Autocar November 13, 2019

IF EVER YOU wanted an example of how muddled UK law makers’ messages are towards car owners, look no further than Bristol City Council’s proposal to ban all diesel cars from 2021 (p21). The idea started with a very good intention: to clean up air quality. But Bristol City Council has failed to make the distinction between modern diesels and the older, more polluting models that have given the fuel its bad name. A modern diesel engine has to meet the latest Euro 6 standards so it emits not only less CO2 than a modern petrol engine but in many cases also less NOx and fewer particulates. So in cleaning up air quality, modern diesels are part of the solution, not the problem. And in failing to make the distinction between…

Land Rover is preparing to extend its model line-up in two bold directions over the next five years. The first will bring back the long discussed entry-level Land Rover into the company’s cycle plan and the second is a new, more sporting, luxury version of the new Defender. With an expected target price of around £25,000, the new entry-level five-door model will be cheaper in real terms than any previous Land Rover model. Believed to be codenamed L860, it is expected to arrive in 2021. Meanwhile, the luxurious, fourth model in the Defender line-up (imagined by Autocar on the next page) is said to be a full four years away from being unveiled. It is expected to make its debut as a pure electric model with sharper and leaner styling as well…

IF EVER YOU wanted an example of how muddled UK law makers’ messages are towards car owners, look no further than Bristol City Council’s proposal to ban all diesel cars from 2021 (p21). The idea started with a very good intention: to clean up air quality. But Bristol City Council has failed to make the distinction between modern diesels and the older, more polluting models that have given the fuel its bad name. A modern diesel engine has to meet the latest Euro 6 standards so it emits not only less CO2 than a modern petrol engine but in many cases also less NOx and fewer particulates. So in cleaning up air quality, modern diesels are part of the solution, not the problem. And in failing to make the distinction…

Land Rover had no choice but to build a smaller, lighter and more economical entry-level model. It’s not just the EU’s fearsome CO2 regulations that the company has to consider. It also cannot ignore the size of the European market for more affordable medium sized SUVs. BMW is currently making hay in Europe with the X1, which undercuts the Discovery by £4000 or so and achieved around 111,000 sales last year. By contrast, the Discovery Sport managed around 45,000 sales in Europe. But it’s the upmarket mainstream models such as the Volkswagen Tiguan that are absolutely flying. It’s hard to believe this VW model netted global sales of over 860,000 units in 2018, ahead of the Polo and the Golf. And around 275,000 of those were in Europe alone. Land Rover is hardly…

Land Rover is preparing to extend its model line-up in two bold directions over the next five years. The first will bring back the long discussed entry-level Land Rover into the company’s cycle plan and the second is a new, more sporting, luxury version of the new Defender. With an expected target price of around £25,000, the new entry-level five-door model will be cheaper in real terms than any previous Land Rover model. Believed to be codenamed L860, it is expected to arrive in 2021. Meanwhile, the luxurious, fourth model in the Defender line-up (imagined by Autocar on the next page) is said to be a full four years away from being unveiled. It is expected to make its debut as a pure electric model with sharper and leaner styling…

McLaren has revealed the Elva, a 804bhp two-seat roadster with no windscreen, as its latest Ultimate Series model. The new machine, which was first revealed by Autocar in the summer, joins the P1, Senna and Speedtail in the range-topping model line and is limited to 399 examples, priced from £1,425,000 (including UK VAT). McLaren claims the rear wheel-drive Elva is the lightest road car it has ever produced. Powered by the firm’s 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, it is able to reach 62mph in “under three seconds” and has a claimed 0-124mph time of 6.7sec – faster than the track-focused Senna. The Elva name is taken from the East Sussex constructor whose chassis was used as the basis for McLaren’s M1A, M1B and M1C two-seat sports cars in the 1960s (see box, right), which…