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THERE’S nothing we like more here at Auto Express than surfing the internet looking at new car deals. Saving thousands – even for our dream garages – never ceases to bring a smile to our faces, bringing the wonderful feeling that we’re beating the system. There are normally certain times of the year when deals reach their peak – the end of a financial quarter, for example. Rarely are the deal taps turned on full when demand is traditionally highest, like plate-change time. Of course, it’s a unique time right now and the car market is down in the dumps. But even so, some of the deals we’ve seen recently have amazed us, especially from premium makes. How does £12,000 off a new and rather brilliant Audi A6 Avant (like…

● Our images preview mega new RS 3, cool look of regular five-door ● Plug-in and mild-hybrid versions to join petrols in standard line-up James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods ONE of Audi’s prized assets will be renewed this summer in the form of a Mk4 A3, which will see the firm offer two quite different flagship variants. Audi’s fourth-generation family hatch will be available with an improved e-tron-badged plug-in hybrid. But at the opposite end of the scale, the brand will still cater for petrolheads with an RS model tasked with taking down the new 416bhp Mercedes-AMG A 45 in style. The RS 3 won’t appear from launch, and will be beaten into showrooms by the upcoming 416bhp A 45. But downsizing won’t be on the menu for Audi’s hottest hatch. It’ll keep its…

Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @AxleIngram WITHIN the next month or two, Volkswagen will have produced its 30 millionth Passat. Eight generations have hit the road since the car’s launch back in 1973, and UK orders for this newly updated Peugeot 508 rival will open in June. The latest version is still based upon the Mk8, but VW believes the changes are significant enough to consider it a ‘Mk8.5’. Under the subtly massaged metal, the revised Passat packs improved safety tech, updated infotainment and connectivity systems, semi-autonomous driving capability and an overhauled engine range. Perhaps the most significant change under the bonnet is an improved GTE plug-in hybrid. The power output from the petrol/electric setup remains the same as before, at 215bhp, but a larger-capacity battery – up to 13kWh from 9.9kWh – sees…

ESTATE LOAD-carrier will be UK’s big-selling Passat, and it benefits from saloon’s styling, engine and tech upgrades. Vast 650-litre boot volume is among the best in the class. ALLTRACK THIS takes estate body and applies SUV-inspired chunky plastic trim and raised ride height. Every version gets all-wheel drive and a DSG automatic gearbox as standard. GTE HYBRID PLUG-in hybrid delivers the same 215bhp as before, but electric-only range improves by 40 per cent. New driving modes allow battery to be saved for zero-emission zones.…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram THE upcoming pure-electric version of the Vauxhall Mokka X will become the backbone of the SUV’s line-up as the British manufacturer looks to switch its focus from petrol and diesel power to electrification. And buyers won’t have to wait long for the EV to land in showrooms because Auto Express can reveal the electric crossover will be launched only months after the standard Mokka X SUV arrives at the beginning of next year; a possible debut at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show has been earmarked. The Kia e-Niro rival will take its styling cues from last year’s GT X Experimental concept and is previewed by our exclusive main image. It’ll ditch the typical EV looks, with a design that differs only subtly from the petrol versions. Customers “don’t…

VOLKSWAGEN’S latest electric vehicle is a dune buggy concept, which takes its inspiration from the iconic Beetle-based beach buggies of the sixties and seventies. Teased in an official sketch (right), the car is expected to be called I.D. Buggy when it appears at the Geneva Motor Show next month, and like the camper van-inspired I.D. Buzz that came before it, features a host of retro-themed design touches. Nods to the original beach buggy include a set of chunky tyres sitting beneath flared wheelarches that flow into a curvy, simple body style that does without doors or a roof. As with the brand’s fleet of other I.D. models, there’s a backlit VW logo on the nose, while the LED headlamps mimic the round spotlights from the originals. Protection for the buggy…