Autocar 20/06/2018

THIS WEEK, WE celebrate the highest-achieving women in the automotive industry – a list topped by Citroën CEO Linda Jackson. Before she took charge of the famous French brand four years ago, it was drifting in mediocrity, lacking the creative spark and flair for which its entire reputation was founded, with a so-so range of decent but uninspiring cars. The Citroën of today is very di.erent indeed. Less important than the fact cars such as the C3 Aircross and Cactus are better than Citroëns immediately before them is that they are di.erent and interesting, likeable in their own ways, with real reasons to buy them. As Steve Cropley discovers when shadowing Jackson for the day (p56), that Citroën of 2018 is so di.erent is no surprise under her leadership. The brand she…

“Range-topping M850i features a 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine that produces 523bhp and 554lb ft” The new BMW 8 Series Coupé has been designed to offer the performance of a Porsche 911 with the luxury of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, according to the car’s global product manager. The new two-door premium sports car revives the 8 Series nameplate last seen in 1999. The model has been conceived to kick-start BMW’s push into the super-luxury market, and global product manager Sarah Lessmann said that the brief was to “define how a sports car should be”. She added: “Everyone in the project had the vision of BMW getting back to sports cars, and not just sporty cars.” The 8 Series, which goes on sale this month, will initially be offered in two versions. The range-topping M850i xDrive…

There aren’t exactly many gaps left in the increasingly crowded car market, yet BMW reckons it’s found one with the new 8 Series. It’s a matter of nuance: the 8 Series isn’t the only sporty two-door coupé on the market, but by aiming to make a sports car that rivals the 911 yet offers the luxury of an S-Class coupé, the Bavarian firm thinks it has found a niche to begin its attack on the high-end premium market. It certainly looks the part: in the metal, and in M850i guise, it is stunning. The question will be the dynamic focus. Autocar drove a prototype M850i recently, with our initial impressions that, while neither as sharp as a 911 nor as luxurious as the S63 Coupé, it has a broader range of skills than…

What was the key goal in developing the 8 Series? “The most important information is this: we have a sports car set-up. When we announced the 8 Series, everyone thought it would be a ‘son of’ the 7 Series, like the 4 Series is based on the 3 Series, but that wasn’t the way BMW had the idea of doing a sports car.” Was it important to make the car close to the 8 Series Concept? “That’s something we’re very proud of. Normally concept vehicles are quite removed, but on this car there are only a few design details we had to change for legal requirements, such as flattening the shark nose grille a bit.” Why does the interior differ from other BMW models? “With the 8 Series, BMW gets back to the driver orientation:…

Audi will take the fight to the hot-selling Mini with its all-new A1 Sportback, which will be packed with technology, safety kit and the brand’s latest premium features in a bid to make it the most generously equipped supermini on sale. The second-generation A1 will arrive this November with the aim of continuing to draw new and young customers to the brand. The outgoing A1 is Audi’s third-bestselling model in the UK. It has been a consistent seller for Audi across Europe, too, with annual sales in the region only once dipping below 90,000 units since it was launched in 2010. But with rivals such as the Mini achieving more than double that total (it sold in 215,549 units last year), Audi has yet to tap into the full sales potential…

A boosted 250bhp engine and all-wheel-drive traction will make the next Audi S1 the fastest and most powerful car in its class. Expected in late 2019, the new S1 will use a higherpowered version of the Volkswagen Group’s EA888 turbocharged 2.0-litre fourcylinder engine. Combined with a Haldex-style quattro system, this should enable the S1 to trim several tenths from the 5.9sec 0-62mph time of its predecessor in five-door form. The next S1 will also benefit from the enhanced structural rigidity offered by the new A1’s MQB A0 platform. It is stronger than the old car’s PQ25 underpinnings and uses 27% ultra-high-strength composites in the bodyshell. Although Audi has yet to confirm the next S1, Autocar understands that it is set for sale because it acts as an effective halo product to lure younger…