Table of contents for 1890 in Auto Express

A HOST of recent interesting stories from individual manufacturers have added up to a big picture that reinforces the brilliantly diverse nature of the UK car industry. The uncertainty over Lotus’s future here and Nissan cutting jobs in Sunderland – although the plant looks secure – are countered by Toyota’s decision to invest in its UK facility to build the GR Corolla, and the transformation at JLR’s Halewood plant ahead of it producing the mid-sized electric Range Rover model from next year. We’ve been behind the scenes of the £500m revamp to get the lowdown on the Merseyside factory’s revolution (see Page 28). McLaren and Bentley picked up well deserved wins at the Auto Express New Car Awards last week, showing they’re still at the top of their game, with…

BEHOLD our first glimpse of the Bentley of tomorrow, inspired by the brand’s famous grand tourers from the early 20th century. And as you’ve probably already guessed, there’s no W12 engine or even a V8 under that long bonnet. Instead, it has an EV powertrain. The Bentley EXP 15 is a concept, and will never go into production, but it represents how the marque plans to seamlessly blend tradition and innovation in future models. It also provides some clues about its first fully electric car, which is due to be unveiled in 2026 and is, of course, going to be built in Crewe. The car’s extravagant silhouette, with its upright grille, “endless” bonnet and rearward cabin, was influenced by the Bentley Speed Six Gurney Nutting Sportsman coupé from 1930. Known…

AFTER months of lacklustre showroom performance, Tesla is once again thriving in the UK sales charts following what has been called a “bumper” month for registrations, with one in four new car sales being an EV. In June, the Tesla Model Y was the UK’s best-selling electric car and the third-most popular car overall, closely followed by the Model 3, which was the sixth-most registered car last month. This comes after sustained poor sales for Tesla; in May, Elon Musk’s EV brand was outperformed by BYD and Dacia. However, while Tesla’s market share is still marginally down from 2.29 per cent to 2.18 per cent year-to-date, it remains ahead of the aforementioned competition. Tesla also admitted that its sales tend to peak towards the end of a quarter, whenever shipments…

THE Halewood factory has churned out nine million cars: some fabulous (the Mk1 Ford Escort), some derided (the Jaguar X-Type), some both (the Ford Capri). But none of them powered solely by electricity. All that will change in 2026, when an all-new mid-size Range Rover starts rolling out of a brand-new body facility. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is overhauling its Liverpool production hub with a £500million staggered investment, and Auto Express has ventured inside for a sneak preview. Planning to introduce a new Electric Modular Architecture (EMA) began four years ago, triggering Halewood’s transformation into a hi-tech digital factory building a unique electric Range Rover. The new 4x4 will be similar in size to the existing Velar, but stands apart due to its long wheelbase, low roof and zero-emissions running.…

THE small SUV class is a busy one, but the Vauxhall Mokka has sharp looks that help it stand out from the crowd. Its kerbside appeal is maintained inside, where you’ll find twin digital displays and on-board tech that’s easy enough to get along with. Revisions were made for 2025, but while no individual update was of particular note, the combined changes have helped to make the Mokka even easier to live with. The latest mild-hybrid powertrain offers a good mix of ease of use and performance, and is of particular note. ENGINES & PERFORMANCE VAUXHALL’S 2025 update introduced a new 143bhp hybrid powertrain to the line-up as a replacement for the Mokka diesel, which is no longer offered. This sits as a bridge between the standard petrol and the…

IN total, I did 5,285 miles and spent 192 days with the Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio, during which time I realised many new things about it. But my main thought now it’s gone is that it was a great car, yes, but one that could, and should, be better still considering how much money it costs. Where it’s good, it’s great. But where it’s not so good, it’s unusually poor – and sometimes peculiarly irritating. Some will say it was ever thus with Alfa Romeos, but in 2025 there’s a lot less room for mistakes, and at nigh-on 80 grand, Alfa’s BMW M3 rival needs to be nothing less than brilliant to justify its price. Either way, in order to truly get along with the Quadrifoglio – and despite Alfa having…

FOR a firm to be considered premium these days, a top-tier ‘branded’ stereo is a non-negotiable element in its cars. But what many of us don’t know is the amount of investment and development that goes into these systems, which have transformed a humble radio into an aural extravaganza. A car is a terrible place to start designing a sound experience, because the road noise, vibration and harshness – NVH in industry terminology – generate a colossal amount of white noise for the system to overcome. This changes, too, depending on the speed or road surface. And inside the cabin, the soundwaves bounce in all directions off the hard materials, such as glass and plastic. A recent drive in a Porsche 911 GT3 proved this point, with the huge tyres…

THESE cars couldn’t be more different and as a trio they certainly cover all bases. But there’s one thing they all have in common: they’re powered by Toyota. Despite being made by different brands, this three-car garage shows how it’s possible to take advantage of these corporate partnerships. 1 LOTUS EMIRA £61,690 THE long arm of Toyota extends to Norfolk, as shown by the V6-engined version of the Lotus Emira sports car. These two brands have teamed up many times in the past when it comes to sharing chassis dynamics (from Lotus) and excellent free-revving engines (from Toyota). The 3.5-litre, supercharged V6 in the Emira might be descended from the one you’d find in a Toyota Camry, but it’s very well suited to blasting this stylish sports car around, with…

AFTER being on sale in China for nearly two years, the Kia EV5 is finally making its way to our shores, and the fully electric family SUV is focused on delivering serious bang for your buck in order to top its key rivals such as the Skoda Enyaq, Ford Explorer or Tesla Model Y. As its name suggests, the EV5 will bridge the gap in Kia’s pure-electric range between the award-winning EV3 compact SUV, and the EV9 flagship seven-seater. It will also act as the all-electric alternative to the best-selling, recently refreshed Sportage, because the two SUVs are very similar in size. Orders for the EV5 will open later this year, with prices expected to start from a little over £38,000, which is less than most of its competition. The…

EARLIER this year, Aston Martin CEO Adrian Hallmark told Auto Express the firm needed to “focus on customer retention and giving buyers reason to upgrade their cars”. First came the uprated DBX S – the company’s most powerful SUV – and now it has launched its hardest, most focused sports car to date: the Vantage S. The new edition is based on the recently updated second-generation car. It gains a modest uplift in power from 656bhp to 671bhp, plus a new throttle map, to enhance driver engagement, and new suspension hardware for greater agility. There’s a handful of visual changes, too, including new centrally mounted bonnet vents, S badges on the front wings, and red detailing on the bespoke 21-inch alloy wheels. Inside, there’s unique Alcantara and leather upholstery, plus…

THE onslaught of arrivals from China in our showrooms is continuing apace with confirmation that Geely is coming to the UK. While some of the new brands are fairly unknown, the Hangzhou-based powerhouse, which owns Volvo, Polestar and Lotus, is a genuine automotive giant, and as such should be a force to reckon with. The first car Geely is launching here will be the EX5, an all-electric C-segment SUV that’s designed to challenge the Skoda Enyaq, Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 as well as other family EVs from China, such as the Leapmotor C10. Geely’s expansion into the UK market comes as the wider Geely Auto Group announced a record 2.1 million vehicle sales in 2024 – an increase of 34 per cent – with more than 400,000 of…

GENESIS will launch a series of hybrids designed to bolster its position in the premium new-car market. While the maker hasn’t confirmed which models are in line for a hybrid powertrain (above), UK brand director Jonny Miller told us the company would not retro-fit petrol engines to dedicated EVs that sit on the E-GMP platform. This rules out the GV60, but leaves the newly-facelifted GV70 SUV and G80 saloon as possible candidates. Miller also said the move could allow Genesis to “bring back models that were previously offered with a petrol engine” – cars such as the GV80, and possibly even the G70 and G70 Shooting Brake. It may also present the maker with an opportunity to finally sell the GV80 Coupé here. We could see the first hybrid Genesis…

GIVEN that the car’s name takes up so much of this page, it might not shock you that the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance Premium Plus is quite a lot to take in. At the top of the new AMG GT range, it combines Formula One-inspired tech with AMG’s well proven twin-turbocharged V8, to create an 803bhp flagship with the Porsche 911 Turbo and Aston Martin Vantage in its sights. AMG’s GT has had a few different forms over the generations, but the latest edition’s styling appears to be taking a direct line towards the Porsche 911. The two models couldn’t be further away from one another under the skin, though. Fundamentally, a modern AMG GT is relatively simple: the engine now has a nine-speed gearbox bolted to it,…

THE second-generation Hyundai Kona met the criticisms of the first model head on by offering more space than its predecessor. It’s competitive for the small SUV class, too, while the Hybrid version delivers efficiency that looks strong on paper. Prices start from just under £31,000 for the Hybrid, while the sportier N Line model, as tested here, plus N Line S and Ultimate variants, complete the line-up. ENGINES & PERFORMANCE UNDER the skin, the Kona’s platform is shared with the Kia Niro, and it’s the same chassis whether you pick the pure-petrol, hybrid or electric powertrain. That means front-wheel drive is the only option available, with no four-wheel-drive configurations offered. Power for the Kona Hybrid comes from a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine connected to a six-speed automatic gearbox. It…

MINI TEST MANY drivers won’t have felt the need to pick up a road atlas since sat-nav became available. Even on the shortest journey, most of us will rely on the computerised calculation and instant updates that we can get by typing into our phones or stabbing buttons on an infotainment screen. But for bigger trips, a paper map is still easier and more satisfying to use. You can choose scenic routes, locate attractions without adverts and not require data, reception or a battery. To prove the format isn’t dead, the AA and Collins have both released new maps for 2026, Collins in fold-out and paperback form. To test them, we chose the editions covering Scotland, a popular destination with notoriously patchy phone reception. The Collins maps are good in…

THE future of Lotus’s UK plant in Hethel, Norfolk, is under review, as its Chinese owner, Geely, takes drastic action to fix the loss-making British sports car brand. The maker is trapped in a perfect storm, buffeted by tariffs that have inflated the cost of UK sports car exports to the United States, and exorbitant American import duties on its Chinese-built lifestyle EVs that make sales commercially impossible. Lotus is grappling with inconsistent electric car demand, too, and growing the brand from a tiny customer base. Geely has pumped massive investment into Lotus, funding the clean-sheet electric technology that underpins the Eletre SUV and Emeya sports saloon, and a factory in Wuhan, China. It has also invested £100 million in the Norfolk site, yielding new production lines to build the…

ALPINE has a rich history in rallying, having won the inaugural World Rally Championship in 1973 – and the firm is heading back to the forests with the new A290 Rallye. Like the A110 Rally unveiled in 2019, the all-electric A290 Rallye is a genuine racing car. It has been developed by Alpine’s hi-tech engineering facility in Viry-Châtillon, France, and will hit the start line at a “single-rally challenge” before the end of the year, the firm says. The regular A290 hot hatch features some major changes over the Renault 5 on which it’s based, and the Rallye includes further key motorsport upgrades. For starters, there’s a full roll cage, bucket seats from Sabelt, a quick-release bonnet and a roof-mounted air intake. The Rallye has the same 52kWh battery and…

VOLVO’S future might be electric, but it’s still investing in its current crop of petrol-powered models, with the popular XC60 the latest to be revamped. Yet simply calling it “popular” might be an understatement, because in June, the mid-sized SUV became the best-selling Volvo in history with 2.7 million sales, surpassing the legendary 240. Since the XC60 was launched in 2008, there have only been two generations and although the current version has been around since 2017, a mid-life refresh has only been introduced this year. That’s not by chance, though – Volvo will soon launch the similarly sized EX60 to provide an all-electric alternative to the XC60. The strategy feels extremely similar to the arrival of the new electric EX90 last year to sit alongside the XC90, which coincidentally…

WE all like getting good value for money, so it’s nice to know that Toyota has enhanced its Yaris supermini line-up by offering the more potent 128bhp hybrid set-up with the mid-range Excel trim, rather than reserving it exclusively for the flagship GR Sport as it had previously. This latest set-up should appeal to those keen to have more oomph in their supermini without sacrificing economy, because the extra power comes from a beefed-up electric motor, rather than a larger and less fuel-efficient petrol engine. Power is up from the 114bhp in the basic set-up (which is still available in entry-level Icon and Design trims) to 128bhp, helping to reduce the 0-62mph time from 9.7 seconds to 9.2 seconds, and making it slightly swifter than the rival Honda Jazz in…

IN case you hadn’t heard the news, the Renault 5 took home the now fiercely contested title of Auto Express Affordable Electric Car of the Year in our New Car Awards. And it’s not simply because prices for this obscenely charming EV start from under £23,000; another big reason is that it’s great to drive, no matter what situation you throw it into. I assumed that, being such a chic small electric car, the French fancy would have a crisis when driven outside town or above about 30mph. Yet it’s quiet and feels stable cruising on the motorway, while on a twisty country road it’s very composed and up for being chucked into corners. Other than the fact that I’ve been averaging a very respectable 3.9 miles per kWh, the…

ASTON Martin has been selling cars using the Vantage name since as long ago as 1950, and as such it’s one of the most evocative automotive monikers. But it took a long time for Aston to produce a Vantage that was truly credible on the world stage. Some would say that moment came in 2005 with the arrival of the Vantage V8, but arguably it was that car’s successor that could truly compete with its rivals in terms of the technology fitted and the build quality. The Vantage Mk2 really upped the game for Aston, and with the earliest examples now seven years old, this junior supercar is shaping up to be a very smart used buy. HISTORY THE Mk2 Vantage was unveiled in November 2017, costing from £95,000 with…

IT was me. I’m that “naive” car bloke whose request for a few new, small, pure-electric models at around £10,000 a pop was “greedily unreasonable” and “hopelessly out of touch” – or maybe not, I’m now smugly telling myself. Consumer scepticism, suspicion and wariness of EVs and their generally high prices were rife in 2024. This prompted my end-of-year plea to the armies of manufacturing, marketing and sales boys and girls out there to put at least one unapologetically modest, bargain-basement pure-EV on the market in 2025. If nothing else, it would be a symbolic gesture and might just appeal to sceptics reluctant to splash out big bucks on pure-electric cars and tech they’re wary of, but who could be willing and financially able to have an exploratory dabble on…