CAR UK March 2022

The power of the CAR brand is a humbling thing to behold – and to be the temporary custodian of. Most of the time, like someone who moves to Brighton but ends up never visiting the beach, I’m hideously guilty of taking it for granted. But now and then you get a timely reminder of its reach. Interviewing BMW design director Domagoj Dukec in Munich late last year, the i Vision Circular concept came up in conversation. He launched straight into his thoughts on the two similar but different stories I’d written (one for the CAR website, one for the magazine); he’d loved the latter but found the tone and brevity of my web story lacking. So there it is: read the magazine, not the website. Only joking. Read both. And…

The power of the CAR brand is a humbling thing to behold – and to be the temporary custodian of. Most of the time, like someone who moves to Brighton but ends up never visiting the beach, I’m hideously guilty of taking it for granted. But now and then you get a timely reminder of its reach. Interviewing BMW design director Domagoj Dukec in Munich late last year, the i Vision Circular concept came up in conversation. He launched straight into his thoughts on the two similar but different stories I’d written (one for the CAR website, one for the magazine); he’d loved the latter but found the tone and brevity of my web story lacking. So there it is: read the magazine, not the website. Only joking. Read both.…

THE MONTH ACCORDING TO CAR A new era for Singer Vehicle Design has begun. After more than a decade of restoring and lovingly re-working classic naturally-aspirated 911s, the passionate craftspeople at Singer are hitting the boost, focusing their attention on another iconic strand of 911 DNA: the Turbo. The car you see here is the Turbo Study, a Wolf Blue re-imagining of a 964-generation 911 Turbo and the precursor to Singer Vehicle Design’s new focus: commissions for forced-induction 964s. All the classic details are present and correct, with some elements being refined or re-used; the shark-fin vents in the rear wheelarches, for example, are re-imagined as air intakes. But, as we know, the 964 Turbo wasn’t the first turbocharged 911 – that was the 930. So why not start there? ‘There’s some logic…

THE MONTH ACCORDING TO CAR A new era for Singer Vehicle Design has begun. After more than a decade of restoring and lovingly re-working classic naturally-aspirated 911s, the passionate craftspeople at Singer are hitting the boost, focusing their attention on another iconic strand of 911 DNA: the Turbo. The car you see here is the Turbo Study, a Wolf Blue re-imagining of a 964-generation 911 Turbo and the precursor to Singer Vehicle Design’s new focus: commissions for forced-induction 964s. All the classic details are present and correct, with some elements being refined or re-used; the shark-fin vents in the rear wheelarches, for example, are re-imagined as air intakes. But, as we know, the 964 Turbo wasn’t the first turbocharged 911 – that was the 930. So why not start there?…

Jag’s portfolio needs to drastically change. And, if the message is to separate it more from Land Rover, the F-Pace and E-Pace will almost certainly be discontinued by the end of 2027, just in time to avoid the new EU7 emissions regulations. And ‘no more me-too cars’ – meaning don’t replace the competent but bland XE and XF. Such a radical decimation leaves the ageing F-Type coupe and convertible. Jaguar needs a halo car; the half-finished electric XJ was expensively axed but the cycle plan continues to list X391, that very car. It’s either been pushed back to 2027 or is bound for the scrapheap, depending on who you believe. This implies the i-Pace will be left to soldier on for a few more years. Jaguar’s sole EV is due to…

1 IT ALL STARTED HERE The Mini Electric is step one. From the next-generation model (2023 onwards) will be a catalyst for the entire Mini range to go electric. So, on top of a new hatch, Mini’s planning a revival of the Paceman – albeit as a four-door now. Think of it as a Mokka and Puma rival, albeit a little further up the premium ladder. 2 FIVE IS ALIVE While unconfirmed, it makes sense for Mini to make full use of BMW Group’s new ‘Generation 5’ e-motor tech that first launched in the iX3. They’re brushed motors, in order to get around using rare earths – old school, but BMW’s designed them for max efficiency and heat management. 3 NEW FAMILY LOOK Mini’s already teased what the next-generation hatchback will look like (and undisguised…