Autocar February 27, 2019

FROM THE DOOM and gloom surrounding the UK car industry, with factory closures and ‘consolidations’ growing in number, there emerges another timely reminder this week of just how great it can be. Ginetta’s fascinating new supercar (p68) is unashamedly and deliberately British, from its engine and gearbox design, to its innovative materials, layout, construction and aerodynamics, along with all the people involved in making it. A near-£400,000, limited-run machine won’t make headlines in quite the same way as the closure of a factory in Swindon (and understandably so), but it shows there remains a strong pulse within the UK car industry. The five-star McLaren 720S Spider (p37), impressive new Bentley Continental GTC (p41) and heavily revised Jaguar XE that rights so many of its wrongs (p10) are yet more evidence…

GOT A STORY? Email our news editor lawrence.allan@haymarket.com Jaguar is treating its smallest saloon, the XE, to a package of mid-life improvements and upgrades – and including a generous sprinkling of I-Pace fairy dust – in a move aimed at boosting disappointing sales compared with dominant German rivals. The new XE gets a more assertive face plus snappier rear styling to match. There’s also a plusher and significantly better-equipped interior and a package of driver-oriented instruments, controls and technology originally brought to market by Jaguar’s all-electric I-Pace. The new model goes on sale this week at prices starting from £33,915. “The XE is an enduring favourite with our younger design team – the kind of car they like to drive,” said design director Ian Callum. “The mechanical package was always…

For people who choose their cars for great driving dynamics, the indifferent sales of the Jaguar XE have always been a bit of a mystery. Spend quality time in this car and you’ll soon start regarding it as a kind of baby F-Type, a smallish, low and sporty car with brilliant steering, taut suspension, lots of cornering grip and a very good turn of speed. But what was always missing was an eye-catching look and a plush interior – and now the XE is getting both. It ought to make a difference. Everyone agrees the XE looks great, what with its sporting stance and sinuous, mostly aluminium body. What will count, though, is whether buyers are ready to take an open-minded look at a car that hasn’t previously been the…

What makes the new Jaguar XE special? “We believe it’s the total package: progressive design, innovative tech and great driving dynamics. My team and I have taken huge pleasure out of improving a car we already know very well. We’ve lived with it, we understand its character, and now we’ve made it better.” Why was it necessary to give an already good-looking car more presence? “We think the car looks great, but there’s no question that in this market you have to be seen to be heard. Proportionally, we reckon the XE is already the best car in its class, but feedback from customers, from our marketing guys and even our own impressions as we used the car made it clear we needed to dial up the assertiveness.” What do…

The production version of the Honda e prototype electric city car will go on sale in Europe later this year – and the firm believes the car’s retro design will give it an Apple-style appeal to customers. The four-seater, which will be displayed at the Geneva motor show, is “95% production ready”, according to the firm. It maintains the styling of the Urban EV Concept unveiled at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show, albeit with the addition of an extra set of doors. Project manager Kohei Hitomi said the machine had been the subject of an internal “battle” over whether to put it into production (see Q&A, right), with the positive reaction to the concept being a key factor in it gaining approval. Honda has yet to confirm full technical details…

The Honda e prototype will be followed by other small EVs built on the same platform – and they are set to include a version of the Sports EV Concept. The e prototype is built on a new platform designed for A-and B-segment electric cars. Honda showed the Sports EV Concept, a rear-wheel-drive two-seater, at the Tokyo show in 2017. Speaking about the platform, e prototype project manager Kohei Hitomi said: “The fundamental technology is there and our colleagues in the design department are thinking in many directions.” Asked if the platform would suit a car like the Sports EV, he said: “It can be any car. It can be a sporty car or a box-type car. Personally, I’d very much welcome a sporty car on that platform.”…