Auto Express 1582

OKAY, so I know it’s not absolutely definite, but surely the news coming out of PSA that it plans to build the next generation of Astra at its Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire – conditional on the final terms of a Brexit deal – is some timely good news for the UK car industry. What could possibly go wrong? Here’s hoping whoever ends up as our Prime Minister in the coming weeks manages to produce a workable plan that’s good for business – whatever that may be. The Vauxhall news came in the week we celebrate the best of British talent in the car industry with the Auto Express Brit List. This is the eighth year of our annual countdown that’s eagerly anticipated by those who work in the car…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn ● Renault’s all-new small crossover follows Clio into showrooms ● Upcoming plug-in hybrid variant promises 28-mile electric range SINCE the Renault Captur was launched back in 2013, the compact-SUV class has exploded. According to Renault, the number of competitors it faces has increased from one to more than 20, so the French firm has completely redeveloped its Nissan Juke rival for this all-new second generation. The visual changes are easy to pick out; the Captur now sports LED headlamps – like those on the latest Clio – and they’re standard across the range, while the whole car is 110mm longer, 20mm wider and marginally taller than before. Those new proportions have helped the Captur morph into a proper crossover and one with a boot capacity of 536 litres;…

THE new Renault Clio is likely to get a faster variant within the next 18 months – but a full-blown Mk5 Renaultsport Clio remains the subject of internal review at the French manufacturer, Auto Express has learned. The fastest version of the fifth-generation supermini at its launch is a 129bhp 1.3-litre petrol (driven in Issue 1,581). A tuned version of this engine was recently released in Renault’s race and rally variants of the car (above) – and the Clio could easily get the Captur’s higher-output version of the motor, with 153bhp. This ‘warm’ Clio would rival the 138bhp Ford Fiesta ST-Line. But while Renaultsport is also said to be testing a 1.6-litre engine in the new car, senior Renault sources have told us that a Mk5 Clio R.S. is far…

Vicky_Parrott@dennis.co.uk @VickyParrott ● Behind the wheel of Honda’s new upmarket pure-electric city car ● Can hi-tech, luxury cabin help to offset range of just 125 miles? LUXURY doesn’t have to mean large. But is the compact, retro-cute, pure-electric Honda e city car good enough to warrant a price expected to start at around £32,000, despite a claimed driving range of only 125 miles? On the evidence of our early, and brief, drive in a prototype, yes. Just about. From the horizon of screens that you sit behind – which are bookended by the rear three-quarter camera feeds that will be standard on the production car in place of wing mirrors – and the coarsely textured, dense-feeling textiles, it seems enough of a boutique product to justify a boutique price. The…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn ● SUV is first Kia with digital dials ● Pitched as cut-price Merc GLA KIA has bolstered its SUV line-up by adding a fifth model: the Xceed. It’s the fourth member of the Ceed family, and has a unique look and bespoke chassis tweaks, and will come with the option of a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Prices start at £20,795. The new model is designed to sit between the firm’s Stonic and Sportage SUVs, and is described by Kia as a crossover utility vehicle. It’s pitched as a cut-price Mercedes GLA. The only body parts carried over from the Ceed hatchback are the front doors; every other panel has been redesigned to give the Xceed a unique look within the range. Its wheelbase is the same as the hatch’s,…

Next Astra to be built in UK if Brexit is smooth VAUXHALL will build the next Astra hatchback at its factory in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, if the UK negotiates a smooth exit from the European Union. Question marks had been raised over where the next Astra would be produced in 2021 because of Brexit and the possible trade barriers it would bring; 80 per cent of production at Ellesmere Port is shipped to Europe. Groupe PSA, Vauxhall’s parent company, said: “The decision on the allocation to the Ellesmere Port plant will be conditional on the final terms of the UK’s exit from the European Union”. The model will also be produced at Opel’s factory in Russelsheim, Germany.…