Autocar May 13, 2020

APRIL’S NEW CAR sales make for grim reading at first glance, yet a 97% year-on-year drop (p14) is hardly a surprise considering the UK was on lockdown for the whole month. Some of the sales that would have taken place that month will now be lost, but many more will be merely delayed. New car sales will come back up to more recognisable levels, those buyers taking delivery of some cars that are among the most significant in a generation. Among them will be the first buyers of the new Land Rover Defender, the subject of our extensive UK road test this week (p26). That the new Defender is brilliant off road comes as no surprise. That it’s such a good car on the road is much more so - but all…

GOT A STORY? Email our news editor lawrence.allan@haymarket.com “We will stay consistent to Alfa’s sportiness and use electric motors for a performance approach” Alfa Romeo is preparing its first electric vehicle for 2022 as the smallest in a trio of SUVs intended to bring the Italian premium brand back from the brink. The electric compact SUV, similar in size to an Audi Q2, will be crucial in reviving the firm’s dwindling sales in a fast-evolving market where emissions legislation is becoming increasingly tough. The parent company of Alfa Romeo, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, has been on the back foot with electrification, which is why its ongoing merger with the EV-savvy PSA Group should reap substantial benefits. Alfa Romeo currently offers no electrified powertrain, but early next year it will launch a mid-size SUV, the Tonale, to be offered…

FCA’s merger with the PSA Group takes Alfa Romeo off the back foot and onto the front foot in an instant when it comes to electrification. For years too ponderous not just on new tech but even on making a comprehensive model line-up (Ferrari has a broader offering today), Alfa Romeo now finds itself in the hands of people who understand both brands and the new tech. When General Motors sold Vauxhall and Opel to PSA, it left it the option of taking the new Corsa and paying a licence fee for each car built. Instead, PSA put together a new Corsa from scratch in just two years, including a full EV version of the kind that wasn’t in GM’s thinking. You can imagine PSA putting that kind of impetus into Alfa Romeo now. When…

Alfa Romeo’s range-topping Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio models have received a series of enhancements for the 2020 model year. Mirroring some of the changes made recently to the regular versions of the saloon and SUV, the high-performance pair benefit from technology, design and safety upgrades to bring them into line with newer rivals, such as the facelifted Mercedes-AMG C63 and new BMW X3 M. External tweaks are minor but include new LED rear light clusters with dark lenses and gloss black detailing. A 21in alloy wheel option has been added to the Stelvio, while Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ parts and accessories arm, Mopar, has designed a new carbonfibre front grille, along with carbonfibre mirror caps and a carbonfibre spoiler. Three new paint colours have been introduced, too: 6C Villa d’Este Red, GT Junior Ocra…

ALPINA HAS BROUGHT diesel power to its range of performance cars based on the latest-generation BMW 3 Series with the new D3 S. Available in saloon and Touring estate form, it makes use of the ‘B57’ twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six engine, which in the BMW M340d develops 335bhp and 516lb ft. Alpina has fitted larger intercoolers and revised the mapping to boost power and torque by 15bhp and 22lb ft, up to 350bhp and 538lb ft. This translates to a 0-62mph time of 4.6sec (4.8sec for the estate), while the BMW limiter is removed to let the saloon hit 170mph and the estate nudge 168mph. Like BMW models that use this engine, the D3 S benefits from a 48V mild-hybrid system to enhance refinement and efficiency. WLTP economy for the diesel is 37.2mpg, compared with…

Fresh from restarting production after a two-month factory shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, Lamborghini has revealed its new Huracán Evo Rear-Wheel Drive Spyder. Joining the Evo Coupé, Evo Spyder and Evo RWD Coupé, the latest member of the range features an electrically folding fabric roof that lowers within 17 seconds while the car is moving at speeds of up to 31mph. The RWD Spyder takes its power from the same naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 as its hard-top sibling, which sends 602bhp and 413lb ft to the rear axle by way of a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. That’s 29bhp less than in the four-wheel-drive Evo models. Performance figures are remarkably similar between the RWD pair, despite the roof mechanism and structural enhancements adding 120kg to the dry weight of the Spyder. Its 0-62mph…