Car News

Clio RS may be dead but its spirit lives on in the new A290, says Prior I’ve just spent some minutes talking to Autocar’s road testers about the Alpine A290, the quick version of the new Renault 5 EV. What’s great is that we weren’t talking about where the charge port was or how far it could go or whether the driver assistance systems were infuriating. Instead it was an old-fashioned chat about lift-off oversteer (not as much as in an old Renaultsport hot hatch but more than most of the competition) and whether it should have had an additional steering knuckle […]

Stephen Dobie bids farewell to Peugeot's performance saloon and compares its most significant ancestor When was the last time you saw either of these cars? The Peugeot 505 sold over a million but, because of the equally vicious hands of rust and scrappage schemes, scant few still survive on British roads. Even fewer roam freely upon them. The now six-year old Peugeot 508 PSE won’t score as many I-Spy points, but given Peugeot has recently axed it from sale – it wants its whole range to have an EV option – it’s going to remain the choice of the brave few. […]

Chinese electric crossover has been revised ahead of its arrival in the UK. Has it been brought up to scratch? Before we delve into the merits of the Skywell BE11 as a car, let’s consider where its maker comes from.Skywell emerged in China in 2017 as a joint venture between one of the world's largest consumer electronics groups, Skyworth, and electric bus maker Nanjing Golden Dragon.Its cars are now being brought here by Gloucestershire-based importer Innovation Automotive.The BE11 is being introduced as not only Skywell's first car but also its attempt to grab a share of the UK fleet market and rival everything […]

Does a technically progressive PHEV powertrain work in a coupe that exudes such old-school vibes? If the past decade of automotive history has proved anything, it’s probably that no modern car, however commercially successful it may once have been, can be considered totally timeless.The Mercedes berlinetta coupe, however, has certainly always looked like a timeless design classic. The celebrated line of two-door icons from the firm encompasses the original 1950s ‘gullwing’ sports cars; various larger ‘Ponton’ and ‘Fintail’ models following shortly thereafter; the imposing, square SEC models of the 1980s; the revered W124-generation coupes of the1990s; and even the popular […]

The thunderous roadster emerged in 1962 as a V8 development of 1953’s Ace It all started in 1953, when British racer John Tojeiro demonstrated his latest competition special to UK car maker AC, which really needed a new sports car to restore its mojo. Renamed the AC Ace and displayed at the London motor show, it was received well enough that it was adapted for production, being given a new look and an AC straight six. Enjoy full access to the complete Autocar archive at the magazineshop.com It really hit the spot, as our 1958 verdict on the later Bristol-engined version […]

Combustion-engined M3 will draw heavily on today's car, but with styling influence from the Neue Klasse BMW's sports saloon lineage to diverge as Neue Klasse EVs arrive The BMW M3 will return for a seventh generation with the choice of either a straight-six turbo petrol engine or a high-tech EV powertrain with huge power and unprecedented dynamic ability. Due by early 2028, the next M3 is being engineered for both powertrains in a bid to maximise its appeal and in line with BMW’s ongoing commitment to combustion power. The current car’s ‘S58’ twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight six has been made compliant […]

Mardell feels vindicated by the decision to cancel the XJ EV, which was ready for production in 2021 Adrian Mardell is bullish about the brand's prospects, having joined it 34 years ago When the first new-era Jaguar model rolls off the Solihull production line in summer 2026, it will have been almost six years since the announcement of plans for Jaguar to shift upmarket and go electric-only. Such is the interest in this reborn Jaguar that questions about what the cars will be and the market challenges they might face have dominated any discussion with JLR CEO Adrian Mardell – […]

Ineos paused production of the Grenadier in September Manufacturer faced problems that could have forced it to halt production for "much, much longer" Production restarting for Ineos Automotive in January is the “best possible outcome” the company could have experienced because there were “a number of outcomes that weren't very palatable”, according to company CEO Lynn Calder. Ineos was forced to halt production in September after a supplier, understood to be seat maker Recaro, filed for insolvency. Speaking at Autocar at the LA motor show, Calder said the issue was now resolved and the firm was working on ways to further […]

ID cars will get a new look "going back to where we came from" VW's R&D boss confirms cull for combustion car range, plus Polo refresh and timing of ID 2 SUV launch Volkswagen will launch heavily updated versions of its ID models from 2026 as part of a significant upgrade to the MEB architecture on which they are based. VW R&D boss Kai Grünitz confirmed the developments to Autocar at the Los Angeles motor show, as well as the launch of a new ID 2 SUV concept car at the 2025 Munich motor show, a 2025 revamp for the Polo, […]

Outgoing EV6 GT packs 576bhp and 545lb ft Brand’s hottest car will receive an overhaul inside and out, thanks in part to its Hyundai sibling The hot Kia EV6 GT will be updated with the powertrain from the closely related Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, bringing a significant increase in power.  The dual-motor, four-wheel-drive set-up puts out 601bhp and 545lb ft of torque in normal operation, but this temporarily increases to 641bhp and 568lb ft when the car’s GT drive mode is selected. Those outputs are an increase on the 576bhp and 545lb ft of the outgoing EV6 GT. Kia has yet […]