Auto Express 1550

YOU’LL notice a difference to the copy of Auto Express you’re holding in your hands this week – it’s grown in size. You’ve told us in no uncertain terms that you prefer a larger format for the magazine so that’s exactly what we’ve done. We hope you like the reinstated larger size and please do let me know what you think – that applies to every aspect of your magazine. My E-mail address is at the bottom of every leader I write, so please do get in touch. Be as honest as you like – on any topic – and I guarantee that we’ll continue to listen. Although the car companies always say that they listen to their customers, and they run numerous clinics before releasing a new model, I…

• New Gran Coupé to slot into growing 2 Series range • Based on BMW’s front-wheel-drive UKL platform Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn BMW is applying the finishing touches to an all-new 2 Series Gran Coupé for 2020, and the car will definitely be coming to the UK, Auto Express can reveal. While BMW’s focus remains on growing its SUV line-up, and indeed it has recently bookended its range with the X2 and X7, traditional four-door models still make up a huge proportion of the brand’s overall sales. For example, the 3 Series compact executive, an all-new version of which has just been launched, accounts for one in every five BMW sales worldwide. The new 2 Series Gran Coupé will be an entirely new model for the German firm and will slot in…

ELSEWHERE at BMW, bosses have told Auto Express the firm’s upcoming Tesla Model S rival, the i4, will in effect be treated as a variant of the forthcoming 4 Series Gran Coupé. Up to now, the standalone i models have been distinct from anything else in the BMW line-up, helped by unique construction and the use of materials, including carbon fibre. But the i4 will be based on a version of BMW’s latest CLAR platform, which is a modular architecture designed to underpin everything from the 3 Series up to the 7 Series, and to accommodate petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid and pure-electric powertrains. Our exclusive image shows how the car could look, with cues from the newly revealed 3 Series and BMW’s previous concept, the i Vision Dynamics. Asked if…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods “This first prototype is being subjected to a tough test regime on the roads and tracks of Wales” ASTON Martin has begun real-world testing of one of the most important cars in its 105-year history – its first SUV. The company has now given us our first proper look at its upcoming performance off-roader, which is due to be launched next year as one of the keystones of the company’s second Century Plan. It has confirmed a name, too; the car will be called DBX when it goes on sale in 2020. The SUV was previewed by the DBX Concept at the Geneva Motor show in 2015, but these images of a development mule DBX confirm that the final model will be very different in appearance from the…

THE new Aston Martin manufacturing site based on the Ministry of Defence installation in St Athan, south Wales, will be the brand’s ‘home of electrification’ and eventually the build site of three Aston Martin models. The upcoming Rapide E will be the first car to be completed at the facility, then the DBX SUV will be built from later next year, followed by the first of two, ultra-luxurious, all-electric Lagonda models from 2021. Aston Martin’s Andy haslam told Auto express that the Rapide E is a “great learning project for St Athan”. A total of 155 electric Rapides will be built, with most of the manufacturing taking place at Aston’s Gaydon plant in Warks. St Athan will be responsible for final assembly. Haslam said Aston Martin is trying to inject…

• OFFICIAL James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods MITSUBISHI has revealed an updated L200 pick-up, just three years into the lifespan of the current model. Sold in more than 150 countries, the L200 is the second most popular Mitsubishi globally. Over 167,000 found homes last year, placing it second only to the Outlander. Revealed in Bangkok, where the L200 is built and badged triton for the Asian market, it’ll go on sale first in Thailand then is scheduled to arrive in British Mitsubishi dealerships early next year. The latest model marks 40 years of the L200, and the updates applied to this revised version of the pick-up are pretty extensive. A new design using Mitsubishi’s ‘Dynamic shield’ styling language has been introduced, with the more angular front bumper and slimmer headlights bringing the look…