Autocar February 26, 2020

IT’S EASY TO be turned off by ‘cars’ like the new self-drivers spawned from Jaguar Land Rover’s Project Vector (p14), a secret start-up-style project now made public. Yet don’t view them as a threat to our future love of driving. They are transport, designed to move people and goods around in controlled environments (airports, factories, ‘final mile’ deliveries, some public transport) in a safe, efficient and smart way. They are not designed as personal cars for you and me to drive and use ourselves. If anything, they enhance cars as we know them today, by allowing them to be even more idealised, used in more ideal conditions. On autonomous cars, the industry is significantly dialling back its vision for them and its description of what one actually is. A pod with no steering…

The first series-production Lotus for 12 years will feature a design heavily inspired by the Evija hypercar and a newly developed, hybridised V6 powertrain. Expected to be shown in the first half of next year before going on sale in the following months, the new Lotus will revive the format of the Esprit as a Ferrari-baiting super sports car with a price set in the low six figures. Like that iconic model, it will be intended to retain the Norfolk brand’s celebrated driving dynamics while offering increased everyday usability and refinement over existing models. “The new Lotus will revive the format of the Esprit as a Ferrari-baiting super sports car” The car, which may or may not use the Esprit name, will serve to bridge the gap between Lotus’s existing line-up and further…

Reports of Lotus reviving the Esprit are nothing new – former boss Jean-Marc Gales had it in the plan when Geely first took ownership of the brand. But two facts tell us something is in the works. Firstly, next year will mark the 45th anniversary of the wedge-shaped original. More significantly, Autocar has learned there is a Series 1 Esprit in the bowels of Hethel being secretly ‘digitised’, with the body being scanned on a co-ordinate measuring machine. Does that mean a continuation-style recreation of the original? Or is Lotus planning to use the old model as an important heritage link to this new car? Whatever comes of it, the next few years should offer exciting times for fans of one of Britain’s most historic marques.…

The Polestar Precept is an electric, four-door grand tourer that previews the design of future Polestar models as well as highlighting the Swedish company’s plans for sustainable materials and advanced digital technology. To be revealed at the Geneva motor show, the Precept is said to signify an important milestone for Polestar as a standalone brand (away from parent company Volvo) and reflect its values of “pure, progressive and performance”. The Polestar 1, a limited-run plug-in hybrid coupé (see p38), and the Polestar 2, an electric fastback for the mass market, will shortly be followed by an electric SUV, the Polestar 3. The Precept, however, gives a broader hint at Polestar’s future design direction. The 1 and 2 were heavily guided by Volvo design, while the Precept is intended to demonstrate a move away…

AMG HAS GIVEN the new Mercedes-Benz GLA compact crossover 416bhp in its most powerful form. The second-generation GLA is the third model to use Affalterbach’s ‘M139’ 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, the most potent four-cylinder unit in series production, after the A-Class and CLA. Like its MFA2-underpinned relations, the new GLA 45 makes 382bhp in its standard form, while the top-rung 45 S gets an extra 33bhp, making it the most powerful compact crossover on sale. The sprint from 0-62mph takes 4.4sec, with the S shaving 0.1sec off that time. The S also loses the speed limiter, raising top speed from 155 to 168mph. All of this is put to the road using the same variable four-wheel drive system and eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox as the GLA’s siblings. The AMG models can be told apart from…

The Volkswagen Caddy has entered its fifth generation, with more space than its forebear and a raft of new technology. Sitting atop the same MQB platform as the new Golf, the Caddy will be available in panel van, MPV and camper van guises and can be specified with one of three diesel engines or a turbocharged petrol. The new-look small van also gains an overhauled infotainment system with a permanent internet connection and 19 driver assistance functions as standard.…