Autocar June 8, 2022

“What I have a problem with is the correct solution being prescribed,” says the brilliant head of the Toyota Research Institute, Gill Pratt, on the rapid adoption and development of electric cars. “The correct solution isn’t a single technology – or at least we can’t say that it is with any confidence today.” Pratt’s wide-ranging interview on all things electric (p52) is as constructive an appraisal of the rush to BEVs as you will ever read. Perhaps widespread adoption of BEVs might have happened anyway, but legislation has forced car makers down that path, no matter the drawbacks or alternatives (hybrid and hydrogen), Pratt argues. He talks of the hype around BEVs and says hype “closes minds”. He adds: “If the science on the best ways to get there changes,…

Toyota is ramping up to electrify its growing Gazoo Racing performance brand following the launch of the new GR86 sports coupé – and it’s poised to bring back the MR2 as a lithe and compact twoseat EV with affordability at the forefront of its agenda. The roll-out of Toyota’s flat-floored E-TNGA modular EV architecture – as first deployed on the Toyota bZ4X and closely related Subaru Solterra and Lexus RZ SUVs – gives the Japanese firm the flexibility needed to maintain an offering in every segment as it electrifies. Late last year, Toyota hinted at the diversity of its future electric line-up by unwrapping a fleet of 15 concept EVs (four of them from premium brand Lexus), including a diminutive urban crossover, a Tesla Model 3-rivalling saloon, a full-size pick-up…

Toyota is looking to owners and devotees to help it decide on the future of its current performance flagship, the GR Supra. Speaking at the recent launch of the new manual Supra, a Gazoo Racing representative said the brand has a “diversified range of options for potentially electrifying the Supra or putting an even more powerful combustion engine in”. That raises the possibility that the current car’s BMWderived 3.0-litre straight six could be boosted to more than its 335bhp output. In the new BMW M240i Coupé, it makes 368bhp. He added that when it comes to approving a Supra EV, feedback from the media and owners is welcome. “It’s a valuable input into our decision-making,” he said.…

Given Toyota’s sporting car legacy over the decades, from the original MR2 to the GT86 and the GR Yaris (and not forgetting the short-lived GR86, the 2.4-litre replacement for the GT86), it’s a car maker that we’re willing to give new life to sports cars. Those cars offered the enjoyment of driving in its purest, rawest form, and we love them for it. Sceptics will argue that can’t be emulated without a combustion engine, but lets give Toyota its due. Plenty of others have shunned performance sub-brands in recent years, but the Japanese maker has demonstrated not only its commitment with the GR brand but also its excellent engineering. If anyone can make a success of an electric sports car, Toyota can.…

The Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV has grown in size, moved upmarket and adopted an exclusively hybridised powertrain line-up for its second generation. Since the GLC arrived in 2015, its global sales have climbed to almost two million, making it one of Mercedes’ strongest-selling models. Developed alongside the latest C-Class, with which the it shares a large part of its mechanical package and engine line-up, the Audi Q5 rival is based on the latest incarnation of Mercedes’ MRA platform. This supports a more advanced electrical architecture than the platform used by its predecessor, providing the basis for a range of new features. These include optional rear-wheel steering, which offers up to 4.5deg of turn angle at the rear wheels and a reduction in the turning circle from a standard 11.8m to 10.9m.…

JUST BEFORE THE latest GLC was revealed, Mercedes-AMG officially previewed the hot new C63 version of its C-Class saloon sibling, which will make the landmark switch from V8 to four-cylinder hybrid power. Shown in concept form at the Nürburgring 24 Hours last week, the upcoming BMW M3 rival is emphatically marked out from the standard C-Class by way of an aggressive bodykit, chunky AMG sports alloy wheels (covering the requisite drilled and ventilated brake discs) and a beefy quad-exit exhaust. It will be the first AMG to swap its thunderous V8 for an advanced new fourcylinder hybrid drivetrain. The A45 hot hatchback’s 2.0-litre engine has been tuned to give 470bhp in its own right for the new C63 – making it comfortably the most powerful four-cylinder engine in series production.…