Auto Express 1680

WATCH out Audi, BMW and Mercedes, here comes… well, this week it’s DS. In a couple of weeks it’ll be Genesis, and we can guarantee it won’t be long before someone else is chasing the premium pack. The posh German brands have been targets for many over the years, from Saab to Infiniti (not so successful) to Volvo and Lexus, not to mention the UK’s own Jaguar. And who can blame the world’s car makers, with bigger margins at stake when you’ve convinced buyers that the badge on the bonnet means you can charge a bit more. This week I’ve driven the new DS 9 (above and on page 30) and it’s an impressive car. DS – and it’s parent company Stellantis – knows this is a long game, not only in…

WATCH out Audi, BMW and Mercedes, here comes… well, this week it’s DS. In a couple of weeks it’ll be Genesis, and we can guarantee it won’t be long before someone else is chasing the premium pack. The posh German brands have been targets for many over the years, from Saab to Infiniti (not so successful) to Volvo and Lexus, not to mention the UK’s own Jaguar. And who can blame the world’s car makers, with bigger margins at stake when you’ve convinced buyers that the badge on the bonnet means you can charge a bit more. This week I’ve driven the new DS 9 (above and on page 30) and it’s an impressive car. DS – and it’s parent company Stellantis – knows this is a long game, not…

Steve_Fowler@autovia.co.uk @stevefowler IT’S been one long, tumultuous year since the launch of the new Land Rover Defender – arguably the British brand’s most important new car in a generation. Launching during a global pandemic was hardly the start in life the car needed. But with over 45,000 cars sold already, Auto Express caught up with Land Rover’s Brand Director, Finbar McFall, to talk about the Defender’s first year and what’s in store for the next 12 months and beyond. While a hugely important part of the business, there’s an emotional connection to Defender for the whole Land Rover team, as McFall explains. “I know it’s only a car, but it matters to us,” he says. “You know we had various calls thinking how we replace Defender before. When we arrived at the idea of this…

Steve_Fowler@autovia.co.uk @stevefowler IT’S been one long, tumultuous year since the launch of the new Land Rover Defender – arguably the British brand’s most important new car in a generation. Launching during a global pandemic was hardly the start in life the car needed. But with over 45,000 cars sold already, Auto Express caught up with Land Rover’s Brand Director, Finbar McFall, to talk about the Defender’s first year and what’s in store for the next 12 months and beyond. While a hugely important part of the business, there’s an emotional connection to Defender for the whole Land Rover team, as McFall explains. “I know it’s only a car, but it matters to us,” he says. “You know we had various calls thinking how we replace Defender before. When we arrived…

SINCE the car’s launch in early 2020, the Defender range has already expanded to include the commercial Hard Top models plus a plug-in hybrid, and a V8 that costs more than £100,000. But JLR’s Chief Creative Officer, Gerry McGovern, has always spoken about the Defender ‘family’, so what’s coming next? Land Rover investors have already been told about a forthcoming longer-wheelbase Defender, a 130 model to sit alongside the three-door 90 and five-door 110, and dubbed the ‘premium explorer’. The new model is expected to share its wheelbase with the 110 version, with an increase in rear overhang accounting for the extra length. Auto Express also understands that a pick-up version of the new Defender is planned, based on the 110 model and likely to go up against premium pick-ups such as…

SINCE the car’s launch in early 2020, the Defender range has already expanded to include the commercial Hard Top models plus a plug-in hybrid, and a V8 that costs more than £100,000. But JLR’s Chief Creative Officer, Gerry McGovern, has always spoken about the Defender ‘family’, so what’s coming next? Land Rover investors have already been told about a forthcoming longer-wheelbase Defender, a 130 model to sit alongside the three-door 90 and five-door 110, and dubbed the ‘premium explorer’. The new model is expected to share its wheelbase with the 110 version, with an increase in rear overhang accounting for the extra length. Auto Express also understands that a pick-up version of the new Defender is planned, based on the 110 model and likely to go up against premium pick-ups such…