforming Audi’s lighting design
This is a big question! I mean, without light there is no life. Humans have always been connected to light. Without fire, for example, we wouldn’t have evolved into what we are today. Light is a crucial part of our life. In terms of light design, it’s so important because it gives the car the… Continue reading Christoph Häußinger: Meet the man transforming Audi’s lighting design
Porsche’s Cayenne EV is nearly here – and we’ve been for a ride
It’s fairly tall. And quite large. Not quite Range Rover large, maybe, but on the way. The new Porsche Cayenne EV – in which I’m about to take to the Goodwood Festival of Speed‘s hillclimb at full speed – is the biggest Porsche they make. We’re sitting high. You might imagine that cars with three-second 0-60mph… Continue reading Porsche’s Cayenne EV is nearly here – and we’ve been for a ride