Auto Express

WE spend an inordinate amount of time checking out new-car deals here at Auto Express. Whether it’s as part of our review process – we know that more cars are bought on finance than any other way, so checking ‘the monthlies’ to see what it will cost you can sway an important test verdict – or just highlighting some of the great deals for our regular E-mail newsletters (sign up on our website – they’re great reading). Choosing the right car and the right deal for the latest addition to the Fowler fleet has taken a while – and timing is everything when it comes to saving cash. Our last car was leased – a Citroen C3 Aircross for just £140 a month over two years was too hard to…

● Lexus LBX launches as new compact SUV to rival MINI Countryman ● Hybrid-only SUV enters new market for Lexus, aiming at new buyers DESPITE some brands moving away from smaller models in search of greater profits, Lexus is jumping into the upmarket compact SUV sector with its new LBX. Designed for European customers, the LBX sits on parent firm Toyota’s GA-B platform, which underpins the Yaris Cross. However, Lexus says the LBX has been re-engineered to deliver the refinement and the driving experience necessary for one of its cars. There’s also a big focus on design, quality and personalisation, with a new Lexus Bespoke Build programme. The LBX’s design reinterprets the firm’s ‘Spindle grille’, with a new mesh section. Above this is a narrow strip, which features a trim…

Lexus’s European boss outlines how important the new small, luxury SUV is for the brand. Q What does the LBX mean for Lexus? A “It’s for the city and usage here. It’s relevant. It opens up Lexus to a new segment.” Q Is one of the goals for this car to lower the average age of Lexus’s European buyers? A “There is no age category. We are targeting three categories: Lexus Loyals, Aware of Lexus, and New to Lexus. It’s more about conquesting non-Lexus drivers rather than saying we are going for younger, because the LBX is also for existing Lexus owners who want a smaller car for the city. It’s about utilisation, not age.” Q Are you looking to mop up some sales that were taken by the old…

● Fiat readying new 600 crossover for imminent unveiling ● Will be joined by hot new version developed by Abarth THERE’S a compact SUV from Fiat waiting in the wings to make its debut, Auto Express has learned, and the all-new car will be called the 600. The SUV was spied testing recently, and also briefly in undisguised form as part of a promotional shoot for Fiat. Our images preview closely what the all-electric model will look like when it makes its debut – potentially as soon as early next month. Fiat boss Olivier Francois has previously told Auto Express about the brand’s plans for a new style-driven range to sit alongside a second, more pragmatic, affordable line of models, and this fresh design-led crossover will sit alongside the iconic…

AFTER Fiat CEO Olivier Francois pointed out that the brand can use tech shared with other Stellantis brands in the future, the Italian manufacturer has revealed its new Topolino compact city car. Based on the same platform as the Citroen Ami, the Topolino revives an iconic name for Fiat. The original “baby mouse”, as it was known, was produced between 1939 and 1955. The 2023 model shares its basic specification with the Ami, so features a 5.5kWh battery for a claimed range of around 46 miles, plus an 8bhp electric motor that can propel the car to a top speed of 28mph. The Topolino has a roll-back canvas roof and no doors, while the new two-seater’s styling evokes the original 500 city car with its round headlights and clamshell bonnet-style…

@AllieCrooks ● New hybrid powertrain added ● Top-spec model adds more kit THE Toyota Yaris has been updated for 2024, with the Japanese brand’s best-selling supermini receiving a more powerful hybrid powertrain and improvements to its interior technology and safety systems. The big change comes under the bonnet, where the Yaris receives a new ‘Hybrid 130’ powertrain. It’s essentially the same 1.5-litre hybrid petrol set-up that’s been available since launch in 2020, but power has increased from 114bhp to 129bhp, and torque rises from 141Nm to 185Nm. As a result, the Hybrid 130 offers stronger acceleration, taking 9.2 seconds to accelerate from 0-62mph compared with the lower-powered model’s 9.7-second effort. This extra performance does mean that the car’s efficiency takes a bit of a hit, however; CO2 emissions rise to…