The average price of an electric car is 81 percent higher than that of a normal car, according to a new study.
In Europe (plus Israel and Turkey), where electric cars represent 1.9 percent of the new car market, the average retail price of a new car is $34,091 (£27,129). Meanwhile, the average price of the most popular electric cars range from $35,000 (£28,000) to $103,000 (£82,000).
Even the Renault Zoe – one of the cheapest electric cars available – is more expensive than the average retail price in 15 European markets.
In the U.S. and Canada, where the market is dominated by SUVs and pick-ups, the average retail price is $35,614 (£28,340), making it the highest average in the world.
Nevertheless, the cost of electric cars still exceeds the average vehicle price. The Tesla Model 3, which is the region’s top-selling electric car, is 21 percent more expensive than the average.
Only China bucks the trend, where a clear electric car strategy has made it the world’s largest EV market. Government subsidies and fewer safety regulations mean that electric cars are as much as 43 percent lower than the market average.
The Chery EQ1 city car retails for $20,260 (£16,120), while the BYD Yuan is priced at $15,279 (£12,159) – both significantly less than the $26,715 (£21,259) market average.
JATO, the company behind the study, says that price represents one of the four main challenges to the electric car market, the others being poor infrastructure, battery range and a limited supply of cars.
On the price gap, Felipe Munoz, JATO analyst, said: “The gap is set to reduce in the long term. Prices of BEVs (battery electric vehicles) are expected to fall as battery costs decrease and the OEMs share their technologies.
“Yet, based on the latest product announcements and presentations, this is not the case in the short term. It will be very difficult for OEMs to reduce prices and, most importantly, to expand profits without an increase in sales volumes.”
Munoz referenced the likes of the Volkswagen ID.3, Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa-e as potential turning points in the sector, while low-priced entries such as electric versions of the Renault Kwid and Maruti Suzuki Wagon R should have a positive impact on the global market.
We’re often told to avoid making modifications to our cars in case it increases the cost of insurance. But some mods will actually reduce your annual premium.
Indeed, some could save you up to 24 percent – while others will have the reverse effect, adding 26 percent to a premium.
Fit a telematics device – also known as a ‘black box’ – and the cost of car insurance could drop by around a quarter. The device records your speed, distance travelled and the time of day or night you’re on the road.
Fitting a tow bar will have the same effect, resulting in an average 24 percent price reduction. But be warned: the savings could be offset by the price of a tow bar, which will cost around £450.
Dashcams are a more cost-effective solution, shaving 15 percent off the price of a premium, but costing around £25 to buy.
Meanwhile, parking sensors – while costing an average £158 – should see a reduction of 13 percent. A roof rack has a similar effect on car insurance, but the savings could be outweighed by the impact it has on your fuel economy.
These are the findings of Crusader Vans, which looked into the aftermarket industry, as well as sales data, to find the best modifications to cut your car insurance premium.
The modifications to avoid
It’s common knowledge that performance and cosmetic upgrades can have a negative impact on the cost of car insurance, but there are some other, more surprising, modifications in the research.
A car phone costs £50 to install, but could increase the cost of instance by as much as 26 percent.
Meanwhile, tinted windows, an LPG conversion and a sat-nav could result in higher premiums, but much will depend on the insurer. As such, you should speak to your insurance provider before making any modifications to your vehicle.
Car modifications can have a serious effect on the cost of car insurance. Some could increase the risk of an accident, while others will make the car more appealing to thieves.
In 2016, Moneysupermarket.com analysed 2.3 million vehicles to show the effect each type of modification has on the cost of car insurance. The results were startling, if unsurprising.
Turbocharging, supercharging and nitrous added 132 percent to the premium, making such upgrades by far and away the least cost-effective performance modifications. Bonnet bulges and flared wings added 66 percent, while a complete bodykit added 57 percent.
Even brakes, which should improve the safety of the vehicle, resulted in an average 36 percent increase in the cost of cover.
It’s worth noting that accessibility modifications can have an impact on the cost of insurance. The research found that wheelchair adaptations add 69 percent to the premium, while hand controls add 57 percent.
If in doubt, talk to the insurance company. And remember, if the change alters the original factory specification, it’s likely to be classed as a modification.
True BMW geeks know that some of the marque’s coolest performance cars never wore an ‘M’ badge.
Following in the footsteps of the 3.0-litre CSL and 2002 Turbo, this is the South Africa-only 530 Motorsport Limited Edition (MLE). This car, chassis number 100, has just undergone a meticulous restoration.
What is the BMW 530 MLE?
Electric BMW i3 gets extra attitude from AC Schnitzer
The MLE is a homologation special in the purest sense, designed purely to permit racers to compete in the Modified Production Series in 1976. And compete they did, winning 15 out of 15 races. When it retired in 1985, the 530 MLE’s three consecutive titles made it the most successful racing 5 Series ever.
To be homologated, there needed to be a minimum of 100 road cars. The South African model lasted from 1976 to 1977, with 217 made in total. It featured extra power from its 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine, hand-drilled bodywork and pedals, manual windows, no air conditioning and special Mahle wheels. All work was done at the Rosslyn BMW plant – the first outside of Germany.
This car was previously owned by race driver and team manager, Peter Kaye-Eddie.
“The BMW 530 MLE at the time demonstrated how competitive sporting events were the ideal setting to impress the motoring public with the performance of new vehicles,” said Tim Abbott, CEO of BMW Group South Africa.
“The success of the 530 MLE was a pure example of ‘What wins on Saturday sells on Monday’, and it paved the way for BMW South Africa as a sporty brand and a serious motorsport contender in the country. To this day, M remains the most powerful letter in the world!”
A company from rural Great Britain is set to start offering modified Land Rover Defenders tailored for North American customers.
Twisted Automotive is expanding its current operations into the USA, opening a new facility in South Boston, VA following three years of detailed planning.
Each reimagined example of the iconic classic Defender can be customized to meet the individual requirements of the buyer, with the promise that they will not look like “any other SUV” on the roads in the USA.
British design, American power
At the heart of each Twisted Defender will be a V-8 engine supplied by General Motors. The supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V-8 produces 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, offering serious performance.
Using the GM motor ensures that the Defender meets all relevant emissions standards, including California.
An eight-speed automatic transmission will also be standard on all Twisted Defenders, connected to a full-time four-wheel drive system. The left-hand drive chassis has been developed in California, and is said to be built to Baja race specifications, with 18 inches of suspension travel.
Buyers will be able to pick between 90, 110 and 130 wheel base Defender chassis types, with upgraded body panels, air conditioning, electric windows, and central locking included in the base $250,000 price tag.
A quintessentially British icon
Whilst the price may seem high, Twisted Automotive has become a recognized authority on the classic Defender since being established in 2001. The company has also invested to appoint experienced individuals to manage operations in the USA.
Twisted Automotive founder and managing director Charles Fawcett said: “North America has been part of our plans for a number of years as demand there for the classic Defender is incredible. We want to position ourselves as the go-to specialists who offer the very best on the market.”
American interest in the original Defender has intensified since Land Rover ended production of the British 4×4 in 2016. Auction website Bring a Trailer has seen more than 200 Defenders listed since 2015, helped by a wider selection of vehicles becoming eligible to import under the 25-year rule.
Twisted is currently working to prepare the first three Defenders for the USA. Interested customers can place their orders now, with deliveries expected from April 2020.
The new MG HS SUV will launch with a £17,995 price tag when deliveries start in November.
That’s roughly the price you’ll pay for an entry-level Juke, while the top-spec MG HS easily undercuts the most expensive version of Nissan’s small crossover. Exceptional value for money for a car that rivals the Nissan Qashqai from the class above.
Standard spec includes 17-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry with push button start, a 10.1-inch colour touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and electric folding and heated door mirrors.
Moving up from the Explore trim to the mid-range Excite adds around £2,500 to the price and a rear parking camera, 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic wipers and sat-nav.
The top-spec Exclusive boasts a choice of two leather interiors, front and rear LED sequential indicators, electric and heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting and a panoramic sunroof.
A six-speed manual gearbox is fitted as standard, with a seven-speed DCT transmission available on Excite and Exclusive models. DCT models also feature a choice of driving modes and an electronic opening tailgate.
All models get an extensive list of safety equipment, including active emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert.
There’s no diesel option, so you’re limited to a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 162hp. Monthly PCP deals are to be announced.
Daniel Gregorious, head of sales & marketing at MG Motor UK said, “We’re absolutely delighted to bring all new MG HS to the UK. This car brings a whole new level of quality and refinement to the segment, wrapped-up in a sporty and affordable package
“All new MG HS models will appeal to families looking for a high-quality alternative to run-of-the-mill SUVs. This car delivers a combination of quality and value that only MG can achieve, and we’re delighted to add it to our growing range.”
For many of us, spending extra cash on a bigger set of wheels can cause a financial headache.
In the grand scheme of things – and the world of expensive optional extras – such things barely scratch the surface.
Here, we run through the craziest of options as devised by Leasing Options, and tell you what you could have bought instead…
Ferrari 458 coloured seat belts
Ah, Ferrari: the champions of the extravagant options list. Nevermind the thousands you can wave goodbye to lavishing your car with carbon, Ferrari would happily relieve you of £700 for the privilege of having coloured seat belts. According to LeasingOptions, for that you could have 231 pints of beer, eight weekly food shops or 83 months of Netflix. But what would we spend it on?
We’d have…
A Mazda MX-5. There are plenty of MX-5s around for a three-figure sum. Topless fun certainly sounds better than red seat belts…
Porsche 911 painted air vents
Porsche might have stolen Ferrari’s crown for extravagant extras. How does £1,400 for coloured air vents sound? Enough for a top-spec iPhone, bought, paid for and in your pocket.
We’d have…
Or a Renault hot hatch. You can pick up a decent example of Renault’s early-2000s pocket rocket for four figures. That, or some body-coloured plastics in your new Porsche?
Mercedes-Maybach champagne flutes
It’s getting gratuitous and we’re only on number 13 out of 15. When optioning your Mercedes-Maybach limousine, you can spend the equivalent of 260 bottles of wine on some fancy champagne flutes. In fairness, £2,600 for a set of crystal flutes isn’t completely outside the realms of believability.
We’d have…
An EP3-generation Honda Civic Type R. Why swill champers in the back of your Maybach when you could be smashing the limiter at 8,800rpm in one of the coolest hot hatches ever made?
Rolls-Royce gold-plated Spirit of Ecstasy
When it comes to Rolls-Royces, if you have to ask… But since you are asking, gold-plating the Spirit of Ecstasy will set you back £7,500. For that, you could have a jolly long holiday on the other side of the world, or 2,307 pints of beer.
We’d have…
We’d go without the gold and stick £7,500 into a Jaguar S-Type R, for some supercharged V8 waft and skids.
Tesla Ludicrous mode
Here’s an interesting one. Short of anything you can touch or see, this next entry is purely software. Ludicrous Mode in a Tesla Model S will set you back £8,200. For that, you get a 20 percent boost in performance, with 60mph achievable in just 2.4 seconds. Or you could fly first class to Los Angeles and get a nice hotel room.
We’d have…
That said, we’d probably forgo the transatlantic trip in favour of one of the greatest performance cars ever made. Eight grand will get you in an E46 M3 in need of a bit of love.
Rolls-Royce Phantom starlight headliner
This is probably one of the most famous optional extras ever made. Even though it’s £10,000, it’s pretty cool. You could order around 3,000 pints of beer for that.
We’d have…
For ten grand, honestly, there are some real gems out there. For that, we’d get another stately limo: a Maserati Quattroporte. Cool as the headliner is, we’d take the Maser…
Lexus LS reclining back seats
Though Lexus isn’t quite the prestigious marque that Rolls-Royce is, you can still pile five figures into a single option. £13,500 buys you reclining back seats in an LS limo.
We’d have…
For us, however, it’d buy a 5.0-litre supercharged smoke machine from the Midlands. We’ll take a Jaguar XF-R over fancy back seats any day.
Rolls-Royce drinks cabinet
Luxury car manufacturers love providing ways for you to have a drink. For 16,000 of your hard-earned pounds, you could option a drinks cabinet for your Rolls-Royce.
We’d have…
Or you could have an entire Bentley.
BMW i8 Louis Vuitton luggage set
For £16,500, you could have a high-end luggage set for your hybrid sports car. That’s well over ten percent of the cost of the car.
We’d have…
Money you could spend offsetting the carbon saved in the i8, by doing burnouts in a Vauxhall VXR8.
Aston Martin Jaeger-LeCoultre Transponder Watch
Unlock your Aston Martin with the world’s most expensive key. It’s also a very expensive watch. £25,000 lets you unlock your Aston with this blind piece of wristwear.
We’d have…
Or you could use the conventional ‘emotional control unit’ and have the choice between the Aston you’ve got and the Vantage you could buy with the £25,000 saving…
Rolls-Royce Phantom rear seat divider
To distance you from your driver, you can buy a divider to separate the front of your Rolls-Royce from the back. It’ll cost you £28,500.
We’d have…
Keeping it in the BMW Group, how does an entire BMW M6 sound? Exclude your driver, by driving yourself…
Mercedes-Maybach granite interior
We’re Bach in a Maybach, this time spending £49,500 on granite trim in a Mercedes-Maybach.
We’d have…
Or you could have an entire Mercedes-Maybach. Not a new one, obviously. Secondhand, for the price of a special trim in a new one, we can’t argue with that…
Porsche 918 Spyder liquid metal paint
We’re in the realms of hypercars now. On your £800,000 Porsche, you could option £52,000 liquid metal paint. Back on the beer analogy, that’ll get you 16,000 pints.
We’d have…
Or it’d buy you some other silver paint, with an entire Porsche 997 Turbo thrown in for free.
Bentley Bentayga Breitling clock
This one made headlines when the car was revealed. The Bentley Bentayga could be optioned with a £132,000 Breitling clock. LeasingOptions says you can pay a team of three people £35,000 a year, with change, just to tell you the time.
We’d have…
For the sake of the joke, we’ll say we’d spend it on an entire other Bentayga. Because you could.
Bugatti Veyron carbon finish
Finally, the winner. Of course it’s a Bugatti. If you wanted your Veyron hypercar to be finished in exposed carbon fibre, that’d set you back £250,000.
We’d have…
We’d keep the Veyron in a normal colour, and buy a McLaren 600LT Spider to park alongside it. Done, and done.
A road safety organisation has joined the calls to put the brakes on the rollout of smart motorways.
Some argue the absence of a hard shoulder makes smart motorways more dangerous than conventional motorways – a claim disputed by Highways England.
It says journey reliability has improved by 22 percent and personal injury accidents have reduced by more than a half since the introduction of the first smart motorway in 2006.
But Gem Motoring Assist is calling for smart motorways to be banned until a proper safety review has been carried out. It’s also demanding more refuge areas to provide a safe haven for stranded motorists.
‘Proper safety review’ is required
Gem road safety officer Neil Worth said: “Motorways may be the fastest roads we use, but they are statistically also the safest; and there are fewer collisions on motorways than on other roads.
“However, the high speeds used on motorways mean that when there is a crash, it is likely to be more serious. That’s why, on average, around one in 50 motorway collisions is fatal, compared with one in 70 on all other roads.
“We are also asking ministers and highways authorities specifically to call a halt to their rollout of smart motorways across the country until a proper review of safety has been completed and adequate refuge areas provided for drivers.
“In order to maximise safety, we also urge drivers to ensure they know the rules and signs relating to smart motorways, which are becoming more commonplace.”
‘Safest in the world’
Highways England insists smart motorways are safe and is investing around £3 billion in their rollout until 2020.
The agency faced criticism last month after a lorry ploughed into the back of a broken down vehicle in a stretch of hard shoulder being used as a live lane of the M1 near Chesterfield.
When asked about the dangers of smart motorways, a spokesperson for Highways England told Derbyshire Live that it would “never carry out a major improvement scheme” without being confident in maintaining its roads as “among the very safest in the world”.
“Smart motorways are good for drivers, adding vital extra lanes to some of our busiest motorways and making journeys safer and more reliable. As with other roads, we monitor the safety performance of smart motorways and are rolling out enhancements to improve the road user experience.“
Highways England has responded, saying its own assessment shows that accident and injury figures are falling. Collisions and casualties are, it says, 4.3 and 5.9 percent lower respectively than in 2017.
Emergency areas, slip-road hard shoulders and other places to stop in emergencies are located at least every 1.5 miles on all-lane running stretches of motorway. Highways England reiterated its commitment to reducing that distance to one mile from 2020.
“Safety is the top priority for Highways England and we urge everyone who uses our roads to make it theirs, too,” said Highways England head of road safety, Richard Leonard.
“Any death, on any type of road, is one too many. We’re working hard to improve England’s motorways and A-roads and we need your help. We all have a role to play to make sure we all get home, safe and well and we’re asking all drivers to make their own safety, and that of other people, the most important thing to think about when they travel. Remember to check your vehicle, obey all signs and think about other drivers.”
Toyota has revealed a concept version of its forthcoming hydrogen-powered Mirai, due to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show.
The second-generation Mirai promises a 30 percent greater range. And it’s a certified knockout to look at, too.
The Concept is apparently close to the production version, on sale in Japan next year – and in other markets soon afterwards.
2020 Mirai – ‘A car people will want to own’
Toyota has departed from the slightly awkward design of 2014’s original Mirai with this sporty second-gen saloon.
It has cultivated a ‘sleek and powerful look’ using ‘low lines, elegant proportions, taut bodywork and large, 20-inch diameter wheels’. Truthfully, it could easily be badged a Lexus and wear an ‘F’ on the back. The new Mirai aims to show eco-friendliness doesn’t necessarily come at the expense of style.
“I want customers to say ‘I chose the Mirai not just because it’s an FCEV, but because I simply wanted this car; it just happens to be an FCEV,” explained chief engineer Yoshikazu Tanaka.
“We have pursued the goal of making a car that customers will feel they want to drive all time, a car that has an emotional and attractive design and the kind of dynamic and responsive performance that can bring a smile to the driver’s face.”
It’s no good having a drop-dead exterior without the cabin to back it up. As such, the inside of the Mirai concept borrows more than a little from stablemate Lexus. A large 12.3-inch centre display and wrap-around instrument panel blends high-tech appointment with driver focus.
Given the new Mirai’s low-slung silhouette, it might surprise you to learn that it’s more practical than the last car. It now seats five, rather than four.
Toyota is also targeting a 30 percent increase in driving range. This should be achievable through larger on-board hydrogen tanks and improvements in the fuel-cell system. The previous car was good for around 310 miles. Add 30 percent? An impressive 413 miles. Have that, Porsche Taycan.
Driving into the future
Toyota says the Mirai will have ‘light and easy handling on winding roads’. It also focused on the car’s throttle response, particularly its linearity, and a feeling of power ‘at all speeds’.
The new Mirai is a bit of a shocker, in the best sense. The last car tried to sell us hydrogen power, with style as the sacrifice. The new car looks hugely desirable, regardless of what is under the bonnet.
This has been a year of important new car debuts, from the Land Rover Defender to the Porsche Taycan. Volkswagen will deliver 2019’s final big-hitter on October 24, with the launch of the eighth-generation Golf.
This sketch is our first preview of the highly-anticipated new model. Look past the pronounced haunches and enlarged wheels for an idea of the Mk8 Golf’s styling.
The design is, in Volkswagen’s words, ‘instantly recognisable as a Golf’, but ‘more dynamic than ever before’.
The car looks sleeker than the Mk7 it replaces, but still couldn’t be anything other than a Golf.
In the cabin, VW is doubling down on digital tech. It will be a ‘trendsetter in terms of its digtialised and connectivity-oriented interior world’. From what we can see, that means more screens and more touch-sensitive controls.
This is a crucial crossover point for the Golf. Since its inception eight generations and more than 40 years ago, the Golf has been the standard-setter for the family hatchback class. Rivals have come and gone, while the Golf has remained the consummate all-rounder.
Now, competition comes from rather closer to home, and we don’t just mean from elsewhere within the Volkswagen Group.
We refer, of course, to the ID.3. VW says the electric ID is the third chapter for the ‘people’s car’, following on from the Beetle and Golf as chapters one and two.
At the very least, the ID.3 will make any e-Golf replacement feel redundant. It’s going to be a fascinating couple of years, and an interesting launch for the Mk8 Golf.
The term game-changer is bandied about all too frequently, but it could be used to describe the original Volkswagen Golf. Not only did it usher in a new era of water-cooled hatchbacks for a company with a heritage of air-cooled saloons and trucks, but it changed the shape of modern motoring. To mark the arrival of the Mk8 Volkswagen Golf, we celebrate with a small selection of the car’s best strokes.
Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk1
We start, perhaps predictably, at the beginning. Although the Volkswagen Golf arrived in 1974, we’d have to wait a year until the Golf GTI debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with the first right-hand-drive models not appearing in the UK until 1979. It was worth the wait. Our Tim Pitt is a fan and former owner. Writing for Car, he said: “Today, ‘GTI’ is a brand, the badge that adorns a range of Volkswagens from the Up to Golf GTI Clubsport S. Yet everything harks back to the Mk1. It’s the archetypal hot hatch, and still an engaging, exciting driver’s car.”
Volkswagen Golf Rallye
At the time of its launch, the Volkswagen Golf Rallye was the most powerful production Golf to date, but that was only half the story. Thanks to its Syncro four-wheel-drive system, it weighed a portly 230kg more than the contemporary Golf GTI 16v, which served to blunt its performance. According to Car, it was “As ugly as a Staffordshire bull terrier, but without the bite.” Time has been kind to the Rallye, mind. Your author owned one of the 80 UK-spec left-hand-drive models and still remembers the whine of the supercharger and the limpet-like all-weather grip.
Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
The Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR is the last hurrah for the Mk7.5 Golf, its name inspired by the Touring Car Racing series. It offers a 45hp boost over the Golf GTI Performance, but falls 10hp short of the Golf R, but that doesn’t mean it plays second fiddle to the all-weather hot hatch. Thanks to a raft of upgrades, it feels a tad more special than the R, especially if you opt for the Performance Pack. Having spent the day driving a TCR in Mid Wales, we think it’s a fitting send-off for the Mk7.5.
Volkswagen Golf R32
The Mk4 was a landmark car and represented a turning point for the Volkswagen Golf. Boss Ferdinand Piech pushed the hatchback further upmarket, helping it to become the default choice in a competitive segment. In truth, the Mk4 didn’t represent the GTI’s finest hour, but the R32 was in a different league. Launched at the Madrid Motor Show in 2002, the R32 was powered by a 3.2-litre narrow-angle V6 engine and driven by a sophisticated 4Motion system. It also heralded the arrival of Volkswagen’s Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG).
Volkswagen Golf Cross Country
Not the greatest Volkswagen Golf as such, but the Cross Country deserves credit for being ahead of the curve. Launched as a concept at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show, the recipe for the Golf Cross Country will be familiar to today’s car buyers. Volkswagen entrusted Steyr-Daimler-Puch in Austria with the production of the go-anywhere Golf, which featured raised suspension, body armour and the Syncro four-wheel-drive system. It was a sales disaster, but it provided a brief glimpse into the future.
Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk5
Volkswagen knew that it had dropped the ball with the Mk3 and Mk4 versions of the Golf GTI. A major rethink was required, which is why the GTI wasn’t launched alongside the standard Mk5 Golf, with Volkswagen choosing to unveil a ‘Concept GTI’ to generate interest. It worked: looking back, making such overt references to the Mk1 Golf GTI was a dangerous game. It’s just as well the Mk5 Golf GTI lived up to the hype.
Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk2
First came the Mk2 Golf GTI 8v. Then, when faced with a growing army of hot hatch rivals, Volkswagen responded with the launch of the Golf GTI 16v. It didn’t make the 8v redundant – some believe that it offers greater day to day driveability – but with 24 percent more power and 9 percent more torque, it became the most sought-after model in the range. It was also the quickest Golf GTI to date.
Volkswagen Golf VR6
The Mk3 Golf gets a hard time in the media, and not all of it is justified. Even diehard Golf fans would be forced to admit that the Mk3 Golf wasn’t a high point for the badge, but the VR6 should be remembered with fondness. Although the six-cylinder engine debuted in the Passat, it was a first for a car in this class, and it gave the Golf grand tourer-like qualities. Volkswagen didn’t position it as a hot hatch, but as a relaxed, comfortable and rapid cruiser. Judged on these attributes, it’s a fine car, especially in Highline trim.
Volkswagen Golf G60 Limited
The Golf G60 Limited is essentially a five-door hatchback with the inner workings of the Rallye. Not to be confused with the more attainable (and excellent) Golf G60, the G60 Limited was handbuilt at Volkswagen Motorsport in Hannover at a rate of one a week. With a top speed of 140mph, it had genuine Q-car qualities, placing it at the top table of the performance car elite. Just 71 were built, making the Limited one of the most desirable Golfs on the planet.
Volkswagen Golf Ecomatic
Much like the Golf Cross Country, the Golf Ecomatic was very much ahead of the curve. To reduce fuel consumption and cut emissions, the Ecomatic’s 1.9-litre diesel engine could cut out in traffic and when coasting. The driver simply lifted the throttle to cut the engine, with Volkswagen claiming a 22 percent improvement in fuel economy over a standard Golf with the same engine. By today’s standards, it was unsophisticated, but it paved the way for future stop-start systems.
Volkswagen Citi Golf
The final Volkswagen Citi Golf rolled off the production line in 2009, a full 26 years after production of the Mk1 finished in Germany. A process of continual development kept the Golf current, although it lagged behind the safety and emissions standards laid out by European and U.S. markets. Not that this stopped the Citi Golf from becoming a cult favourite in South Africa, where some 377,500 cars were built.
Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S
“Yes, the Golf GTI Clubsport S is fantastic. The extent to which Volkswagen has created a fully-formed Golf GTI with such a breadth of talent that makes it so special. This is the fastest and most capable Golf GTI ever, but it’s still a Golf GTI. And it’s this approachability, combined with its speed and engagement, that makes it such an impressive achievement. It’s quite the 40th birthday celebration for the original hot hatch, that’s for sure.” Our review from 2016 pretty much sums it up.
Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet Mk1
Aside from the Golf Cross Country, there’s been a strong emphasis on performance Golfs in this gallery. But the Golf is about so much more than B-road blasts and hot hatch thrills. An open version was never part of Volkswagen’s plans. Indeed, most analysts thought the market for convertibles had all but dried up. But Karmann had other ideas, which is why, after many years of development, the Golf Cabriolet debuted at the 1979 Geneva Motor Show. It outlived the Mk1, with production continuing until the launch of the Mk3 Golf in 1993.
Volkswagen Golf Anniversary
To celebrate the Golf GTI’s 25th anniversary, Volkswagen launched the aptly named Golf GTI Anniversary in 2002. Two versions were available – a 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol and a 1.9-litre diesel. The availability of an oil-burner reflected the changing nature of the hot hatch market, with diesel becoming the acceptable face of the performance car world. Highlights included 18-inch BBS alloys, Recaro seats and a golf ball-shaped gearknob.
Volkswagen Golf R
Although it was tempting to include the likes of the Bon Jovi, Pink Floyd and Genesis special editions, we’ll conclude with the evergreen Golf R. It’s arguably the best hot hatch all-rounder you can buy, offering understated styling, a glorious engine and superb ride and handling. When the Mk7.5 bows out, who knows what will happen to the Golf R? Volkswagen has unveiled a new logo for its R sub-division, but is remaining tight-lipped over plans. We should hear more following the Mk8 Golf’s launch at the end of October.
A company from rural Great Britain is set to start offering modified Land Rover Defenders tailored for North American customers. 
At the heart of each Twisted Defender will be a V-8 engine supplied by General Motors. The supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V-8 produces 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, offering serious performance.
Whilst the price may seem high, Twisted Automotive has become a recognized authority on the classic Defender since being established in 2001. The company has also invested to appoint experienced individuals to manage operations in the USA. 
