Chinese firm GAC plots UK launch with Volkswagen ID 3 rival

ID Era concept's range-extender powertrain is said to return 621 miles of combined range
REx powertrains make sense in large cars in China, says Thomas Schäfer, but PHEVs work well in EuropeVolkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer has cast doubt on the prospect of the brand introducing range-extender (REx) powertrains in Europe, because it is already well served here by more conventional hybrid powertrains.
Volkswagen last month revealed the ID Era concept at the Shanghai motor show as a pre

German firm's new tech enables an instrument panel or any flat surface to be a speakerIn-car audio is as much about relaying information to the occupants as it is listening to music.
With that in mind, one of the latest ideas to emerge from Continental is an instrument display that doubles as a sound chamber to transmit sound without the need for separate speakers.
The display is based on the company’s Ac2ated Sound Technology, which it began developing a number of years ago with audi

Second generation of Xpeng's tech-heavy Taycan fighter ushers in a dramatic new design languageChinese EV firm Xpeng has revealed the latest version of its Porsche Taycan-rivalling P7 sports saloon.
The company, which recently launched the G6 crossover in the UK and will soon sell the X9 MPV here, describes the second-generation P7 as "more than a car - it is Xpeng's answer for the AI [artificial intelligence] era in form and function".
The firm describes itself as an 'AI-driven mobility company

Screaming flat six receives a hybrid boost as hottest 911 chases Nürburgring supremacyPorsche is gearing up to launch what insiders at its Zuffenhausen headquarters in Germany describe as the most extreme and technically advanced 911 yet: the fifth-generation GT2 RS.
Set to go on sale in the UK in 2026, the new range-topping 911 is being developed to stretch the limits of what’s possible in a road-legal Porsche, with a heavily re-engineered, twin-turbocharged version of the compa

Delayed QOTD today -- blame travel troubles. Anyway, it's possible automatic start/stop technology could be legislated out of existence.Would you miss it?Does it actually save fuel economy on your vehicle or is it just annoying? Or maybe both?As someone who tests 50-ish cars per year home plus however many I get to drive on press events -- let's say 100-ish most years -- I find that I don't mind it unless it's tuned horribly by the OEM. But I am also not really able to track how it effects fuel

Japan has officially discontinued all Corolla models on the home market that don’t utilize some level of electrification. Gasoline-only variants have been eliminated to make room for more hybrids, which Toyota believes will help it adhere to increasingly strict emissions regulations.
While perhaps less outspoken about achieving carbon neutrality than its competitors, Toyota still wants to completely eliminate carbon emissions across operations, manufacturing, and logistics by 2050. We can

JLR treats its oldest model to some new kit to mark 35 years of DiscoveryThe Land Rover Discovery has been treated to a pair of special editions and some subtle updates in a bid to sustain its appeal as it enters its eighth year on sale. 
The primary additions for the 2026 model year are a pair of new special-edition Discovery models that JLR says have been designed to "honour Discovery's 35-year legacy with subtle nods to the model's history in their names".
The 'Tempest' special edition t

Earlier this week, Lee Zeldin, top boss at the Environmental Protection Agency, announced via social media he will be directing his department to investigate “fixing” the start/stop systems found in modern vehicles.
Describing the feature, Zeldin said it is one in which “your car dies at every red light so companies get a climate participation trophy," Before going on to add that the "EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we're fixing it."Details beyond the electronic miss

Today we bring you a blue 2005 BMW M3.This one has about 89,000 miles on it, the Competition Package, the Cold Weather Package, Premium Package, navigation, Harman Kardon audio, and more.There's a lot more detail -- we'll refer you to the listing.That same listing shows that this car is in California and the asking price is $49,950.Like I said, the seller has provided potential buyers with a lengthy history of the car -- you can click here to read all about it.[Images: Seller]Become a TTAC

Jeep has confirmed that the next Compass can only be had with all-wheel drive if you’re willing to purchase the top electric variant — at least insofar as the European market is concerned. Meanwhile, North American drivers still don't know if they'll be getting a new version of the model at all.According toMotor1, gasoline-powered Compasses will be offered exclusively to Europeans with front-wheel drive. Only the dual-motor (375 horsepower) electric variant will feature all-wheel dri

In response to the (ever-changing) tariff taxes deployed by the Trump administration, Nissan is mulling a shift in Sentra production.
According to  Automotive News, who was informed by an unnamed Nissan supplier, the company is considering pulling up some of its Sentra production stakes in Mexico and departing for an underutilized plant in Mississippi. This is not to say Nissan could be leaving Mexico altogether but does suggest it may shift production to this country of Sentra sedans inten

I will admit to being skeptical about Slate Auto’s affordable EVs. We’ve heard the “cheap EV is coming” story so many times without an actual result that it feels like just another thing that happens in the electric vehicle world. That said, more than 100,000 people disagree with me, as the company has accumulated six figures of refundable reservations since its reveal a couple of weeks ago. The upstart automaker reached the 100,000 mark last weekend, as buyers line up fo

Positive reception of Renault 4 and 5, plus Nissan deal, have secured the business case for the retro city EVThe new Renault Twingo electric car will arrive in the UK in right-hand-drive form soon after its launch next year, the firm’s boss, Fabrice Cambolive, has confirmed.
The fourth generation of the model is due on sale in mainland Europe next year with a sub-€20,000 (£16,700) starting price, but there had been doubts over whether it would come to the UK because of the

Polestar has confirmed a power output of up to 874bhp for the 5
Porsche Taycan rival to use ultra-stiff platform with brand-new battery tech for lightning-fast chargingPolestar will show the final version of its new electric super-saloon at the Munich motor show in September.
Remaining largely true to the radical Precept concept that the brand showed in 2020, the Polestar 5 is a Porsche Taycan rival with “supercar levels” of stiffness from a British-engineered chassis, an 800V e

Hatchback continues brand's new naming scheme and design refresh that began with last year's No8 flagship SUV
The DS 4 has been given a heavy update, bringing in a fresh look, a new name and the option of an electric powertrain for the first time.
The C-segment hatchback has been the French brand’s best-seller in the UK since its 2021 launch, albeit with just 2300 sales. 
While it has done much better in Europe, amassing 10,405 sales in 2024, DS is struggling, with over

The 2025 BMW i4 xDrive 40 is solid electric sedan with luxury and plenty of range and power. This is the dual-motor all-wheel drive version with an 84.3 kWh battery, which produces 396 horsepower and around 300 miles of range.
The 2025 i4 gets some minor exterior updates including this Cape York Green Metallic shade, and more tech inside like a large pane of glass for driver display and infotainment. Premium materials elevate the interior with some minor edits on the console to match the ne

New 208 Style is one of a select few cars that you can still buy brand new for less than £20kPeugeot has launched a new version of the 208 that cuts the supermini’s starting price from £24,645 to £19,995.
Named the 208 Style, it's available only with a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that sends 99bhp to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.
It's visually distinguished from its more expensive siblings by a colour-cont

Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson says the manufacturer needs to "be a local player" in every key regionVolvo is moving to a more regionalised business model that will help it better adapt to differing market demands and legislation in Europe, the US and China.
Under the stewardship of recently re-appointed CEO Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo Cars will devolve more power to its businesses in China and the US, while "more directly" steering its European operations from its base in Sweden.
The move w

New XC70 sits between XC60 and XC90 but uses a new REx-oriented platform
Cars such as new XC70 could be key in European nations with less EV infrastructure, says Håkan SamuelssonVolvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson says extended-range plug-in hybrids could play an important role in Europe's electrification transition, strengthening the possibility of the new XC70 being sold here.
The XC70 was previewed last week as a mid-sized, plug-in hybrid SUV to sit in between the XC60 and XC90, with

Chery-built crossover will have range-extender and pure-EV options plus Gerry McGovern stylingThe reborn Freelander brand, which revives the famous nameplate for a new family of Chinese-made models, will arrive in the UK before the end of the decade – and the first will be a chunky but rakish crossover designed by JLR chief creative officer Gerry McGovern.
The new brand is the result of a tie-up between JLR and its long-term manufacturing partner in China, Chery, which will engineer the ca

Racier version of small crossover is most likely to borrow hardware from its Abarth 600e cousinVauxhall is priming a hot new GSe version of its Mokka crossover, as it transitions the nascent performance-focused sub-brand to offering solely electric cars.
The brand has yet to confirm any details, but the new model made an appearance in a teaser video posted to social media by CEO Florian Huettl announcing that it will ditch models with combustion engines such as the previous Astra GSe.

How easy is it to have a convertible as your only car?Culmination is one of those words that can be used in subtly different ways. We will ignore its archaic use (the reaching of the meridian by a celestial body) and delve straight into its two most popular meanings today. 
One definition is the highest point of something, especially as attained after a long time. The other is the point at which something ends, having developed until it reaches this point.
Subtle differences, then. It can m

This week Cropley and Prior talk about the Lotus 49 F1 car, American Subaru buyers, the VW ID Buzz and Vauxhall Combo LifeThis week Steve Cropley and Matt Prior return to the store cupboard as they discuss why liberal Americans like Subarus much more than conservatives do, Cropley tells Prior about the brilliance of the Lotus 49, and the pair discuss two vans with seats - the Volkswagen ID Buzz and Vauxhall Combo Life. There's more, too, including the Land's End Trial, the Polestar 4, the V

Affalterbach ditches its beloved V8 engine for a six-cylinder PHEV system in new range-topping E-ClassThe E63 was a brash, loud, powerful super-saloon that was sacrificed as part of Mercedes' wide-ranging electrification plans. Yes, one of the most multi-faceted of AMG’s modern-day performance cars has been laid to rest with a celebrated reputation built up over a period of 16 years and three model generations. And it has been indirectly replaced by this: the six-cylinder plug-i

I am in rainy, cold Bozeman, Montana, to drive the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan.I will have some time to ask the VW product and public relations people about the updated TIguan -- which is separate from the upcoming 2026 Tiguan with a turbo trim -- and if you ask some good questions (aka no trolling) I will pass them along.That's pretty much it. Sound off below.[Image: Volkswagen]Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth abou

Today we have a Florida Fox body for you with this 1993 Ford Mustang LX convertible. Our seller says there is no rust and that the body, floors, and suspension are "immaculate". The seller says this is a summer-only car for cruise nights and only racks up about 1,000 miles per year.It's got an automatic transmission, Bridgestone tires, four-wheel disc brakes, Bilsteins, and more modifications.The A/C works, the car runs well and drives well (apparently), the car has upgraded audio, and the car h

Headache-inducing dad jokes in the headline aside, the new Coastal package adds a dose of brightness and capability to the Bronco.
Billed as a group of accessories from Ford Performance and not a trim package one can order from the factory, this Coastal gear adds the sort of vibe Jeep gave the Wrangler with the Islander option. Features like a stripe with pastel blue and yellow plus a silver-hued grille lend a decently chill beach atmosphere to the truck, particularly in the Desert Sand color sh

VWIDTalk Podcast hosts Jan and Wes introduced a systematic approach to retrofitting OEM components from European-market Volkswagens into U.S.-spec vehicles —starting with animated IQ taillightsfeaturing amber turn signals.What began as a “simple” lighting swap quickly evolved into a deep dive across three key pillars of successful retrofits: mechanical feasibility (will it physically fit?), electrical feasibility (are the wires and connectors compatible?), a

On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives proposed lowering emissions requirements while also ending federal tax incentives pertaining to all-electric vehicles. This initiative is being led by House Republicans and would be executed under more comprehensive tax reform legislation.
The proposal is being reviewed by the House Ways and Means Committee at the time of this writing and seeks to end the $7,500 tax credit for new EVs and up to $4,000 credit for used models by the end of this year. Ho