Autocar October 30, 2019

A DECADE AGO, Nissan was one of the industry’s brightest stars. It almost single-handedly started the crossover boom with its Qashqai and quickly followed that success with the smaller Juke. It was also pioneering with electric cars, beating all-comers to market by several years with the Leaf. Even better, all three were being built in the UK, as Nissan established its Sunderland facility as the country’s biggest car factory. How quickly things change. Nissan’s global sales have slumped as rivals have replicated and often bettered its crossover formula. Sunderland is to lose its night shift, although jobs are not expected to be lost. And there has been no real leadership for almost a year, since powerful boss Carlos Ghosn was removed in a scandal that continues to engulf the company, with…

“It will go on sale next year with new mild-hybrid engine options and a raft of digital technology” Volkswagen has revealed the eighth-generation Golf, claiming that its evolutionary exterior styling hides the biggest technical leap in the history of the model. The latest version of the long-running family car – which was first launched in 1974, with more than 35 million sold since – will go on sale next year in five-door form only with new mild-hybrid engine options and a raft of new digital technology. The new Golf was launched at VW’s Wolfsburg headquarters, with an initial reveal at this year’s Frankfurt motor show postponed so the firm could focus attention on its new ID 3 electric hatch. But while the ID 3 represents the next generation of Volkswagen, in the medium…

The Volkswagen ID 3’s name points to its position as the heir to the Beetle and Golf as the firm’s most important car. Just one problem with that: the Golf is still here. In 1974, the Golf essentially replaced the Beetle on Wolfsburg’s main line, consigning the original people’s car to limited production. But VW will make and sell more Golfs than ID 3s – for the next few years at least. That will change at some point, raising questions about what happens to the Golf – surely VW won’t abandon the heritage of that nameplate? But, conversely, the ID 3’s arrival benefits the Golf today: it means this Mk8 doesn’t have to be a car for the future, or move VW into new sectors. It just has to be the ideal…

Volkswagen will expand its R performance line-up with a hot version of the Touareg SUV, powered by a plug-in hybrid powertrain, in 2021. The new car, the first PHEV-powered R model, was confirmed by VW sales boss Jürgen Stackmann at the launch of the new Golf. He said the new machine represented the start of “an electric future for R”, adding: “For the next five years as we are launching some Rs, we will couple these with a very strong message for low emissions.” A plug-in hybrid is offered in China, producing 363bhp from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine mated to an electric motor. That model is expected to go on sale in Europe in the coming months. Currently, the fastest Touareg available in the UK is the 335bhp V6 petrol…

The new car is a big technological leap. But how does it link to its predecessors? “The car has been around for 45 years and we have sold 35 million, but we say this is a 45-year-old car because it has never lost its inner genetic code. It has always been the car where our engineering team are trying to protect what people love about Golf and try to bring in as much as possible from the future, but always in the form where people understand what’s going on.” Is the new Golf your most advanced car? “It is as digital as the ID 3, as ambitious in its connectivity, as advanced in its assistance systems. But that had to be delivered in a way that Golf owners understand and can use intuitively. “The…

The dramatic Lexus LF-30 Electrified concept car was unveiled at the Tokyo motor show as an overtly design-led insight into how its electric car future will look in 2030, as well as showcasing some of the autonomous and technical functions being developed by the firm. Among the more expressive design flourishes are the roof-mounted doors and dramatically short front and rear overhangs. It is, however, based on a new electric platform that will underpin Lexus and Toyota EVs from around 2022, which underlines its more immediate relevance. As such, elements of the LF-30 do have clear production potential. Its dimensions are close to those of the Jaguar I-Pace, albeit marginally exaggerated, and it is fitted with a solid-state 110kWh battery that can charge at 150kW and offer a range of around 310…