Autocar March 11, 2020

OUR LOVE OF all things with four wheels naturally extends to motorsport. This week, to coincide with the Formula 1 season opener in Australia, we have launched a new six-page motorsport section (p62). We’ll focus on stories and interviews with real characters and personalities (Bernie Ecclestone is coming soon, for example) as well as hopefully inspiring you to get involved in some grassroots motorsport with your own car. Don’t worry: nothing else in the mag has been lost to make way: it’s all extra added value on top of our existing features, some of which have undergone a design tweak and shuffle of their own. I’d love to know what you think of it. ▪ One thing this magazine does lack is a Geneva motor show report, after it was cancelled at the…

“The J-Pace will have a luxurious interior and avant-garde styling” Jaguar Land Rover is set to establish itself as one of the world’s leading makers of electric vehicles by converting its historic Castle Bromwich plant into a specialist EV production centre. According to sources, three new pure-electric models will be rolling off the production lines by the end of next year to join the existing electric Jaguar I-Pace in showrooms. The move is part of a major £1 billion investment in both Castle Bromwich and JLR’s factory in Solihull. Both are set to be massively overhauled in preparation for the British manufacturer’s new Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) platform. Despite relatively poor sales last year (the company sold 161,601 units, down 10% on the 2018), Jaguar is also getting a significant boost in the form…

According to Jaguar Land Rover’s latest official figures, Jaguar sold 161,601 cars globally last year and produced a further 6251 at its joint venture in China. That excluding-China figure is 10.6% down on 2018’s total of 180,833 cars, and 161,000 sales across six model lines remain a marginal proposition. The biggest loser was the XF, which fell 50% to 15,628 units in 2019. That was followed by the XE, which was down 15% to 25,951 units. Although it was on run-out, the XJ managed to clock up 4017 sales. Jaguar’s biggest seller was the F-Pace but, even so, that was down 14% from 56,563 units in 2018 to 48,484 last year. The E-Pace managed to edge up 2% to 42,939 units. Although 2019 was the first full sales year for the I-Pace, its…

FIAT BOSS OLIVIER François has said the electric platform developed for the new 500 will be used for multiple future models across Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) brands. The new-generation 500 is built on an all-electric architecture and is a key part of FCA’s plan for Fiat to focus on the city and family car markets. Fiat is working on a production version of last year’s Centoventi concept – likely to take the Panda name – that will use the same platform. That model is due in 2021, and François hinted that more cars could follow. “When you invest in a new platform – and this is an all-new platform developed for electric cars and only electric cars – you don’t do it for just one car,” he said. “With one platform, you always…

In the absence of the Geneva motor show, Steve Cropley got on the phone to Mercedes-Benz boss Ola Källenius for an update on what will be a testing couple of years for the brand. One of your rivals has said that profitable electric vehicles will start with electric SUVs. Is that how you see it? “We have made a very clear decision that modern luxury is going to be all electric. So we’re really just talking about how fast we can get there. We are ramping up our electrified ranges very quickly. The cost structures of these cars are higher than we’ve been used to, so many of our early models will focus on the upper segments. But as the numbers move from the tens of thousands to the hundreds of thousands,…

MERCEDES IS SET to dramatically reduce its model line-up and platform and powertrain options as it seeks to reduce complexity and optimise profit. Markus Schäfer, the firm’s R&D boss, said the drive came as a result of its focus on electric vehicles and will result in cutting everything from car lines to single components used in its products. “We are reviewing our product portfolio, especially as we announced so many pure EVs,” he said. “Knowing the complexity after the growth in the last couple of years means we are definitely reviewing our current line-up. The idea is to streamline – taking car variants out, but also platforms, powertrains and components.” Mercedes currently has 45 models, but Schäfer didn’t say how many it would axe. He referenced models such as the G-Class, SL, GT and…