Driving home for Christmas is anything but a pain in the Rea
1 DAY AGO - Musical tradition signals the start of festivities for many up and down the country
The tradition Expand
1 DAY AGO - Musical tradition signals the start of festivities for many up and down the country
The tradition started when I was at university, now far too many years ago for my liking, as a way of energising the long, traffic-clogged drive from Keele in Staffordshire to the West Country in the pre-Christmas gloom.
Given the time of year, the journey was livened up with a CD of Christmas music. Well, I say livened up, but as someone whose musical tastes have never been entirely mainstream, I’m generally enraged by the tiny handful of clichéd, saccharine festive songs you hear ad nauseam at this time of year.
Sorry, Mariah, but All I Want For Christmas is less of your tedious sleigh bells and a touch more musical variety.
But I digress, because that Christmas compilation CD was there for just one purpose: the ceremonial playing of Chris Rea’s Driving Home For Christmas.
Because I was, of course, driving home for Christmas. Still, timing was everything. My hometown of Clevedon is located at Collapse
Progress report: Which car makers are meeting the ZEV mandate?
1 DAY AGO - Some easily hit or even exceeded the UK government’s 22% EV sales target for 2024, but others fell Expand
1 DAY AGO - Some easily hit or even exceeded the UK government’s 22% EV sales target for 2024, but others fell well short
Many car makers found ramping up EV sales to meet the UK government’s 22% target a struggle, especially those with a more volume bent.
But they’re a resourceful bunch, and those with EVs to sell rose to the challenge.
Traditional premium brands like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo definitely found it easier, thanks to their more wealthy corporate customer bases, while MG continued to satisfy budget buyers with its Chinese-built cars.
Next year should be easier, with cheaper EVs like the Vauxhall Frontera coming to the fore, but for many 2024 was a year to write off financially – at least on the EV side – as discounts, needed to entice customers and quash wider scepticism, eroded profits.
Audi
Audi continues to rely on demand for its Q4 E-tron compact SUV to bolster its impressive EV showing, although new models such as the larger Q6 E-tron are starting to make an Collapse
DVSA to hire 450 new examiners to cut driving test backlog
2 DAYS AGO - The DVSA is also taking measures to free up existing driving test capacity
Average waiting time Expand
2 DAYS AGO - The DVSA is also taking measures to free up existing driving test capacity
Average waiting time for a driving test is now four and a half months, but there's “no quick fix” in sight
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will hire an extra 450 driving test examiners across Britain as it bids to cut waiting times.
The move to add extra test capacity comes as the average waiting time for learner drivers hits four and a half months.
This is double the average from nine years ago and doesn't account for regional disparities across the nation’s 380 test centres. In London, for example, the average wait time is now six months.
As well as boosting the number of tests it can carry out, the DVSA is taking measures to free up existing test slots.
Next month, it will introduce new terms and conditions for driving instructors to prevent them from booking tests for pupils they don't teach and from booking tests that a learner has no intention to use.
It said that this is typically Collapse
How we bought a classic Lancia and drove it back to the UK
2 DAYS AGO - An atmospheric classified ad resulted in a trip to Italy, a Fulvia on the drive and a serial Expand
2 DAYS AGO - An atmospheric classified ad resulted in a trip to Italy, a Fulvia on the drive and a serial Lancia owner’s latest love
The listing might not have jumped out at me if the same car had been perfectly posed on a turntable in one of those sterile-white studios favoured by the UK’s more aspirational classic car dealers.
But as it was, the pale blue coupé was nestled into a sunlit scene of bucolic Campanian charm, backed by wonky vine posts, verdant meadows, blossoming trees and rugged peaks beyond.
To me, it was a Caravaggio among the classifieds, and I started dreaming of bringing the car back home to Scotland and transplanting a little taste of that scene to our rain-soaked shores, a sort of automotive Portmeirion.
Despite my being a lifelong botherer of Italian cars and chronic Lancia fancier, the Fulvia Coupé 2+2 didn’t steamroll my consciousness like Turin’s incendiary Stratos, 037 or Integrale had.
But its handsome form, intriguing V4 engine and less-heralded rally triumphs (see Collapse
Admit it: You love a gigantic 1970s American land yacht
3 DAYS AGO - The Ford Thunderbird started the genre and, like all land yachts, peaked in ’70s
As my Expand
3 DAYS AGO - The Ford Thunderbird started the genre and, like all land yachts, peaked in ’70s
As my long-suffering colleagues will know, when a new SUV with eye-watering dimensions is revealed, I’m among the first to moan about how large cars are getting.
So why do I love ‘land yachts’? The simple answer is that very few cars can match their pure ridiculousness – but the more detailed answer is their fascinating history.
In 1957, the Ford Thunderbird was transformed from a two-seat Corvette rival into a 5.2m-long, four-seat luxury barge.
The idea was a roaring success, with 200,000 of them being sold in the first three years – numbers that made other firms take notice.
As the 1960s arrived, the US car buyer was spoiled for choice.
There was the first V8 front-wheel-drive ‘personal luxury car’ in the form of the Oldsmobile Toronado (5359mm long), the striking Buick Riviera (5823mm) and, the most luxurious of them all, the Cadillac Eldorado (5715mm in fourth-generation form).
In my eyes, this was Collapse
My Week In Cars: New Steve Cropley/Matt Prior podcast (ep.119)
3 DAYS AGO - Matt Prior and Steve Cropley welcome Autocar's road test editor, Matt Saunders, to the pod
On Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Matt Prior and Steve Cropley welcome Autocar's road test editor, Matt Saunders, to the pod
On this week's My Week In Cars podcast your hosts Matt Prior and Steve Cropley welcome Autocar's road test editor, Matt Saunders, to the studio (aka the storeroom). The trio talk everything from great cars to great canteens, explain how Autocar tests cars and how it (sometimes) upsets the industry.
Make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast. Subscribe to our podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts or via your preferred podcast platform. And if you subscribe and rate and review the pod, we'd really appreciate that too. Collapse
Skoda Enyaq to get new look inspired by Vision 7S concept
4 DAYS AGO - New Tech Deck face will replace traditional logo with 'Skoda' lettering
Mid-life facelift for Expand
4 DAYS AGO - New Tech Deck face will replace traditional logo with 'Skoda' lettering
Mid-life facelift for electric family SUV will introduce Tech Deck face seen on new Elroq
The Skoda Enyaq will receive a major update later this year, gaining a new look inspired by the Vision 7S concept car.
A pair of design sketches released by Skoda reveal that the electric family SUV will gain the new Tech Deck face from the 7S.
This comprises a flush-fit, single-piece plastic panel mimicking a traditional front grille; thin LED daytime running lights; and ‘Skoda’ lettering in place of the Czech brand’s logo.
The new front end is said to be more aerodynamic, bringing an improvement in range. However, Skoda has yet to detail how much farther the car will be able to go between charges than the current Enyaq, which manages up to 358 miles.
Other changes that can be seen in the new sketches include the introduction of silver side skirting in place of the plain-black plastic on the current Enyaq.
The changes Collapse
Volkswagen Golf at 50: the hatchback that changed the world
4 DAYS AGO - The Volkswagen Golf has been all things to all motorists for half a century
We chart the Expand
4 DAYS AGO - The Volkswagen Golf has been all things to all motorists for half a century
We chart the eight-generation history of one of the world’s most successful cars
I owned a Golf once. Hasn’t everyone? Mine was a comical experience, because I bought it for a feature in this very publication.
Back in 2012 I handed over £300 to a bloke who could only just be bothered to leave his house in order to sell his car, for a very basic, high-mileage Mk3 Golf, complete with a few months’ MOT and tax and in surprisingly solid mechanical order.
I bought it solely so I could run it against two similarly cheap impulse-buy bangers, over 100 laps of a track and then scrap it on the same day.
The idea was to find out how cheaply you could do a track day if you were willing to do it in, well, just about anything.
Frustratingly, my colleague’s Saab proved to be not only faster on track but also worth more in scrap at the end of the day, so I didn’t win.
And that was my brief albeit extreme experience of Collapse
How to buy a high-mileage used car for half price
5 DAYS AGO - Could you guess which one of these cars has done 129,000 miles, at a glance?
Modern cars are Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Could you guess which one of these cars has done 129,000 miles, at a glance?
Modern cars are more dependable than ever, and if you shop carefully, there are leggy bargains to be found
Which Golf in the main image here has done the higher mileage? Both were registered in 2019, but one has done 49,000 miles, the other 129,000.
In fact, the higher-mileage car is on the right. The point is, cover up its odometer and you’d never know. Its paintwork is as bright as the lower-mileage car’s and it goes and stops just as well.
It has no rattles and its doors close with that lovely thump typical of a Golf.
It’s being sold by Car-Pod, an award-winning used car dealer near Southampton.
Paul Toomer has been selling cars from his business for 10 years, and while he prefers those with an average mileage, he doesn’t shy away from anything with more than 100,000 – as long as it meets certain criteria.
“Assuming it has a good service history and is in good condition, I’m happy buying a car with a Collapse
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Value-focused Citroen C3 platform set to underpin C4 successor
1 DAY AGO - Citroën C4 successor, here imagined by Autocar, will take inspiration from the Oli concept
“No Expand
1 DAY AGO - Citroën C4 successor, here imagined by Autocar, will take inspiration from the Oli concept
“No limits” to scaling up Smart Car architecture, boss says, as bigger cars “don’t need to be full of technology”
Citroën is open to using its new low-cost Smart Car platform for larger models as it seeks to bring down the cost of new cars in a fightback against them being laden with unnecessary technology.
CEO Thierry Koskas told Autocar in a press conference following the new Citroën C3’s nomination to the Car of the Year 2025 shortlist that the rising costs of new cars would mean buyers of larger models would also look to benefit from cost reductions that the brand is bringing to the supermini segment with the C3’s new Smart Car platform.
He said there are “no limits” to scaling up the Smart Car platform to be used in C-segment models [C4-sized] in the future and this is a “direction we would like to explore”.
“What we’ve said about the B-segment [C3-sized] and the need for essential Collapse
Honda to unveil 0 Series SUV concept next month
2 DAYS AGO - The SUV concept (right) will be showcased at CES alongside the Saloon prototype…
The SUV is one Expand
2 DAYS AGO - The SUV concept (right) will be showcased at CES alongside the Saloon prototype…
The SUV is one of seven planned 0 Series models set to arrive before the end of the decade
A prototype of the Honda 0 Series SUV will be unveiled next month ahead of production starting in 2026.
To be showcased alongside the previously revealed Honda 0 Series Saloon prototype at CES in Las Vegas, the SUV is the second of seven planned 0 Series models that will arrive before the end of the decade.
These futuristic-looking new-era Honda EVs will all sit on a new bespoke platform developed from a clean sheet of paper.
The first to arrive will be the saloon, which will offer around 482bhp and a range of more than 300 miles.
This will be followed in 2026 by the production version of the new SUV prototype, which is expected to be what Honda calls its mid-sized SUV. A smaller entry-level SUV and a larger range-topping SUV will join the line up shortly after.
By the end of the decade, a compact SUV, a small Collapse
Mercedes-Benz C-Class and GLC gearing up for EV reinvention
2 DAYS AGO - C-Class EV, pictured, is due around 2026 – but won't replace the combustion-engined version
New Expand
2 DAYS AGO - C-Class EV, pictured, is due around 2026 – but won't replace the combustion-engined version
New MB.EA platform will bring battery-electric options for Mercedes' big-selling exec and its SUV twin
As Mercedes-AMG launches AMG.EA as its breakthrough electric architecture, Mercedes-Benz will follow suit with MB.EA, a platform that has been called the “backbone” of the brand’s future electric line-up.
MB.EA will underpin the C-Class’s move to electric power from 2026, along with its GLC sibling, which is currently the firm’s best-selling model.
Based on the platform’s Medium variant, the new C-Class and GLC will slot into the brand’s line-up between the new CLA and the EQE to rival BMW’s upcoming Neue Klasse 3 Series and Tesla’s Model 3.
With Mercedes heavily developing the efficiency of the next CLA to achieve upwards of 5.0mpkWh and ranges north of 400 miles, it is expected that the C-Class will match or better these figures.
Power is also likely to exceed the predicted 375bhp of the Collapse
Nissan-Honda merger would create new automotive powerhouse
3 DAYS AGO - Wide-reaching merger would create a company selling more than seven million cars per year
The Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Wide-reaching merger would create a company selling more than seven million cars per year
The reported merger talks between Honda and Nissan could divide the Japanese car-making industry into two powerful entities.
Neither Honda nor Nissan has confirmed plans for a merger, first reported on 17 December by the Japanese newspaper Nikkei. However, the pair agreed to work together on software and EVs in August.
A merger would create an automotive force with sales of more than seven million cars annually, based on last year’s figures for both companies.
That would have the new company vying for third place in the global automotive sales charts, along with Hyundai Group, which last year sold 7.3 million cars.
Mitsubishi could also join the new company, according to Nikkei, adding another million sales and taking the combined entity closer to the Volkswagen Group.
Japan is already home to the world's biggest car maker in Toyota, which sold 11.2 million cars last year. It also owns Daihatsu Collapse
Solid-state battery round-up: 2025 to be a decisive year
3 DAYS AGO - MG sibling brand IM's L6 saloon can be had with a range-boosting semi-solid-state Expand
3 DAYS AGO - MG sibling brand IM's L6 saloon can be had with a range-boosting semi-solid-state battery
Lighter battery tech is finally edging closer towards production after years of delays
Solid-state batteries have long been touted as the technological breakthrough that electric car makers are striving to bring to market. Finally, it looks like 2025 could mark a crucial step on the technology's path to becoming ready for production.
These next-generation batteries are regarded as a holy grail for EVs because they offer greater capacity and more range than similar-sized lithium ion packs used today.
Those batteries are composed of an anode and a cathode at opposite ends of the cell, with a physical ‘separator’ preventing them from touching, and a gel-like liquid in the middle.
In a solid-state battery, the make-up is simplified. The liquid is replaced by a solid block, which is lighter than its counterpart and can carry more energy within the same capacity.
The solid element is also less Collapse
Confirmed: New Honda Prelude to feature simulated gearbox
4 DAYS AGO - New Prelude will be based on the Civic, serving as a halo car for Honda's electrified Expand
4 DAYS AGO - New Prelude will be based on the Civic, serving as a halo car for Honda's electrified tech
Revived sports coupé will be launched in 2026 with new S+ Shift system and hybrid powertrain
The new Honda Prelude hybrid coupé will feature a unique simulated gearbox when it is launched in 2026 as part of an effort to ensure it offers driving thrills.
The Japanese firm will revive the long-running model after a gap of more than 20 years – and the new version is set to serve as a halo product for its electrified technologies.
The new Prelude will be based on the Civic and have a 2.0-litre powertrain that uses Honda's e:HEV hybrid system. The complex set-up of that system effectively prohibits a manual transmission being fitted – so Honda will instead introduce a new S+ Shift system.
Honda says the new system will "simulate the sound and feel of quick automatic gearchanges". Hans De Jaeger, the firm's Europe senior-vice president, said this will "not only deliver exceptional efficiency, but Collapse
Why a sportier BMW isn't necessarily a better BMW
4 DAYS AGO - The BMW X1 compromises ride comfort for a sportier drive, quite unlike the cars that built the Expand
4 DAYS AGO - The BMW X1 compromises ride comfort for a sportier drive, quite unlike the cars that built the brand's reputation
Are mainstream BMWs getting sportier, or am I just getting older? I pondered this a little warily the other day, as a road tester accelerating into middle age a little like a hastily parked supermarket grocery delivery van with its handbrake left off.
It's a thought that came to mind after I recently drove a fourth-generation BMW X3.
This car has had the kind of renovation you might expect from BMW at the moment, as the company shovels money at its Neue Klasse electric car platform while simultaneously trying to keep its combustion-engined models competitive.
Technically, it isn’t very new. The plug-in hybrid version gets a bit more electric range; the range-topping M Performance version gets a bit more power.
But the car’s dimensions have changed little. Mostly, it leans on fresh exterior styling, BMW’s latest networked infotainment tech and a new cabin design to lure Collapse
Ferocious PHEV demand in China poised to boost UK sales too
4 DAYS AGO - For the first three quarters of 2024, the VW Group was China's most prolific seller of Expand
4 DAYS AGO - For the first three quarters of 2024, the VW Group was China's most prolific seller of PHEVs
Plug-in hybrid ‘compliance cars’ are generally too expensive for retail customers, but China is working to change that
Strong demand in China could prove the saviour of the plug-in hybrid globally as the ‘bridge to EV’ technology stumbles at legislative hurdles in the UK and Europe.
Chinese makers now dominate the global PHEV market after sales rapidly grew this year, topped by BYD.
“Initially of European origin, PHEV technology has gradually become a Chinese specialty,” automotive analyst Inovev said in a new report revealing the extent of the Chinese dominance.
Having grown the market so far this year in China, brands such as BYD, SAIC's MG, Geely's Lynk&Co and Chery’s Jaecoo are now targeting Europe with PHEVs that significantly undercut equivalents from established global car makers, providing that crucial element of affordability that the tech has so far lacked.
Lower prices are Collapse
Used Seat Ibiza 2008-2017 review
5 DAYS AGO - The Seat Ibiza is good-looking and spacious supermini – is it time to buy a used example?
The Expand
5 DAYS AGO - The Seat Ibiza is good-looking and spacious supermini – is it time to buy a used example?
The Seat Ibiza of 2008-2017 was far more than a Volkswagen Polo in a fancy outfit: it balanced refinement, spaciousness, performance and style to make it a front-runner in the dog-eat-dog supermini class.The fourth-generation Ibiza ushered in an entirely new design language for Seat, being the first model sketched under the direction of Luc Donckerwolke, the man behind the Lamborghini Murciélago and Gallardo.It was far more stylish than its bug-eyed predecessor. Sharp lines and an aggressive-looking front end endowed the Mk4 Ibiza with sufficient kerb appeal to rival the Ford Fiesta – and for a car that landed 16 years ago, it still looks contemporary today.Riding on the Volkswagen Group’s modular PQ25 platform – which also underpinned the Polo and Audi A1 – the Mk4 Ibiza was 99mm longer than the car it replaced, to the benefit of interior space and practicality.You could fit three adults Collapse
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Questions over safety as ICE drivers swap into "brutally" fast EVs
1 DAY AGO - Many EVs have the punch to match petrol sports cars and hot hatches
Is the instant power Expand
1 DAY AGO - Many EVs have the punch to match petrol sports cars and hot hatches
Is the instant power delivery of an EV too much for unwary and inexperienced drivers?
With an Audi S6 for weekdays and a Toyota GR Supra for weekends, Philip Thomas could fairly be described as a petrolhead.
At least that was until the IT specialist stunned his neighbours by recently adding a third car to his fleet: a Smart #1.
How the curtains twitched, but this was no ordinary #1. Although the standard model has a Golf GTI-beating 268bhp, Thomas had instead opted for the Brabus variant with 422bhp – around as much as his Audi.
However, where the S6 is a low-slung saloon with performance engineered into it, the Smart #1 Brabus is a compact SUV that, aside from its additional, front-mounted motor, is almost identical to the standard model, right down to its tyres and suspension.
“The Brabus is certainly quick, but it’s not very elegant,” commented our road testers when they got their hands on the model.
Thomas Collapse
Report: Nio to launch in UK in early 2025 with new Onvo L60
2 DAYS AGO - New L60 is said to be most aero-efficient SUV on sale
Lack of import tariffs means UK will be Expand
2 DAYS AGO - New L60 is said to be most aero-efficient SUV on sale
Lack of import tariffs means UK will be first European market to get Chinese firm's new affordable EV brand
Nio will reportedly bring its new affordable EV brand Onvo to Europe next year, starting with the launch of the L60 coupé-SUV in the UK.
As reported by Automotive News Europe, Nio's product planning boss Eric Yu explained that Onvo would come to the UK first because, unlike the EU, it doesn't put import tariffs on Chinese-built EVs - which will have been a crucial motivator, given Onvo's value-focused billing.
Nio's EVs are currently subject to a 31% import tariff in the EU, up from 10% in 2023.
Similarly impacted car makers, including BYD, Chery, Mini, Polestar and Volvo are moving production of some EVs from China to Europe to circumvent the tariffs, but Nio hasn't announced any plans to build cars in Europe, having passed on the chance to take over Audi's EV factory in Belgium.
Nio started selling EVs in Europe in Collapse
The 'green diesel' that is now powering Stellantis
2 DAYS AGO - Hydrotreated vegetable oil can be used as a straight substitute for conventional Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Hydrotreated vegetable oil can be used as a straight substitute for conventional diesel
Stellantis says its diesel engine line-up has now been fully validated to use hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) ‘green diesel’.
It also says many of its earlier Euro 5 and Euro 6 diesels are already compatible, and certainly those marked with ‘XTL’ (denoting synthetic fuel made using a ‘something-to-liquids’ process). HVO gives the same performance as conventional diesel but is derived entirely from renewable sources.
HVO has been around for a few years and a number of other major manufacturers have compatibility with it. Introduced in Europe back in 2017, its initial take-up was by taxis and commercial vehicles.
Its cetane rating is higher, at over 70, than mineral diesel oil (51), indicating that it burns faster and cleaner.
Because it’s not a fossil fuel, using it reduces CO2 emissions by as much as 90% compared with conventional diesel and emissions are lower for NOx and particulate Collapse
Autocar magazine 18 December: on sale now
3 DAYS AGO - JCB monster truck road test, Lego building contest and stargazing with Genesis
In this week’s Expand
3 DAYS AGO - JCB monster truck road test, Lego building contest and stargazing with Genesis
In this week’s 148-page Christmas issue we drive a JCB monster truck, compete to build the best Lego car and predict what will happen in the automotive world in 2025.
Plus our road testers sit down for their annual Secret Santa lunch and we interview Grand Prix and Le Mans winner Johnny Herbert.
Subscribe to Autocar here.
News
Volkswagen announces a Clubsport makeover for its flagship Golf R, with an expected output of 345bhp.
DS enters a new era with its N°8, as the firm looks to rebuild sales after a 25% drop to 35,000 units in Europe in 2024.
Renault’s 5 Turbo 3E concept car promises to transform agility, reaching speeds of 62mph in less than 3.5 seconds.
The Ford Mk1 Escort is getting a high-tech makeover alongside petrol power, developed by Boreham Motorworks it has received backing by Ford.
Lamborghini continues to push on with their EV model plans- announcing a four-seat electric GT which is Collapse
Aston, Lotus, McLaren… Britain's 10 best sports cars battle it out
3 DAYS AGO - 10 cars, 3 days, 1 winner. Let battle commence
Our annual dissection of dynamic distinction Expand
3 DAYS AGO - 10 cars, 3 days, 1 winner. Let battle commence
Our annual dissection of dynamic distinction descends upon us once again, with 10 contenders vying for victory
We’ve made you wait; we’ve built the suspense – this year for longer than usual. And now, with 2024 drawing to a close, it’s time to deliver our biggest and best group test exercise.
This is Autocar’s annual Britain's Best Driver’s Car shootout: our 10 favourite new driver’s cars of the past 12 months, all brought together, driven for three days straight on both road and track and then scored by a panel of judges purely and simply on how much driver appeal they provide.
BBDC – still sometimes referred to as ‘Handling Day’ by our longer-serving reporters – is the highlight of the road tester’s year.
On no other occasion can we justify devoting so much of our attention, for so long, to a field of such interesting and appealing new cars. Any car good enough to rise to the top of such a field must be at least a bit special.
This Collapse
GWM to launch Haval SUV in UK, priced from £23,995
4 DAYS AGO - Haval Jolion Pro offers a 188bhp hybrid powertrain for £23,995
China's Great Wall Motor to Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Haval Jolion Pro offers a 188bhp hybrid powertrain for £23,995
China's Great Wall Motor to bolster UK presence with new range of hybrid SUVs, starting with Kia Sorento rival
The Chinese company behind the Ora Funky Cat will expand its portfolio by bringing SUV brand Haval to the UK next year – and it will undercut many of its well-established competitors on price.
Great Wall Motor launched the Ora brand here in 2022 with the electric hatchback (renamed the GWM Ora 03 last year), and it's now moving to “provide a wider choice for customers as it enhances its overall product offering”.
Previously officially named GWM Ora, the company will now rebrand as simply GWM in the UK. All its dealers will adopt a new look in February, coinciding with the start of deliveries of the first Haval model, the Jolion Pro.
It's a hybrid SUV that’s roughly the same size as the Nissan X-Trail and Kia Sorento but substantially cheaper, with prices starting at £23,995.
It's powered by a 1.5-litre Collapse
British firm working on radical £15k EV with 160-mile range
4 DAYS AGO - New EV will be homologated to same L7 ruleset as the Microlino
Mika's three-seat, 40bhp city car Expand
4 DAYS AGO - New EV will be homologated to same L7 ruleset as the Microlino
Mika's three-seat, 40bhp city car will rival the Citroen Ami and Microlino
Warwickshire-based car maker Mika has announced detailed plans for its sub-£15,000 electric microcar.
The EV, announced on 20 November, will go toe to toe with the Citroën Ami but is said to offer better performance, greater handling and far more crash safety, as well as an additional seat.
Created by Robin Hall, whose acclaimed Mika Meon buggy is Britain’s lightest electric car, the EV is officially classed as an L7 quadricycle and has a top speed of 56mph.
Its basic structure is an enveloping frame formed from pultrusions, the composite equivalent of the load-bearing aluminium extrusions first used in the original Lotus Elise and since adopted by other weight-conscious manufacturers including Aston Martin.
Even lighter than aluminium, these pultrusions form an extremely rigid survival cell for occupants in the Mika quad, adding crushable crash Collapse
2025 MG semi-solid-state EV won’t be expensive, brand claims
5 DAYS AGO - Solid-state batteries promise significant improvements in both range and charging speeds over Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Solid-state batteries promise significant improvements in both range and charging speeds over today's packs
MG will launch an electric car with a semi-solid-state battery next year – and it won't come at a big premium over existing battery technology, according to the brand's general manager.
“The first new model to be launched by the MG brand next year may be equipped with a semi-solid battery. Let me report to you first that the price is not expensive,” Zhou Yan posted on China's Weibo social media platform.
“The battery industry is making rapid progress. Friends who want to buy lithium-iron-phosphate [LFP] ternary lithium battery cars can wait.”
Zhou confirmed the new battery would be standard equipment on the as-yet-unnamed electric model.
Solid-state batteries promise significant improvements in energy density, range, charging speeds and thermal stability compared with the lithium ion batteries used in EVs today.
However, performance challenges, intensive development, Collapse
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