Autocar October 09, 2019

THE CAR INDUSTRY is facing up to an unprecedented number of ‘big issues’ at the moment, posed by the rise of electrification, tough emissions regulations, autonomy and other factors. It’s a fascinating, exciting time to be involved in the industry – but sometimes you find yourself wishing for a simpler era, one without the complex implications of fleet CO2 targets, five levels of autonomy and complex safety requirements to decipher. Thankfully, there are companies such as Ariel producing cars such as the Atom 4. The firm’s spaceframe special is a lightweight, no-nonsense, back-to-basics machine made purely for the thrill of driving – and it’s all the better for it. It’s the subject of our road test this week (see p32), and – spoiler alert – our testers handed it an ultra-rare…

THE CAR INDUSTRY is facing up to an unprecedented number of ‘big issues’ at the moment, posed by the rise of electrification, tough emissions regulations, autonomy and other factors. It’s a fascinating, exciting time to be involved in the industry – but sometimes you find yourself wishing for a simpler era, one without the complex implications of fleet CO2 targets, five levels of autonomy and complex safety requirements to decipher. Thankfully, there are companies such as Ariel producing cars such as the Atom 4. The firm’s spaceframe special is a lightweight, no-nonsense, back-to-basics machine made purely for the thrill of driving – and it’s all the better for it. It’s the subject of our road test this week (see p32), and – spoiler alert – our testers handed it an…

“The new EV is expected to sit between the Evoque and the Velar in terms of overall size” Land Rover is gearing up to launch its first fully electric Range Rover model, a low-slung luxury crossover that will be twinned with the Jaguar XJ and is due to go on sale in late 2021. With the revived Defender now unveiled as a true off-road flagship model, the British firm can strengthen its focus on electrification, a key area of investment in Jaguar Land Rover’s Charge and Accelerate programmes designed to restructure the business following recent heavy losses. The new EV, first revealed by Autocar in 2017 and once known under the working name Road Rover, is being developed as the brand’s most road-focused model yet, albeit retaining more off-road capability than rivals. It…

“The new EV is expected to sit between the Evoque and the Velar in terms of overall size” Land Rover is gearing up to launch its first fully electric Range Rover model, a low-slung luxury crossover that will be twinned with the Jaguar XJ and is due to go on sale in late 2021. With the revived Defender now unveiled as a true off-road flagship model, the British firm can strengthen its focus on electrification, a key area of investment in Jaguar Land Rover’s Charge and Accelerate programmes designed to restructure the business following recent heavy losses. The new EV, first revealed by Autocar in 2017 and once known under the working name Road Rover, is being developed as the brand’s most road-focused model yet, albeit retaining more off-road capability…

The electric crossover project is certainly an exciting one, and no doubt JLR’s bean counters have been encouraged by the relative success of the Jaguar I-Pace in Europe. But this remains a vehicle that needs to be made to ensure the brand meets impending emissions targets without incurring hefty fines, rather than being a model that’s likely to give JLR a much-needed volume boost. What’s more important is the execution of the product, not only so it’s competitive with the ever-growing range of electric SUVs from premium rivals, but also as a demonstration that JLR can still deliver an outstanding, well-engineered car that is unaffected by the brand’s recent financial difficulties. Land Rover’s engineers must at least attempt to translate some of the I-Pace’s impressive on-road dynamics to a Land Rover EV,…

The electric crossover project is certainly an exciting one, and no doubt JLR’s bean counters have been encouraged by the relative success of the Jaguar I-Pace in Europe. But this remains a vehicle that needs to be made to ensure the brand meets impending emissions targets without incurring hefty fines, rather than being a model that’s likely to give JLR a much-needed volume boost. What’s more important is the execution of the product, not only so it’s competitive with the ever-growing range of electric SUVs from premium rivals, but also as a demonstration that JLR can still deliver an outstanding, well-engineered car that is unaffected by the brand’s recent financial difficulties. Land Rover’s engineers must at least attempt to translate some of the I-Pace’s impressive on-road dynamics to a Land…