Auto Express 1704

AS this issue closed for press, hundreds of officials were still arguing over the semantics and promises contained within a proposed agreement from the COP26 summit on climate change in Glasgow. And there was plenty of haggling among car manufacturers last week too, with some agreeing to hastily drawn-up goals on pure-electric strategy, and others declining. We’ll hold back on judging the overall success of the Scottish gathering. But if anything, this week’s magazine shows the multi-faceted approach that car companies are taking, regardless of any formal commitment – reflecting the fact that every customer is at a different stage of the journey towards zero-emissions motoring. For example, our cover star, the MG ZS, is a big-battery, pure-electric family SUV whose price tag would have been unthinkable even a year ago. For those…

James_Brodie@autovia.co.uk @JPBrods “On paper, it takes the ZS into entirely new territory. Up to 273 miles of range is claimed from the Long Range” THIS could be a sliding doors moment, not just for MG – a brand that is steadily building solid sales figures in the UK – but also for the UK’s electric-car market. It’s the facelifted ZS EV, a heavily revised version of MG’s compact electric SUV that arrives with some updates usually associated with an all-new car, not a mid-life refresh. It doesn’t look hugely different, with a new, smarter front grille joined by updated headlights, a fresh rear bumper and a revamped colour palette. It’s still very much an amalgamation of common small family SUV design themes, but it’s what’s underneath that counts. That’s because while the old ZS…

AS this issue closed for press, hundreds of officials were still arguing over the semantics and promises contained within a proposed agreement from the COP26 summit on climate change in Glasgow. And there was plenty of haggling among car manufacturers last week too, with some agreeing to hastily drawn-up goals on pure-electric strategy, and others declining. We’ll hold back on judging the overall success of the Scottish gathering. But if anything, this week’s magazine shows the multi-faceted approach that car companies are taking, regardless of any formal commitment – reflecting the fact that every customer is at a different stage of the journey towards zero-emissions motoring. For example, our cover star, the MG ZS, is a big-battery, pure-electric family SUV whose price tag would have been unthinkable even a year…

Richard_Ingram@autovia.co.uk @rsp_ingram ● Design, research and development work is done in the UK ● British headquarters based in London, but cars are built in Asia IT’S arguably one of the car industry’s most surprising success stories. MG’s transformation from a nomadic existence as a brand targeting a sporty, premium image, to a Chinese-owned purveyor of cheap, no-nonsense cars has done the trick. The company has not been this stable for generations. Its UK sales figures are only growing, and now stand at almost two per cent of the British market and ahead of many mainstream names. And the marque is finding international success as well. How much of what we know as MG now is British, though? The brand still has a design, research and development presence at Longbridge in the Midlands, but it does not…

James_Brodie@autovia.co.uk @JPBrods “On paper, it takes the ZS into entirely new territory. Up to 273 miles of range is claimed from the Long Range” THIS could be a sliding doors moment, not just for MG – a brand that is steadily building solid sales figures in the UK – but also for the UK’s electric-car market. It’s the facelifted ZS EV, a heavily revised version of MG’s compact electric SUV that arrives with some updates usually associated with an all-new car, not a mid-life refresh. It doesn’t look hugely different, with a new, smarter front grille joined by updated headlights, a fresh rear bumper and a revamped colour palette. It’s still very much an amalgamation of common small family SUV design themes, but it’s what’s underneath that counts. That’s because…

sean_carson@autovia.co.uk ● Sharpest 718 Cayman yet ● Packed with lightweight kit “More power, extra downforce and an uprated chassis are the key elements of the GT4 RS” FOR years the performance car world has wondered what an RS version of the Porsche Cayman GT4 would be like. Now the German brand has crowned its mid-engined model range with a hardcore track-focused 718 Cayman GT4 RS variant. More power, extra downforce and an uprated chassis are the key elements of the new car developed by Porsche’s GT motorsport department, with the Cayman GT4 RS powered by the 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six from the 911 GT3. It’s been detuned slightly, so produces 493bhp and 450Nm of torque here, revving to 9,000rpm, while the engine draws air via intakes where other Caymans have windows. The motor is joined by a…