A hydrogen fuel cell car has been tested for the first time by Euro NCAP – and the Hyundai Nexo has set the bar high with a maximum five-star rating.

The results of the test “should dispel concerns about how hydrogen fuel cell powered cars perform in a crash,” said Euro NCAP testing partner Thatcham Research’s director of research Matthew Avery.

“With the Nexo, Hyundai has successfully demonstrated that alternative fuelled cars need not pose a risk to car safety.”

Hyundai’s standard-setting result was also praised by Euro NCAP secretary general Michiel van Ratingen. It points the way for future powertrains, he said, “and Euro NCAP will work to ensure that the safety performance as well as energy efficiency remains at the top of the manufactures’ agenda”.

The Hyundai Nexo fuel cell is refilled with hydrogen, which powers a fuel cell that converts this into electricity. It is a zero-emissions model that ‘cleans the air as it drives’, and will be offered in right-hand drive guise from early 2019.

It is also a contender for the 2019 World Car Awards. 

There was another five-star result for another alternative fuel car, the hybrid Lexus ES, while the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Mazda 6 also scored five stars.

The van-derived people carrier trio of the Peugeot Rifter, Citroen Berlingo and new Vauxhall Combo earned four stars.

“This is a satisfying set of solid test results and we are pleased that cars continue to perform well in the AEB tests, including for pedestrians and cyclist,” said van Ratingen.

“It is very welcome to see manufacturers rising to Euro NCAP’s challenge of effective vulnerable road user protection.”

Audi has revealed a facelifted R8 supercar ahead of sales beginning in early 2019. It has sharper looks, crisper handling – and now the power to equal its arch-rival, the mighty McLaren 570S.

The 5.2-litre V10’s power boost to 570hp sees it gain a significant 30hp. Audi says that’s thanks to learning from the “almost identical” engine in its race-going R8 LMS GT3 and R8 LMS GT4.

And there’s more: a new titanium valvetrain for the enhanced Performance version (formerly called Plus) takes the power of that up to 620hp, a 10hp gain. It does 0-62mph in 3.1 seconds; the regular car still does it in 3.4 seconds.

Both cars’ exhausts are cleaned up by a gasoline particulate filter. The clean-breathing supercar is here; a switch from rectangular to oval tailpipes is a visual indicator of the filtered R8.

Audi says it’s also had to upgrade the pump for the dry sump engine’s oil system. That’s because it’s now capable of cornering at 1.5 G. Handling is also more stable and precise, reckon the engineers, and the steering delivers a better, more pure response.

New ‘dry’, ‘wet’ and ‘snow’ modes are added to the Audi drive select system, while tweaks to the stability control system (ESC) mean the range-topper brakes from 62mph 1.5 metres earlier – and from 124mph five metres earlier.

A wider, flatter ‘Singleframe’ grille marks out the revised R8 range. The shiny aluminium honeycomb of the old car is gone, as are the vertical vanes in the outer air inlets: overall, the intakes are bigger and the features around them sharper and crisper.

Audi’s added three slits at the top of the grille, to reference the Ur-quattro, and a wider front splitter at the bottom.

Two new colours, Kemora Gray (seen above on the R8 Spyder) and Ascari Blue, are added, and three different exterior styling packs are offered. The Audi badges and rings can be painted gloss black too, completing the new car’s moodier appearance.

Audi Sport GmbH technical MD Oliver Hoffmann succinctly sums up the new R8: “It’s now even more powerful and faster.” But he also stresses the motorsport aspect and throws up a fact that supercar buffs might like to quote.

“With around 50 percent shared parts with the R8 LMS GT3 and even 60 percent with the R8 LMS GT4, no other automobile is so close to motor racing as the R8.”

Prices for the revised road-going racer Audi R8 will be revealed later, ahead of order opening in early 2019. Now over to you, McLaren: time to rename the 570S in response?

The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 is currently the world’s fastest four-door around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Now, for €199 (£175), passengers can go along for the ride.

A Project 8 saloon has been added to the Jaguar Nürburgring Race Taxi fleet, lining up alongside the existing XJR575 hot limo.

We can’t promise XE passengers will sample a lap time in 7 minutes, 21.23 seconds, but the combination of extreme Jaguar and pro driver should still be quite the experience.

Indeed, Jaguar bolted on some measuring gear and said passengers will experience g-forces of more than 1.3g during the 12.9-mile, 73-turn lap, peaking at up to 1.8g around the famous Karussell. Speeds in excess of 155mph will be the norm on the straights.

The 600hp, 200mph Project 8 is no stranger to the Nürburgring. Much of its development was done at the SV Development Centre, located on the other side of the road that runs parallel to the track.

The Race Taxi Project 8 is in two-seat Track Pack spec and Jaguar says it’s easily the most circuit-biased car Special Vehicle Operations has yet built. It’s actually the first Jaguar to come with a dedicated Track Mode setting.

It’s also the first car in the world to come with ceramic wheel bearings – tech that to now has only been used in F1 racing.

Fancy a spin? If you’re quick, your £175 will get you a ride until the circuit closes in mid-November (book at www.jaguar-experience.de). Jaguar will then run the Nürburgring Race Taxi Project 8 throughout 2019.

Uber wants every car on the app in London to be fully electric by 2025 – and, from early 2019, will add a 15p per mile ‘clean air fee’ onto every ride to pay for it.

The fee will add 45p to the average Uber ride in London, estimates the firm.

Cash raised will help Uber drivers switch into fully electric cars, as part of the new Uber Clean Air Plan announced today.

Uber will base how much drivers get to upgrade on the hours they’ve worked on the app. A driver working 40 hours per week today could get £3,000 of EV upgrade support in two years’ time.

This would rise to £4,500 in three years.

Uber bosses say the clean air fee could raise £200 million in the next few years – and expects the first 20,000 drivers to have switched into electric vehicles by the end of 2021.

Electric vehicle charging will also be facilitated by an Uber-led partnership between home charging suppliers, and another collaboration with ChargePoint to install rapid charging points in Central London.

Uber scrappage scheme

The ride-sharing app is also taking steps to clean up London air today, with a ‘scrappage scheme’ initiative aimed at Uber riders.

The firm will give 1,000 people in London, who scrap a pre-Euro 4 diesel vehicle, £1,500 of credit to spend on Uber rides.

Uber’s plans for London are intended to future-proof it for London’s ever-tightening restrictions on vehicle usage, and also win the confidence of regulators. Last year, Transport for London (TfL) said it would not renew Uber’s licence to operate in the capital.

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A court case saw Uber granted a short-term licence of 15 months rather than five years, and the company said this was a ‘wake-up call’. It is now hoping to prove to TfL it is a responsible operator.

“The Mayor of London has set out a bold vision to tackle air pollution in the capital and we’re determined to do everything we can to back it,” said Uber CEP Dara Khosrowshahi.

The Clean Air Plan is described as a long-term investment that Uber hopes will see Londoners “replace their car with their phone by offering a range of mobility options – whether car, bikes, scooters or public transport – all in the Uber app”.

Chris Large from Global Action Plan, the charity behind Clean Air Day, called Uber’s plan “one of the most ambitious aims of any major company in the future mobility sector.

“Two major barriers slowing the uptake of electric cars are still the purchase price and substandard charging network. Uber’s efforts to overcome these barriers should be commended.”

Company car drivers running a BMW 320d SE are now paying 105 percent more Benefit in Kind (BIK) tax than they were a decade ago – despite real wages only rising 20 percent.

Automotive analysts CAP HPI says the tax increase for the BMW, a favourite of fleet car drivers, is proof of how the tax burden has ‘soared’ since 2009.

The firm thus wants the government to rethink its approach to company car tax ahead of the 2018 Budget on 29 October.

The tax burden on company car drivers has intensified in 2018 with the introduction of the new WLTP fuel economy regulations. This has seen CO2 increases on many models, which is having “a real impact” on fleets.

“Successive governments have continued to ramp up taxes on company car drivers to the point where it has become punitive,” said Matt Freeman, CAP HPI’s managing consultant.

“Hitting the company car driver will not help the UK meet its environmental targets.” Company cars are usually among the newest and most advanced, he said.

“A more balanced approach is needed to protect both the industry and the environment.”

Earlier this year, CAP HPI warned that clamping down on diesels may see the UK miss the 2021 EU CO2 targets. It was already challenging even before the demonization of diesel, said Freeman.

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“It is imperative that diesel continues to command a substantial share of the new car marketplace.

“If consumers, with no option of transitioning to hybrid or EVs, switch to petrol, the environmental impact is clear – their CO2 emissions would likely rise between 3 percent and 23 percent.”

Company cars, he added, typically account for more than half the UK new car market. Cleaning up fleets is one of the quickest ways to quickly reduce new car CO2 emissions – but also rapidly increasing them if drivers instead switch from diesel to petrol…  

Only when you’ve survived death by Jeremy Clarkson, had a war named in your honour and conquested both the North and South Poles can you wear the ‘Invincible’ tag.

The Toyota Hilux Invincible 50 is a celebration of the toughest, rugged and most kick-ass pickup on the planet. Form a disorderly queue, because just 50 individually numbered examples will be available for UK customers.

We suspect the numbered plaque was applied by a tattoo artist drunk on Elijah Craig barrel-proof whiskey to the soundtrack of Now That’s What I Call Death Metal.

The tattooist was probably on hand to work on the classic T.O.Y.O.T.A tailgate decal, which is the most welcome nod to history since Suzuki unveiled the new Jimny. Just don’t expect the Jimny to emerge unscathed from a battle with the Hilux – that would be like Dwayne Johnson inviting your Aunt Hilda for an evening of arm-wrestling.

Toyota turned to the tough-as-old-boots Arctic Trucks for help with the Invincible 50, with the Iceland-based outfit instrumental in the decision to add Bilstein suspension and 265/75R16 BF Goodrich KO2 all-terrain tyres.

The vehicle is raised by 40mm at the front and 20mm at the rear for those moments when you’re driving over small obstacles, like stately homes, entire villages and The Wall along the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms.

‘Genuine Hilux enthusiasts’

Styling features include bespoke, wider front and rear wings, a double-hoop sports bar and four high-power Vision X LED lights for launching your own personal crusade on fog light abusers. The 16-inch alloy wheels are unique to the Invincible 50 because other Hilux models are too lily-livered to wear them.

All vehicles are finished in black paintwork – marigold or vanilla wouldn’t have cut it – and powered by a 2.4-litre turbodiesel engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. It also has rear parking sensors, although we doubt a Hilux driver would ever admit to using them.

Toyota reckons the order books will open on 1 November, and interested parties are invited to a bare-knuckle fight at an as-yet-unknown industrial estate to find out who be given the keys to the 50 pickups. Alternatively, you can simply speak to your local Toyota dealer.

As for the price, Toyota says it will be “accessible for genuine Hilux enthusiasts”, but we reckon you’ll have to pay well over £40,000 for this flagship anniversary edition.

Read more:

• 50 years of the truck Jeremy Clarkson couldn’t kill
• Opinion: This Arctic Truck is the best thing I’ve driven this year
• Geneva 2018: the best new SUVs and trucks

Black taxi ride-hailing app Gett will now let users choose to ride in a clean electric hybrid taxi, instead of taking a dirty diesel-engined alternative.

The new Gett Electric tool promises emissions-free rides via the LEVC TX eCity London black cab. And it is incentivising taxi drivers to start using the new electric cab with reduced commission schemes for cabbies using the Gett app.

Gett Electric will be available in Central London from 10am to 8pm, Monday to Friday.

There is also a new Gett Green scheme, where customers can pay 20p per ride extra to become ‘carbon positive’. The scheme will make donations to 12 central London schools identified as suffering from poor air quality through the Mayor of London’s school air quality programme.

“We are very proud that our proprietary technology uniquely enables to offer our London customers the chance to order these excellent new electric taxis,” said Gett UK CEO Matteo de Renzi.

“Customers are increasingly looking for eco-friendly ways to travel. Gett are delighted to offer the Gett Electric vehicle option, producing completely emission free rides.”

The firm adds that as it works with the existing black cab infrastructure, it doesn’t add extra vehicles to UK roads – unlike some other ride-hailing apps.

Neil Paris MP, chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee, said the new TX cab is playing an important role in tackling London’s air pollution problem. “It’s great to see Gett supporting this new environmentally friendly step.”

Paddy McGuinness and Andrew Flintoff have been confirmed by BBC bosses as the new presenters of Top Gear when the next series begins filming in early 2019.

The comedian and Ashes-winning England cricketer replace Matt LeBlanc, who earlier announced the current series will be his last.

• In pictures: the wackiest Top Gear challenge cars

They will line up alongside motoring journalist Chris Harris: the other current Top Gear presenter, Rory Reid, is to lead the sister show Extra Gear, alongside presenting for online motoring channel Carfection.

“Getting the Top Gear gig is a real honour,” said McGuinness (pictured above) in a statement. “To be hosting a show I’ve watched and loved from being a small boy is beyond exciting.”

“It’s not often you have the chance to do both of your dream jobs,” said Flintoff, “but now I’m lucky enough to say I will have.

“I’ve always been passionate about cars.”

The current series (the 26th in the history of Top Gear), LeBlanc’s last, will air in early 2019. The first series (27) with McGuinness, Flintoff and Harris is expected to be shown later in the year.

The Lone Star State might conjure up a wealth of American stereotypes, but the SUV winner of the 2018 Texas Truck Rodeo may be something of a surprise.

Taking the top SUV prize was the Maserati Levante GTS, following two days of evaluation by members of the Texas Auto Writers Association. After all the testing, the Italian-built SUV was claimed the best choice for oil barons and cowpokes alike.

• 25 seriously quick SUVs and pick-ups

It should be pointed out that the evaluation process does involve both on and off-road action. This year’s Truck Rodeo was beset with torrential rain and flooding, creating a literal mud bath for testing.

Despite the clear tarmac bias to the Levante GTS, the Q4 all-wheel-drive system is capable of sending 50% of torque to the front axle. Driven by a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 engine, the Levante’s 550hp and 538lb-ft output certainly allows for plenty of twist to be juggled between axles.

The engine itself is built in the Ferrari factory in Maranello, and allows the Levante GTS to run from 0-60mph in 4.0 seconds. Top speed is 181mph – substantially in excess of the 85mph limit found on State Highway 130.

Although made in Italy, the Maserati Levante GTS does have an obvious American link, being a subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

In fact, the American-Italian company took a clean sweep at the 2018 Texas Truck Rodeo with brand winners in the three main categories. In total, 15 of the 24 prizes on offer went to FCA brands.

Taking the overall prize for ‘2018 Truck of Texas’’ was the updated and revised 2019 Ram 1500 pick-up truck. With Texas the biggest market for pick-up trucks in the world, getting this seal of approval is a big deal.

The larger Ram 2500 Power Wagon won in the ‘heavy duty’ pick-up truck category, whilst the Ram 1500 Rebel took home the prize for off-road pick-up trucks.

Collecting the crossover ‘CUV of Texas’ was another Italian creation from FCA. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio was the winner, beating the 2019 Mazda CX-9.

Held since 1992, the Texas Truck Rodeo was created to showcase an event unique to Texas. This year, a total of 57 trucks, SUVs, crossovers, and commercial vehicles were evaluated by 69 members of the Texas Auto Writers Association.

Britain is getting its own one-make Ferrari racing series, with the Ferrari Challenge UK series launching at Brands Hatch on 25 April next year.

It’s the first time Ferrari has dedicated a one-make racing series to a single market. The Ferrari 488 Challenge cars will run on four race circuits, with two races running at each circuit.

Overseen by Ferrari Corse Clienti, the new series will be run to exactly the same rules and regulations as other Ferrari Challenge series globally.

The difference comes in the race licence requirements. Drivers can race with an MSA National A licence, rather than the International C licence that’s necessary for the other Ferrari Challenge series.

This makes it more accessible to UK drivers who may not have the necessary signatures to upgrade – and could also see the Ferrari Challenge UK series become a recognised stepping stone up through the Ferrari racing ladder.

Any client who owns a Ferrari 488 Challenge racer can enter the series. Want to know more, says Ferrari? Contact your local dealer – they’ll have all the information you need.

The Ferrari-first single-market series is recognition of how important Britain is for the Italian brand: it’s the second-largest market in the world for Ferrari.

The UK is also the second-oldest Ferrari export market, after the U.S., with imports beginning back in the late 1950s and official imports commencing in 1960.

Ferrari Challenge UK 2019 race dates

• 25 April: Brands Hatch prologue and test
• 18 – 19 May: Brands Hatch race 1 and 2
• 22 – 23 June: Snetterton race 3 and 4
• 20 – 21 July: Croft race 5 and 6
• 21 – 22 Sept: Silverstone race 7 and 8

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