1 DAY AGO - The DBX accounted for around two-thirds of the model's sales in 2023 One-engine offering introduced after sales success, inheriting cockpit from DB12 and Vantage The Aston Martin DBX has gained a touchscreen and is now available exclusively in top-rung 707 guise, dropping the lower-powered 542bhp version of its twin-turbo V8. The move to a one-engine offering comes in response to the success of the 697bhp range-topper, which accounted for around two-thirds of DBX sales in 2023 and is running at about 90% so far in 2024. Aston Martin has also removed the mild-hybrid straight-six DBX from sale in the Chinese market, citing rapid shifts in market demand for such powertrains. It has no immediate plans to offer an electrified variant globally. Due to begin deliveries in May with a 5-10% price uplift taking it to around £210,000, the revised DBX now has essentially the same cockpit arrangement as the DB12 and Vantage, doing away with the dated Mercedes-based set-up that it has had since Collapse

1 DAY AGO - Four years later, Audi moves to address criticisms of its swanky family hatchback Since its introduction in 1999, the Audi A3 has been the conservative and consistent, if somewhat predictable, option in the premium family hatchback class. Now halfway through its fourth generation, it's been treated to a mild nip and tuck in a bid to bolster its ability to compete with the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and BMW 1 Series.Just like its Seat Leon, Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf relations, the new A3 continues to use an evolution of the Volkswagen Group’s ubiquitous MQB platform, with enhancements to accommodate a wider spread of powertrain options that includes mild hybrid and, eventually, plug-in hybrid variants.    It remains available as a (curiously popular) compact saloon or, as driven here, in traditional Sportback guise, and while neither has been radically reinvented, a wide-reaching package of visual, technological and mechanical revisions make this a tangibly different proposition Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - Yellow-tinted light is easier on eyes than pure white Prior develops and French-inspired a solution to headlight glare and believes EV tax breaks are a bad idea I’m pleased to see the government is to look into the issue of headlight brightness and glare – let’s hope they squint a bit – following a recent RAC survey that found a large number of drivers thought dazzling was a problem. There may, though, not be a quick legislative fix. The Department for Transport has already been talking to a United Nations expert group on vehicle lighting – who knew? – but proposals to introduce automatic beam alignment, which would lower beams as cars go over hills and the like, won’t come into play until 2027. And even then? Well, I’ve driven a number of cars with the most advanced ‘intelligent’ lighting on sale, which automatically aligns the beam or limits the areas lit by high beam, and still found oncoming drivers flashed me because they were being dazzled. As in many cases of legislated Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - Supercharger members generally save around 10p per kWh Drivers of electric cars other than Teslas now pay £2 less per month to access cheaper charging rates Tesla has lowered the cost of its membership scheme that gives drivers of other electric vehicles discounted access to the Supercharger network. Under the membership programme, drivers of non-Tesla electric cars can pay a monthly fee that allows them to charge their vehicle using the Supercharger network at the same discounted rate that Tesla owners receive. The scheme previously cost £10.99 per month, but Tesla has now lowered that to £8.99 while also introducing a £90 annual membership option. The membership programme is run through the Tesla app, which is also required to access the firm’s V3 chargers. The newer V4 chargers also accept contactless payments. Tesla uses a variable-rate pricing strategy, so the cost of charging for both Tesla owners/members and non-members varies by the location and the time of day – but Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - Recent advances in battery capacity and efficiency give PHEVs great potential to reduce emissions, manufacturers argue Car makers and their suppliers have defended plug-in hybrid technology after data extracted from cars on the road by the European authorities showed that models on average were emitting more than three times the carbon dioxide shown in official tests. Sales of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) grew 34% in the first three months in the UK to 42,492 as more company car drivers took advantage of their tax-friendliness. That in turn helps car makers to drive down their average CO2 emissions to meet legislation and softens their 22% electric car target this year. In Europe, sales were up 7.4%, with the UK now only fractionally behind Germany for the title of the biggest PHEV market in the region. However, figures collected by the European Commission as part of a wider study into the effectiveness of the WLTP fuel economy test show that plug-in hybrids might not deserve their Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - Preview image shows off low front end and rakish roofline Sleek new Volkswagen show car is set to mark a radical departure from design of ID 3 and ID 4 Volkswagen has previewed a new concept car to be unveiled at next week’s 2024 Beijing motor show in an image uploaded to Chinese social media websites. Featuring a sleeker lineage than the German firm’s existing production models, the unidentified concept is claimed to show how the design of electric Volkswagens will progress in the future. The new concept appears to take the form of an SUV-coupé with a low-set front end, prominent wheelhouses, a heavily raked windscreen, an angular glasshouse, a plunging roofline and a shapely rear with prominent haunches over the rear wheels. Officials with ties to the company’s design operations in Wolfsburg, Germany, remain tight-lipped on details and dimensions of their latest concept car. They do admit, however, that efforts are under way to provide future EVs for the Chinese market with Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - Chairman believes the future is bright for the brand, especially with new CEO Adrian Hallmark on the way An audience with Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll is always a memorable occasion. Most will know the Canadian from Netflix’s Drive to Survive series, in which he's straight-talking and has a fearsome presence, often wearing the look of a man who you’ve just told you’ve run over his cat. In person, he’s far warmer; he sparks a room into life and always remains at the centre of it. The ‘executive’ part of his job title remains an understatement for how hands-on he is, as an audience with Stroll in Aston’s sleek boardroom in Gaydon last week again revealed. On the product side, Stroll talked about EVs; Aston has pushed back plans to launch its range of electric cars to 2027, due to a slowdown in demand, and increased investments in PHEVs as a result. The rush to legislate in favour of EVs was “obviously premature”, according to Stroll. Yet he was also in a reflective Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - The CX-80 is underpinned by Mazda's Large Product Group platform Volvo XC90 rival gets heightened practicality, class-leading towing capacity and a sportier chassis Mazda is returning to the seven-seater market after a six-year absence with the CX-80, a luxurious new flagship SUV. Closely related to the CX-60, the CX-80 is the first three-row Mazda in Europe since the 5 MPV and the second model to use Mazda's Large Product Group platform. Compared with the CX-60, its wheelbase is 250mm longer and its rear roofline is 24mm taller. Measuring 4995mm long, 1890mm wide and 1710mm tall, it is around the same size as the Volvo XC90 and Hyundai Santa Fe and is the largest car Mazda has launched in Europe. With all seven seats in place, boot space is 258 litres, rising to 687 litres with the back row folded away and 1221 litres with the two rearmost rows stowed. In place of the three-seat bench, the middle row can be specified with a pair of captain’s chairs, which can recline up to Collapse

5 DAYS AGO - The Defender gets a 75kWh battery that's claimed to achieve a range of 153 miles British firm Bedeo puts an electric motor on each of the classic 4x4's wheels to claim 1916lb ft of torque British engineering firm Bedeo has launched an electric conversion of the Land Rover Defender 110, which uniquely features four in-wheel motors and is said to weigh only slightly more than the original 4x4. Conceived to "maintain its rugged charm while embracing the advantages of electric power", the Defender is the first in a series of Reborn Electric Icons that Bedeo plans to offer.  It uses a pair of in-wheel motors at each end that have been designed and engineered by subsidiary firm Protean Electric. The set-up took eight years to develop and is claimed to have been tested over 37 million miles across Europe. Power is supplied by a 75kWh battery that achieves a claimed range of 153 miles and can be topped up in five hours from a 22kW charger. A 50kW fast charger is optionally available, Collapse