Table of contents for 1883 in Auto Express

IF you think in-car tech has advanced quickly in recent times, then you’re in for a warp-speed experience in the coming years. Tech geeks have long been talking about the advent of the Software-Defined Vehicle, or SDV, where the computer brain of the car becomes a defining feature, linking the clever systems to open up new connectivity possibilities. Listening to experts at last week’s FT Future of the Car Summit in London, the possibilities are intriguing as things accelerate. Much as the monthly cost of smartphones has conditioned many car buyers to the monthly outlay of leasing a model rather than buying outright, the phone industry has also prepared us for the concept of updates, which are increasingly the norm for modern connected vehicles. Obviously these don’t update while you’re…

NISSAN has announced it is to cut 20,000 jobs globally, as part of a significant expansion of its “Re:Nissan” global economic recovery plan. In addition, the brand will close seven plants and suspend all product developments scheduled beyond 2026. This move follows the firm’s communication in February, which outlined a reduction of 9,000 jobs, the closure of three factories, and a 20 per cent decrease in production to five million vehicles annually. The statement coincides with the confirmation of a net loss of £3.8billion for the 2024/25 fiscal year, while the company clarified the 20,000 job losses includes the 9,000 cuts previously disclosed. Ivan Espinosa, president and CEO of Nissan, attributed the considerable financial deficit to “a challenging FY24 performance and rising variable costs, compounded by an uncertain environment”. Nissan…

DS Automobiles is hoping a new electric powertrain and a different name will give its premium Golf-sized hatchback some added street cred when it arrives in the first quarter of 2026. Launched as the DS4, it’s now called No4, in line with the all-new DS No8, and adds a full-EV powertrain for the first time, plus new styling and upgraded tech. The front-mounted e-motor generates 213bhp and draws energy from a 58.3kWh battery pack, which is enough for a claimed 280 miles of range on the WLTP cycle. The set-up is capable of up to 120kW DC fast charging, topping up the battery from 20 to 80 per cent in around 30 minutes. These are not groundbreaking figures, but compare favourably with similarly sized mixed-powertrain rivals such as the Peugeot…

WE’VE known for some time that the new Renault 4 could be offered with four-wheel drive, but now we’re all but certain it’ll happen thanks to the Renault 4 Savane 4x4 concept. The Renault 4 – which we drove for the first time in Issue 1,881 and were hugely impressed by – is front-wheel drive only at the moment. This new 4x4 concept adds a second electric motor to the rear axle to provide permanent four-wheel drive for better traction in slippery conditions and “the freedom to take on any type of terrain”. The new creation is no Jeep Wrangler or Land Rover Defender, but the ground clearance has been increased by 15mm compared with the regular R4. The front and rear track are both 10mm wider and the concept…

A MORE practical Toyota bZ4X Touring is set to join the updated version of the standard car next spring. Now much more overtly ‘SUV’ in its size and stature, the bZ4X Touring is aimed at those who demand extra space from their EVs, with a big increase in luggage space, plus all the technical upgrades recently introduced as part of the standard bZ4X model’s facelift. The key difference is the Touring’s bigger body, which is 140mm longer and 20mm taller than the current bZ4X. This yields more room inside, with boot space now increased by around a third to 600 litres. The second row of seats should also benefit from more headroom and an added sense of space, thanks to larger rear windows. Toyota has also fitted new roof rails…

THE entry-level ‘quattro’ variant has rejoined the Audi e-tron GT range, following the sports car’s mid-life update. Priced from £89,505, the quattro is £19,215 less than the next cheapest edition in the line-up, the S. It’s also only £1,305 more than the most affordable Porsche Taycan, with which the e-tron GT shares its architecture. Despite being comfortably the cheapest variant in the line-up by some margin, the e-tron GT quattro has the same 97kWh battery as the rest of the range, although it comes with a dual-motor layout with a total of 496bhp (576bhp with overboost) – some way off the 669bhp e-tron GT S. Performance figures haven’t been released but the quattro has a range of 384 miles – the S can cover 374 miles. As with the other…

THREE years after we first heard rumblings that an electric version of Hyundai’s Korean-only Casper city car might be coming to Europe, the Inster has finally arrived in Britain. We drove an early left-hand-drive car in November last year (Issue 1,856) but now we’re behind the wheel of a production-ready model on UK roads. If it wasn’t obvious, the Inster is now Hyundai’s entry-level EV, and is available from £23,505. That’s a few hundred pounds more than the base Renault 5, and a little higher than the Citroen e-C3 – our reigning Car of the Year that now starts from just over £22k. The e-C3’s closely related but much funkier sister car, the Fiat Grande Panda EV, is priced from under £21k. There are three Inster trim levels – 01,…

FOR years it’s been common knowledge that, if you want to drive your car in Europe, you need to display a ‘UK’ (previously ‘GB’) sticker on the back of your car so authorities can easily identify you as a foreign driver. Now, drivers travelling to France need to contend with another sticker which, rather than marking you out as an international visitor, has the purpose of identifying your vehicle’s emissions levels. The sticker comes as part of France’s Crit’Air programme, which has been designed to improve air quality in a host of cities by limiting access for the most polluting of vehicles. Sounds complicated? It is rather. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a guide to answer all the key questions you might have about this topic. And if you’re…

THE Volvo EX30 is the smallest SUV in the brand’s line-up but it brings over so much from larger, more luxurious models that it outclasses almost all other cars of its type when it comes to luxury and quality. There are several versions to choose from, including a single-motor base model, the extended range version with a larger battery, and then a four-wheel-drive, twin-motor top-spec car. The best value is the Single Motor Extended Range, which has a 69kWh battery that offers more miles between top-ups than many of its rivals at the same price point; it even comes with a more energy-efficient heat pump that helps improve range and charging. While the 4WD model seems suited to the EX30’s SUV shape, it isn’t really designed for off-roading, so the…

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IF you’ve ever worked on a car, you probably have the scars to prove it. Sharp edges will scrape skin from knuckles and slice fingers, while hot surfaces will leave you yelping in pain. Which is why most of us now reach for a pair of workshop gloves before picking up a spanner. These reusable fabric gloves offer limited protection against oils or chemicals, but will give an extra layer of defence against dirt, sharp edges, and hot parts. We tested two pairs to see which is the handiest for a mechanic by rating their protection, comfort and grip – and both passed our tests easily. The Muc-Offs are the most comfortable and are better for work involving delicate handling where you need to feel for smaller components. The MCRs…

DO you appreciate good automotive design? Then look no further than this trio we’ve found among the Auto Express used-car classifieds. Even with a budget of £25,000, there’s some French flair to go with two of the very best from Britain – and together they’ll be able to cover most people’s needs. 1 CITROEN C4 CACTUS £6,990 WE think the original C4 Cactus deserves more love than it gets because it was a real statement of intent from Citroen. We’ve gone for the pre-facelift model because its styling, including the door Airbumps, was toned down on the updated version. A kerbweight of fractionally more than a tonne means the C4 Cactus is great on fuel and, despite having just 82bhp, it’ll be nippy enough around town. This low-mileage example we…

YOU’RE looking at the striking new Nissan Micra, the iconic supermini that’s morphed from a simple, in expensive combustion powered supermini into a much larger and more sophisticated EV. However, if you take a step back and look past its oversized glowing spectacles, you’ll notice that it draws a certain resemblance with the new Renault 5, with which it shares its platform. But that’s no bad thing, because the latest Renault 5 is one of our favourite superminis. So while the Micra might lack a little originality, Nissan had a brilliant base to work with when making its all-new car something that will appeal to customers looking for an inexpensive, spacious and well designed electric vehicle. The latest Micra will arrive at the end of 2025 and although UK pricing…

THE first all-electric Golf GTI is under development – and Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer promises “it’ll be a monster car”. VW will keep updating the current Golf until the end of the decade, at which point a pure-electric version will come into play, based on the VW Group’s all-new SSP architecture. And with zero margin for error on such an iconic halo car, conceptual work is already well under way. “I’m very happy with the progress,” said Schäfer. “It’s cool. You can make it exciting. It has to be exciting, it has to be authentic. It has to be a [true] GTI.” The GTI will be front-wheel drive, despite its closest electric sibling – the ID.3 GTX – having a 322bhp motor driving the rear wheels. That’s around 60bhp more…

DESPITE controversy over Jaguar’s new direction, the firm says more than 32,000 people have expressed interest in its upcoming all-electric four-door GT before they’ve even seen the finished car. The radical Jaguar Type 00 presented late last year offers a glimpse of the British marque’s new design language and philosophy. JLR CEO Adrian Mardell has confirmed to Auto Express that a concept model of the GT – presumably a very close-to production one – will be unveiled before the end of the year, ahead of the road-ready version, which is expected to cost from around £130,000 when it arrives in 2026. The eagerly awaited model has been hailed by the brand as one of its most ambitious yet, and previously published spy shots (Issue 1,870) provided a clear insight into…

DURING the new Ford Capri’s launch last year you may have noticed football star Eric Cantona drumming up excitement for the all-electric SUV – and now he has teamed up with the company to build a one-off model to commemorate the partnership. Working with the Capri’s exterior designer, Thomas Morel, Cantona has created a Capri in Signal Orange, with a gloss black motif on the side that runs into the number seven – his shirt number for much of his career. In addition, there are gloss black stripes running from front to rear, 21-inch wheels in black and silver, plus a rear spoiler. More discreet details include Cantona’s signature on the wing and a crown badge on the rear pillar in a nod to his nickname, King Eric. For all…

HYDROGEN-fuelled trucks, buses and even off-road earth movers are making inroads in the market here and around the world, yet the number of publicly accessible hydrogen filling stations for cars in the UK has fallen from a dozen or so to, er, just one, in Birmingham. So is the notion of hydrogen fuel for passenger cars stuck in the mud, or dead? The launch of Hyundai’s latest fuel-cell-powered Nexo SUV at the recent Seoul Mobility Show was an exciting moment for drivers interested in the potential benefits of hydrogen. Hyundai is sure there’s still a big future for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs), and it plans to announce a UK price for the Nexo this year, with a view to delivering the SUV to selected customers in 2026. Given that…

FERRARI’s recent run of four-seat, front mid-engined V8 convertibles could be considered (by some) to be the runts of the Italian supercar maker’s range. The California, California T and Portofino never held much of a candle to their contemporary siblings – or rivals – despite having plenty of the right ingredients. Our first drive of the new Roma Spider on foreign roads proved Ferrari was no longer resting on its laurels. Designed first as a coupé before having its roof lopped off, the Spider benefitted from a new rear sub-frame and reinforced sills, helping to give it a broader spread of abilities than its predecessors. But a car’s true test comes when we get it on UK streets, motorways and rural roads. So can the Spider perform here as it…

IS it just me, or did last year’s news of Polestar’s sticky financial results feel a little at odds with the increasing number of the company’s cars you see on UK roads? It seems that for every Tesla Model 3, there’s a Polestar 2 just around the corner. In fact, it turns out the UK is the Swedish brand’s biggest market, which means the all-new Polestar 4 we’ve got our hands on for the next six months is probably more important than you might have thought. We’ll start with where it sits in the company’s range, because the 4 is not a replacement for the smaller Polestar 2; instead, the new car sits above its range-mate. It’s priced from a round £60,000 for the entry-level single-motor car, putting it just…

THE clue is in the title. We’re Auto Express and we ensure that the cars are the stars. But occasionally, people deserve as much coverage as products – and this is one of those occasions. The question I posed in this column a month ago was: could JLR’s owner, Tata of India, make some of its Jaguars and Land Rovers in the USA? Unsurprisingly, JLR’s massive, Mumbai-based parent company failed to answer it. But JLR CEO Adrian Mardell did. Well, sort of. “We had, and currently have, no cause to build cars in the US at this time, but we cannot discount that it could be the case at some point,” he said. I interpret these words to mean that he’s very much leaving the door open for the possibility…

VAUXHALL is spreading its GSE sub-brand into new segments, with the Mokka small SUV set to receive the performance badge. The car’s power figures have yet to be announced, but the Mokka Electric uses the e-CMP architecture from Stellantis. Given that the Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce uses a modified version of this platform called Perfo e-CMP, with up to 278bhp, we expect the all-electric Mokka GSE to provide a notable increase over the current model’s 154bhp when it arrives, possibly later this year. Vauxhall’s shadowy Mokka GSE teaser image (shown here) doesn’t provide many clues as to the new edition’s design, although the GSE will get the ‘IntelliLux’ LED matrix headlights offered on higher-spec models. Vauxhall says GSE owners can look forward to a “sporty look”, which is likely to…

LAND Rover has revealed subtle updates to its Discovery for the 2026 model year, with small tweaks to the colour and wheel options, plus a pair of distinctive new special editions. Priced from £64,810, the MY26 range is available now solely with a D350 mild-hybrid diesel powertrain. The new special editions, called Gemini and Tempest, add styling and trim enhancements to the mid-point and top of the range. The £72,505 Gemini includes new 21-inch wheels and the unique option of Sedona Red paint. Inside, a range of additional features such as a refrigerated centre console storage bin, clip-in tablet holders in the second row, and a tri-zone climate control system are all included. Tempest is at the top of the range, and kicks off at £83,720 which makes it the…

THE UK is facing a rising trend of missed vehicle recalls, as the latest data reveals that more than 3.2 million cars are on the road with faults that have not yet been rectified – and some of them are potentially unsafe. The figure has been shared by Auto Data Solutions (ADS), a company that works with dealers to help manage relationships with customers, and it puts the blame squarely on dealerships rather than drivers. ADS reckons poor customer database maintenance, a gap in manufacturer support for franchised dealers, disconnected data systems and a “cultural blind spot” that fails to recognise recall work as a potential business development opportunity, are all combining to exacerbate the issue of more cars on the road with defects that should have been fixed under…

FIAT has released images of the first pre-production units of the forthcoming hybrid 500 rolling out of its Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy, ahead of a November launch. It’s likely to be badged ‘Ibrida’ (Italian for hybrid) – as fellow Stellantis brand Alfa Romeo has done with its new Junior Ibrida – and will probably use the same mild-hybrid technology installed in the Peugeot 208 and Vauxhall Corsa. While those cars have a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine paired with a six-speed dual-clutch auto transmission with an electric motor, Fiat’s images show a six-speed manual gearbox, just like the old 500 Hybrid. A 10.25-inch touchscreen is also evident, although the 500 Ibrida has a different dash layout to the 500e.…

“This isn’t simply a one-trick, straight-line pony – it has a serious amount of tech to allow its power to be exploited” THE Lotus Emeya 900 Sport Carbon is three times the car the Lotus Elise S2 ever was. Literally. With the former weighing 2.65 tonnes, it’d take three of Hethel’s mid-engined sports cars to come close to balancing the Emeya on some sort of giant automotive see-saw, and you’d still need about 100 litres of petrol to fully finish the job. From a marque whose founder coined the mantra “simplify and add lightness”, that kerbweight stings a bit. We’re not sure the carbon-fibre housings for the rear-view cameras would have done much to help Colin Chapman warm to the idea, either, when mirrors work just fine and aren’t as…

IF you wanted a big, shiny sound system in your car (from the factory, at least), you used to have to stump up the money for an out-and-out premium brand such as Mercedes or BMW, which have long partnered with the likes of Sennheiser and Harmon Kardon. Toyota is looking to prove these preconceptions wrong, however, because it’s launched the new Aygo X JBL special edition. According to Toyota, this version of its entry-level car focuses on giving its owners a “concertstyle sound”. That’s quite a bold claim when many of us know that even top-rung sound systems often struggle to replicate a live performance. It’s worth remembering that an affordable city car/audio firm tie-up has been done before. Volkswagen offered the ‘Beats edition’ of the up!, and more recently,…

ABARTH has said goodbye to petrol power after 75 years. Fiat’s performance arm kicked off its new electric life with the 500e, and it followed that up with its most powerful road car ever: the 600e. It’s based on the Fiat 600e, with both cars using Stellantis’ e-CMP2 platform, so they share parts with the Alfa Romeo Junior, Jeep Avenger, Peugeot E-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric. Abarth calls its version ‘Perfo-eCMP’ thanks to some chassis tweaks and a more powerful motor, which is shared with the Veloce version of the Alfa Junior. The front-mounted motor produces 235bhp in the standard Abarth 600e, or 278bhp in the 600e Scorpionissima. Both use a 54kWh battery, which offers up to 207 miles of range (reduced to 199 miles in the more powerful car),…

I WAS hoping that my time with the Lexus LBX would help to answer a significant question: can small cars feel premium? It sounds like a contradiction, but nonetheless the Japanese manufacturer is hoping to make a big impression with its luxury-focused compact SUV. The LBX is based on the Toyota Yaris supermini and certainly has no direct rivals from the likes of BMW, Mercedes or Volvo, and while Audi offers the A1, the baby Lexus is a little different, being classed more as a crossover. Before I could reach a conclusion on the LBX’s premium status, the car’s odometer neared 10,000 miles – with us covering 7,398 of those – so I had to visit a dealer for the car’s first service. I booked it in with Lexus Ipswich,…

TRYING not to make assumptions is a good rule for life in general, but it’s a particularly helpful philosophy to stick to when you’re looking for a new car – and will go a long way to help you avoid disappointment. Case in point: the all-new, highly advanced Mercedes CLA is being billed as a potential game-changer in the world of electric cars, with the company’s website claiming that the super-sleek saloon can add up to 200 miles of range in just 10 minutes of charging, among other incredibly impressive feats. However, as we recently discovered (Issue 1,882), the electric ‘CLA with EQ Technology’ currently isn’t compatible with the vast majority of the UK’s rapid chargers, which is a potentially major problem that the fine print on Merc’s website carefully…