Autocar

AUTOCAR HAS A long tradition of pitting the world’s most expensive limos against each other. They’ve been fought out between Mercedes, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Lexus, Jaguar, Cadillac and many others over the years, and as occasions with which simply to be involved, they don’t tend to disappoint. We often call them our ‘best car in the world’ tests, the winner by definition earning the right to describe itself in those terms. But this week’s is slightly different. Rather than comparing every facet of their design and performance, our mission – with the updated Phantom VIII, the Flying Spur V8 Azure and a few others – was to cast a fresh eye over the state of the art of ride comfort. Good ride tuning seems to be becoming a lost art for…

“The i5 M60 xDrive develops 593bhp and 605lb ft for a claimed 0-62mph of 3.8sec” The new BMW 5 Series saloon has been unveiled ahead of a planned start to UK sales for the highly anticipated eighth-generation model in October. It will initially come with a choice of drivetrains: pureelectric and traditional internal combustion engine. The electric line-up at launch will feature in a pair of i5-badged models – the rear-wheel-drive eDrive40 and four-wheel-drive M60 xDrive – which have been conceived to take on the likes of the Mercedes-Benz EQE, Tesla Model S and upcoming Audi A6 E-tron saloon. Shortly after its launch later this year, BMW also plans to begin offering plug-in hybrid versions of the new four-door in an expanded line-up that will also include a successor to…

BMW HAS RESURRECTED the spirit of the original Z3 Coupé in a striking new concept car called the Touring Coupé. Unveiled at the 2023 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the shore of Lake Como in Italy, the two-seat concept aims to show how a modern-day coupé variant of the third-generation Z4 may look, had it been granted production approval by the German car maker. The Touring Coupé draws on design ideas first explored on the Z3 Coupé launched in 1998 and followed up by the sleeker Z4 Coupé introduced in 2006. It retains the familiar styling of the latest Z4 roadster at the front but adopts a two-door shooting brake silhouette at the rear to extend the impact of its appearance and provide it with added everyday practicality. Destined to…

The Corsa supermini will get a major facelift this year when it receives new electric and hybrid powertrain options and becomes the last current Vauxhall to gain the company’s bold ‘Vizor’ grille. The British brand hopes heavy visual updates and increased power choices – as well as a rise in electric-only range – will enable the hatch to again become the country’s most popular car, having been pipped last year by the Nissan Qashqai SUV and chased closely by the Tesla Model Y and Ford Puma. “It has been a phenomenal success. Ever since it landed in the market, it’s been a really important car for us,” vice-president of design Mark Adams told Autocar. Visually, the biggest changes are at the front, where more muscular and slimline LED headlights join…

STELLANTIS HAS WARNED it may close its UK factories if the government does not renegotiate part of its Brexit deal. The car giant – which owns Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroën and Fiat among other brands – says it cannot follow parts sourcing rules introduced through Brexit. Updated legislation, which is due to come into force in 2024, means that 45% of the value of an EV should come from the EU or the UK to qualify for trade without tariffs. Stellantis has asked for the date to be extended to 2027. It described the rules as “a threat to our export business and the sustainability of our UK manufacturing operations”. The company said: “If the cost of EV manufacturing in the UK becomes uncompetitive and unsustainable, operations will close.” It cited…

VAUXHALL HAS NO plans to offer an entry-level EV below the Corsa, boss James Taylor has told Autocar, and it will instead position the brand as a more aspirational proposition. This decision goes against the current trend of many car manufacturers – such as Volkswagen, Cupra, Renault, Skoda and Citroën – which have pledged to launch EVs priced at less than £25,000. Vauxhall, which will offer a pure-electric line-up from 2028, will instead keep the Corsa as its EV entry point. The Corsa Electric currently starts at £31,931, although the upcoming facelift is expected to bump up this price. “We have moved the brand up the spectrum,” said Taylor. “We want to be an uppermainstream brand. That’s where our aspiration is and we have to position ourselves and take the…