CAR UK June 2021

‘Getting hold of a 911 GT3 is like the bunfight for Glastonbury tickets’ ‘It’s an impossible balance, I’ll be honest with you. You always end up upsetting someone, and some of those people are very good customers who’ve bought many, many cars from you. It’s a very tricky one, to put it mildly.’ While the Porsche salesperson I spoke with chuckled wearily as he said those words, you couldn’t miss the crack of pain in his voice. For while a new Porsche 911 GT3 is a joyous moment for the lucky few, the black art of working out who gets to buy one is a source of immense frustration – as much for those doing the selling as those trying to do the buying. It’s like the bunfight for Glastonbury tickets but…

‘Getting hold of a 911 GT3 is like the bunfight for Glastonbury tickets’ ‘It’s an impossible balance, I’ll be honest with you. You always end up upsetting someone, and some of those people are very good customers who’ve bought many, many cars from you. It’s a very tricky one, to put it mildly.’ While the Porsche salesperson I spoke with chuckled wearily as he said those words, you couldn’t miss the crack of pain in his voice. For while a new Porsche 911 GT3 is a joyous moment for the lucky few, the black art of working out who gets to buy one is a source of immense frustration – as much for those doing the selling as those trying to do the buying. It’s like the bunfight for Glastonbury…

CARS, PEOPLE, SCOOPS, MOTORSPORT, ANALYSIS – THE MONTH ACCORDING TO CAR In the space of a fortnight, the same company unveiled a rear-wheel-drive coupe that exists purely for driving pleasure and an electric SUV that heralds the start of a new drive to save the planet. Welcome to 2021, Toyota-style. And, this being Toyota, there’s nothing random about these polar-opposite announcements. In fact, the seeds were sown in the late ‘90s when Toyota backed hybrids while others were going big on diesels. That turned out to be a very smart move; it’s sold 70 million hybrids. And now, while others are urgently diverting resources to electric replacements for cars that emit high levels of CO2 – or eschewing sporty flagships, such as Nissan Europe with the next Z car and Ford’s decision…

CARS, PEOPLE, SCOOPS, MOTORSPORT, ANALYSIS – THE MONTH ACCORDING TO CAR In the space of a fortnight, the same company unveiled a rear-wheel-drive coupe that exists purely for driving pleasure and an electric SUV that heralds the start of a new drive to save the planet. Welcome to 2021, Toyota-style. And, this being Toyota, there’s nothing random about these polar-opposite announcements. In fact, the seeds were sown in the late ‘90s when Toyota backed hybrids while others were going big on diesels. That turned out to be a very smart move; it’s sold 70 million hybrids. And now, while others are urgently diverting resources to electric replacements for cars that emit high levels of CO2 – or eschewing sporty flagships, such as Nissan Europe with the next Z car and…

Panic over. Despite initial problems with software and build quality, VW has succeeded in getting its ID family of electric cars off to a strong start. In Covid-hit 2020, VW delivered nearly 134,000 electric vehicles, up 197 per cent. The ID.3 and ID.4 are now familiar sights on Europe’s roads, but a more significant volumedriver is the ID.6 (below) – a model that, for now at least, is for China only. Or rather, make that models plural. There are two versions, the ID.6 Crozz and ID.6 X, built in different parts of the country and tailored to regional tastes, on top of a choice of battery size, motor output and two- or all-wheel drive. The ID.6 has a longer wheelbase and a longer body than the ID.4, which in turn…

Panic over. Despite initial problems with software and build quality, VW has succeeded in getting its ID family of electric cars off to a strong start. In Covid-hit 2020, VW delivered nearly 134,000 electric vehicles, up 197 per cent. The ID.3 and ID.4 are now familiar sights on Europe’s roads, but a more significant volumedriver is the ID.6 (below) – a model that, for now at least, is for China only. Or rather, make that models plural. There are two versions, the ID.6 Crozz and ID.6 X, built in different parts of the country and tailored to regional tastes, on top of a choice of battery size, motor output and two- or all-wheel drive. The ID.6 has a longer wheelbase and a longer body than the ID.4, which in turn…