Auto Express 1648

Visit autoexpress.co.uk for all the latest new cars news OUR New Car Awards are a little later in the year than usual, but 2020’s list of winners proves that there’s no let-up when it comes to the car industry’s ingenuity and drive to provide ever-better models. This will be a year we will never forget, but it’s also a year when personal transportation became far more important than ever. We’ve shown an increasing desire to buy cars that not only protect us, but also protect the world around us. Every winner you see in this issue is the result of meticulous testing that starts with an analysis of what’s most important to buyers of that type of car. They’re models you can buy or recommend with the knowledge that they’ve…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy Visit autoexpress.co.uk for your daily news updates • EQE next to appear in EV range • Part of Mercedes new strategy MERCEDES has announced sweeping changes to plans for its product line-up over the next five years – and it will double down on electric cars by introducing an executive saloon EV within the next 18 months, alongside two pure-electric SUVs and a flagship EQS limousine. Called EQE, the new saloon will give the German company a direct rival for the Tesla Model S and trump both of the current E-Class’s main competitors, the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6, by becoming the first full-electric offering from a German premium brand in that area of the market. The new model will be based on Mercedes’ dedicated Electric Vehicle…

EQA This small EV crossover – like an all-electric version of the GLA – is due to appear before the end of 2020. EQB An electric SUV that is focused on practicality. Think of it as a zero-emission version of the GLB. EQC The first pure EQ model – a family SUV with a range of up to 259 miles. EQE Swoopy executive saloon that’s set to be the second model launched on Merc’s larger electric-car platform. It’s likely to arrive in 2022, with an SUV version coming later. EQS The flagship model on EVA, this all-electric limousine is due next year, with a claimed range of around 450 miles, and there will be an SUV, too. EQV Converted V-Class people-carrier that went on sale in July, costing from £70,000.…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn IN addition to its production-car plans, Mercedes also announced that it is developing an electric prototype that is claimed to have the longest range and highest efficiency of any battery-powered vehicle ever built. Called the Mercedes Vision EQXX, the prototype was teased with this shadowy silhouette (above) during the presentation of the brand’s new strategy. No technical information or performance targets have been issued, but a presentation slide teased “Shanghai to Beijing on one charge??”. That suggests a range of at least 750 miles between recharges is being targeted. Engineers working on the project claim that rather than increasing battery capacity (and with it, weight), advances in aerodynamic efficiency are key to unlocking such a large range. “The easiest way is to put a bigger battery in the…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn • Audi Sport’s first electric RS • Arrives at e-tron GT’s launch A HOT RS model will crown the all-new Audi e-tron GT line-up, the German brand has officially confirmed. The high-performance saloon will be the first fully electric vehicle to be developed by Audi Sport, and it will go on sale alongside the regular saloon in the middle of next year. Audi had intended to launch the new e-tron GT at this year’s Los Angeles Motor Show, but plans were scrapped due to the ongoing pandemic. The grand unveiling is now scheduled for early in 2021, but already Audi has confirmed that a hot version, badged RS e-tron GT, will be launched at the same time. It marks quite a shift in strategy at Audi Sport, whose…

“THE most important vehicle for Audi.” That’s how the company’s new CEO Markus Duesmann describes the e-tron GT. The covers come off the Tesla Model S rival early next year, but before that, Auto Express had the chance to jump on-board to experience the newcomer from the passenger seat. Such is the secrecy surrounding the e-tron GT that Audi hasn’t even published images of the disguised prototypes we were in (above). But rest assured, even through a bit of masking we could see that the finished car doesn’t stray far from 2018’s e-tron GT concept. In the flesh, it hugs the ground, sitting incredibly low for an EV. It’s sleek and long at around five metres, but the proportions are entirely conventional; there’s nothing to indicate that this is an…