Range-extenders have been in the mix of possible alternatives to pure-petrol and pure-diesel powertrains for nearly three decades, and with new eRE and eRE+ powertrain products from ZF Friedrichshafen arriving in 2026, we could start seeing more of them. It’s a technology that appears to be enduring. Citroën produced versions of the Saxo, Xsara and Berlingo back in the 1990s and… Continue reading Inside the new range-extender that could change the world
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
How McLaren ended its 26-year F1 title drought
The McLaren Technology Centre still looks futuristic enough to double for a spaceport on Coruscant, so it’s staggering to reflect on the fact that it’s now 21 years old. Even more staggering given its age is that a constructors’ championship-winning McLaren had never been built there – until last year. When Lando Norris crossed the… Continue reading How McLaren ended its 26-year F1 title drought
Safety fast: driving Aston’s other F1 car
Only a few months in and already the 2025 Formula 1 season is proving to be a nail-biter, with the established driver order and team hierarchy under threat. So it’s fortunate that two cars present at every race are standing ready to intervene when things get messy. They are the official FIA safety and medical… Continue reading Safety fast: driving Aston’s other F1 car
Light bites, stiff drinks: celebrating 50 years of a Lotus legend
We think of the Porsche 911 as being the stalwart of the junior supercar world, but after 28 years and more than 10,000 sales, the Lotus Esprit in all its guises was probably the closest contender. And this year marks half a century since it broke cover at the 1975 Paris motor show, where its… Continue reading Light bites, stiff drinks: celebrating 50 years of a Lotus legend
Coulthard: ‘Drivers are better paid today – but I wouldn’t swap’
“The ‘active’ Williams had power steering, ABS [anti-lock braking], traction control, fully automatic up-changes, full launch control – then that was all banned for 1994,” he says. “So I got to experience the ‘magic carpet’ cars, the more raw F1 of 1994-1995, then went to McLaren.” More regulation changes designed to curb performance followed in 1998,… Continue reading Coulthard: ‘Drivers are better paid today – but I wouldn’t swap’
Official: Fiat 500 Hybrid to arrive in November with six-speed manual
Fiat will begin production of the new 500 Hybrid in November – and the first official pictures reveal it has received an overhauled interior and a six-speed manual gearbox. More than 100,000 examples of the new model are expected to roll off production lines each year at the company’s Mirafiori plant in Turin. Both hatchback and cabrio models will be… Continue reading Official: Fiat 500 Hybrid to arrive in November with six-speed manual
Jaecoo 5 to arrive in UK this year as petrol-powered Evoque rival
The Range Rover Evoque-rivalling Jaecoo 5 will go on sale this year – and it will make its UK debut at next week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The crossover will be the second car in the Chery-owned Jaecoo line-up, joining the larger Jaecoo 7, a car that has quickly gained popularity here after amassing almost 6000 sales… Continue reading Jaecoo 5 to arrive in UK this year as petrol-powered Evoque rival
Fast and Furious films have done more for car culture than you think
No, The Fast and the Furious films are objectively not very good. But I doubt that even the greats can claim to have had anywhere near as much of an impact on their subject matter. The Shawshank Redemption didn’t result in wide-reaching prison reform and it has been largely forgotten that Star Wars was intended… Continue reading Fast and Furious films have done more for car culture than you think
Citroen C3 Pluriel: are you overlooking this £1000 quirky cabrio?
Coupé, Targa, cabriolet, pick-up – the Citroën C3 Pluriel was all of these things, and sometimes more. It was also close to being a concept car that you could actually buy, the ingenious flexibility of its bodywork just the kind of thing to be demonstrated by a group of fixed-grin models dancing to overloud music… Continue reading Citroen C3 Pluriel: are you overlooking this £1000 quirky cabrio?
Could a cost-slashing small-car category actually work in Europe?
Back in 2014, Suzuki offered Europeans a choice of three low-cost city cars of the type that made its reputation: the Splash, Celerio and Alto. Ten years later the brand is still a leader in the field in both India and Japan, with a wide choice of basic mobility on offer. But in the UK… Continue reading Could a cost-slashing small-car category actually work in Europe?