Issue August 2024 - CAR UK (2024)

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August 2024

Every month CAR interviews the stars of motorsport, demystifies the latest in-car technology and shares our writers’ passion for car culture and car design. Discover the world’s newest and most exciting cars: join us to drive everything from supercars and hot hatches to family cars.

in this issue

IN THIS ISSUEWelcome‘Dealers have been spooked by losing money on EVs’ There are some at CAR who can tell you what the thread pitch is for the cylinder head nuts on a Citroën AX, but not me. Numbers are not a strong point. But even I will struggle to forget the figure I've just calculated for the running costs of our Mercedes EQE long-term test car. The final report, which will be in next month’s magazine, notes that if you include depreciation the cost per mile is £15.78. Blame a part-exchange value of £45,235, a loss of 48 per cent. It’s an extreme case, but is far from being the only example of cars that have a high purchase price when new and horrendous residual value. We hear of dealers simply refusing…3 min

InsiderMONEY, MEET MOUTH‘The real hot-hatch EV is in town,’ smiles Alpine’s product performance VP Sovany Ang as the covers come off Alpine’s first electric production car: the A290. That’s fightin’ talk, Alpine – particularly when the similarly-sized Mini Cooper SE, Abarth 500e and much larger, much more expensive but utterly fantastic Hyundai Ioniq 5 N are already on the road and surprising everyone with how successfully they capture the classic hot-hatch spirit in EV form. The concept looked great, but the worry was that Alpine, when it came to the production A290, would phone it in. The Alpine team were starting with the fundamentals of the electric Renault 5, and our early intel – now proved to be correct – had suggested it would simply use the e-motor from the larger Megane…6 min

Insider‘Wouldn’t adding another electric motor be un-Alpine?’JG: ‘There were winks and nudges from product chief Sovany Ang and CEO Philippe Krief about a twin-motor, all-wheel-drive A290. Makes sense, right? After all, you’re launching this with GT and GTS specs already, the Ampr Small platform can handle it because of its multi-link rear suspension set-up. Was that always the plan?’ CB: ‘I don’t think it was designed for that reason, the focus was more on ride and handling. But it is a nice surprise…’ JG: ‘And let’s not forget, the A110 gained S and R versions later in its life with more performance…’ CB: ‘I can’t say whether or not we’re doing a twin motor version, but what I can say is we’re working on pushing the boundaries even further. We look years in the future.’ JG:…2 min

InsiderA110 + R5 = A290Renault 5 The imminent electric reboot of the classic supermini uses the same platform and base structure as the A290, but Alpine has changed the suspension and front subframe. Alpine A524 Engineers claim the A290’s steering wheel and on-the-fly ‘OV’ overtake and regen buttons have a link to the Formula 1 car. Rather tenuous. Renault Megane E-Tech Alpine’s lifted the motor for the more powerful version of the A290 from the Megane and squeezed it into the Ampr Small platform. The software work is pure Alpine. Alpine A110 The A290 steals the coupe’s dampers and has been engineered to echo its brake and steering feel. The A110 itself will soon evolve into an EV.…1 min

InsiderVW’S ELECTRIC CITY CAR CONFIRMEDIT’S OFFICIAL Volkswagen deliberated long and hard on how to progress with an electric city car to replace the Up, having four proposals on the drawing board in early 2024 – including one with Renault, which fell apart in May. VW promises a city EV ‘from Europe, for Europe’ with a planned price of under €20,000 (around £17,000). A FIERCE RIVAL The planned partnership would have looped VW into Renault’s project to revitalise the Twingo. Instead, the French supermini will be its closest competition, promising a similar price and launching more than a year before. ‘Why is it taking so long? Because we need to make cars that fit to the VW DNA without compromises,’ says Schäfer. SOME EARLY STATS Brand boss Thomas Schäfer says VW is exploring a 300km…1 min

InsiderAT THE EXTREMESTHE FAMILY-FRIENDLY ONE BMW’s designers have had the belt sanders out, with this new-generation X3 sporting a much less creased design. The interior’s had an overhaul with the latest tech pulled from the 7-series and the OS 9 infotainment from the 1-series. The M50 version benefits from the most powerful straight-six engine ever fitted to an M Performance car. NEED TO KNOW What is it? A new-generation best-seller I Tech specs 56-mile plug-in hybrid, interior tech from 7-series I Aimed at? Keeping us busy before Neue Klasse arrives I When can I get one? Order now from £46,800; first deliveries in the winter THE POWERFUL ONE Jeep’s new Wagoneer may not look all that Jeep-y, aside from the ‘architectural light’ grille arrangement at the front, but it’s hiding technology and…2 min

Issue August 2024 - CAR UK (2024)

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