Polestar, the new premium electric car brand from Volvo, is going to run in public for the first time at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The firm will drive its #004 hybrid-electric two-door coupe up the hill throughout the four-day event, driven by Polestar chief test driver Joakim Ryndholm.
“I am really excited to drive the Polestar 1 prototype up the hill at Goodwood,” he said. “Driving the hill climb has been a long-time ambition for me, and to be able to do it in the same prototype in which we’ve spent so many months of development time is truly special.”
The firm added the hill runs will form part of the new car’s testing regime, as it continues its real-world performance, chassis and suspension proofing programme.
CEO of Polestar, Thomas Ingenlath, described Goodwood FoS as “everything a big car event should be: full of passion, enthusiasm and a chance to get really close to the cars”. To help with this, Polestar is showing two full production-spec Polestar 1 in the Festival of Speed manufacturer area.
“The response to the Polestar 1 from the UK and northern Europe has been fantastic and we see this event as a vital part of our continued ‘global handshake’ with enthusiasts and our customers around the world,” added Ingenlath. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet so many people who share our passion for Polestar and the future of the brand.”
And if you live in the United States, fear not. Your chance to see the Polestar 1 up close will come at Monterey Car Week in California from 23-26 August.
The 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed will from 12-15 July. First deliveries of the Polestar 1 are expected mid-2019.
Polestar’s hybrid sports coupe is the start of something special
The Porsche Taycan is the official production name chosen for the Porsche Mission E concept car, Porsche’s first ever all-electric car. Production will commence in 2019.
Apparently, a Taycan is, via a rough translation from an unspecified oriental language, a ‘lively young horse’. Since 1952, the Porsche crest has featured a similarly excitable horse rearing up. And the similarities don’t end there, said Oliver Blume, Porsche AG chairman.
“Our new electric sports car is strong and dependable; it’s a vehicle that can consistently cover long distances and that epitomises freedom.”
It’s the latest Porsche name that corresponds with the model and its characteristics, insists Porsche. Take the other models in its range:
Boxster – combination of boxer engine and roadster design
Cayman – incisive and agile
Cayenne – denotes fieriness
Panamera – a ‘GT-plus’, referencing the Carrera Panamericana long-distance race
Macan – derived from the Indonesian word for tiger
Presumably the 911 needs no explanation.
Porsche says the new Taycan four-door, four-seat EV sports car will use dual electric motors putting out over 600hp. It will run 0-62mph in “well under” 3.5 seconds and 0-124mph in under 12 seconds. “The performance is in addition to a continuous power level that is unprecedented among electric vehicles.”
Porsche says “multiple fast starts are possible in succession without loss of performance,” and also confirms the Taycan’s maximum EV driving range will be well over 300 miles.
It’s going to be built at the Porsche HQ in Zuffenhausen, where work is already underway on a new paint shop and dedicated assembly area. Even the existing engine shop is being expanded to also build the Taycan’s electric drive units; around 1,200 new jobs will be created in Zuffenhausen thanks to the addition of the new Porsche EV.
The fourth instalment in the popular open-world racing game for the Microsoft Xbox has been announced at the E3 2018 gaming show. For those in the UK it will mean the chance to race on home soil, with Britain confirmed as the chosen location.
Unlike traditional racing games, the Forza Horizon series has placed gamers into a giant free-roaming environment, racing against other competitors both on and off-road. The previous three games in the series have all collected multiple awards, with fans enjoying the freedom to explore.
Forza Horizon 4 will stick with the open-world environment, but add a new feature of dynamic seasons. This will mean roads that are dry and grippy one week may be covered in ice and snow the following week.
Developers Playground Games say that every player will experience the same weather and seasonal conditions at the same time, opening up the possibilities for various new challenges. Being based in Britain, we presume this will mean grey skies for 99 percent of the time, followed by one day of sunshine…
Most important of all is the roster of cars, and Forza Horizon 4 seems unlikely to disappoint with more than 450 on offer. Starring as the cover car for this iteration is the epic McLaren Senna hypercar. A 1997 Land Rover Defender is also set to play a big part in the game.
From the initial trailer video we can also see a classic London taxi, a host of British-built MGs and Jaguars, plus a hovercraft! We’re not sure what the story is with the latter, but we guess it will be exciting.
As with previous games, all cars will be fully upgradeable and customisable. Be prepared to spend many hours creating your perfect livery. New to Forza Horizon 4 will be the ability to own property, although Playground Games are keeping quiet about what advantages that will bring.
The game will be released on 2nd October 2018, and available for the Microsoft Xbox One, Xbox One X, and also Windows 10 PC. The keenest gamers will be able to pre-order from Monday 11th June 2018.
A new car that’s 25 years old? Kind of. Vauxhall has brought back the GSi badge for the current Corsa, and is using the opportunity to remind everyone about the original Corsa GSi from the early 1990s.
Was it one of those Max Power machines? Oh yes indeed. Along with the earlier Nova, this was one Vauxhall that defined the modified car craze. A time when reputation wasn’t measured by Instagram likes and Twitter followers, but by how much ICE you had.
That sounds like drugs to me… No, no, ICE stood for In Car Entertainment, not crystal meth. ICE was all about how many tweeters, subwoofers, and amplifiers you could cram into your average supermini. This frequently involved butchering your parcel shelf to fit a pair of 6×9 speakers, and losing most of your boot space for the aforementioned subwoofer.
Surely that added a lot of weight? Yes, but we’re hardly talking about peak performance here. With just 105hp from a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated engine, the original Corsa GSi could only do 0-60mph in 9.2 seconds. Top speed was 121mph. But it did have 16-valves!
Did the number of valves matter? It did, if you were trying to impress people outside a retail park on a cold Thursday night, that is.
Does the new version have 16-valves then? Vauxhall hasn’t said just which engine the updated GSi will be using, but everyone presumes it’ll be the 1.4-litre turbocharged unit from other models in the range. If so, 16-valves are go.
Phew. That’s a relief.You bet. There’s the all important 18-inch alloy wheels, fancy bodykit, stiffer suspension, and sports seats inside. Most of these are taken from the Corsa VXR, which is due to bite-the-bullet to make way for the GSi.
Will there be ICE though? Most Corsas now come with Vauxhall’s Intellilink system, meaning you can use Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The GSi will be the same, so buyers will be able to stream their music, rather than needing to make mix tapes like in the olden days.
Do remember: “I’ll meet you in the McDonald’s car park at 9pm”
Do forget: “This all just sounds like penny-pinching nostalgia to me”
Fully Charged Live, Britain’s biggest ever motor show for electric cars, is now underway at Silverstone – and the bustling halls suggest the new car show is proving an instant hit. With dozens of new EVs on display, along with charging companies and other electric vehicle experts, there’s even a surprise extra for visitors – a pit garage full of classic cars converted to run on electric.
Headlined by Robert Llewellyn, star of Red Dwarf, Robot Wars and the Fully Charged YouTube show, with the support of Jonny Smith and Helen Czersky, ticket sales for the opening day have vastly exceeded expectations – and so many people have turned up, Silverstone officials have had to open an extra car park to accommodate them all.
“We sold 1,000 tickets last night alone,” Llewellyn told Motoring Research. “We hoped to sell around 5,000 – but it already looks like at least 6,000 people will come.” As tickets remain on sale for the second day of the show on Sunday 10 June, the total could rise even higher.
Llewellyn told us he hoped the show would help dispel some of the myths around electric cars for beginners, as well as showing off leading-edge new technology for electric vehicle evangelists. “Several companies have chosen to launch products here this weekend,” he revealed.
Exhibitors include Ecotricity, whose founder Dale Vince helped Llewellyn open the show, plus Chargemaster, Drive Electric, the Renewable Energy Association and Calvin Capital. Most of the electric cars and plug-ins currently on sale in Britain are on show, with numerous examples of the market-leading new Nissan Leaf, plus the Renault Zoe, Tesla Model S and Model X, Volkswagen E-Golf and Hyundai Ioniq.
As well as speaking to experts on the various stands, Fully Charged Live organisers have put on a series of talks – Saturday morning’s headliner was an EV101 introduction to electric vehicles, chaired by motoring journalist and television presenter Jonny Smith. He and Llewellyn will hold a live Q&A later in the day; another EV myth-busting talk is planned for Sunday.
Other discussion topics include:
V2G: how can car, home and grid work together
How to turn your home into a virtual power plant
Total cost of EV ownership
What the Watt?! The terminology of technology, simplified
Generate your own heat and power at home
From Zero to Hero: enabling the next Tesla
Bosses from Electric Classic Cars will also be discussing electric car conversions: in the Silverstone pit garage was a range of converted classics from a Fiat 500 to a Range Rover, plus a Ferrari that was waiting to have its V8 engine replaced by an electric motor and Tesla battery pack.
There was another highlight for visitors, too. Not only was there a solar-powered bus to ferry people from the car park to the massive Silverstone Wing, a heroic group of Tesla and Renault Zoe owners turned up en masse simply to transport people from point to point. They did it free of charge, will be doing it all weekend, and it seemed everyone who got out at the end of their trip was already beaming even before entering the show.
Just another demonstration of why Fully Charged Live’s opening day has proven such a hit. Come back to Motoring Research for more from the show; in the meantime, click on our images and, if you’re thinking of visiting on Sunday, see what’s waiting for you at Silverstone…
You wouldn’t really expect Porsche to celebrate a 70th anniversary of producing sports cars with something as simple as cake and balloons. Instead, the Stuttgart-based company has revealed a special concept version of the 911 to mark the occasion.
Described as reflecting the ‘brand essence’ that Porsche has channelled for the past seven decades, the 911 Speedster Concept features deliberate nods to past cars. For Porsche nerds it’s the perfect opportunity to show off their knowledge by spotting where the individual influences have come from.
One of the Speedster signatures is the cut-down front windscreen, which changes the side profile of the 911. This is said to pay tribute to the 1954 356 1500 Speedster, a car notably designed to appeal to the American market.
The double-bubble cover for the rear seats has also become a Speedster tradition, and here it is made from lightweight carbon fibre. For the concept car it integrates a rollover hoop, along with a bespoke engraved wind deflector wearing the ‘70 years of Porsche’ logo.
Lightweight carbon fibre is used throughout the construction of the 911 Speedster Concept, with wings, bonnet, and rear cover all created from it. Although it may leave the Speedster looking like Porsche ran out of time to finish painting it, the white and silver colour scheme is meant to evoke memories of the earliest racing cars from Zuffenhausen.
One of the neatest details are headlight covers which feature subtle opaque and transparent sections. These form the shape of a cross, making it appear as if the Speedster Concept has the headlights taped up like a classic race car.
Inside is all about a lightweight focus on performance, with no radio, air conditioning, or satellite navigation. A pair of bucket seats are formed from carbon fibre, and covered in light brown Aniline leather as another reference to classic Porsche models.
Despite the 21-inch Fuchs-style alloy wheels, don’t think the Speedster Concept is all show. Beneath the trinkets, the chassis is essentially that of a 911 GT3. The 4.0-litre flat-six engine is also GT3-derived, producing 500hp and here connected to a new titanium exhaust system. A six-speed manual gearbox is used, much to the delight of Porsche purists we imagine.
The bigger question is whether those Zuffenhausen fans will be able to get their hands on this particular 911 Speedster. Porsche has created eight different models wearing the Speedster badge, often in limited numbers.
Although this new car is billed strictly as a concept, Porsche admits limited production is not impossible, but that any road car would not emerge until 2019. Start harassing your nearest Porsche dealership now should you want the latest in the Speedster lineage.
Volvo is continuing its withdrawal from traditional automotive industry events by announcing it is not going to attend the Geneva Motor Show next year.
“The ongoing change in the car industry is creating new audiences for Volvo Cars and new ways of bringing products to the market,” explained Björn Annwall, senior vice president of strategy, brand and retail at Volvo Cars.
“Automatic attendance at traditional industry events is no longer viable – we must tailor our communications based on how the options complement our messaging, timing and the nature of the technology we are presenting.”
Volvo had already withdrawn from most major motor shows. Geneva was one of the the exceptions, given its compact size and international nature – but now even this is being culled as the firm shifts towards Volvo’s own events and “purpose-specific communications” instead.
Volvo wants to build a database of more than five million direct customer relationships by 2025.
“We are not saying never to car shows,” said Annwall. “We expect industry events like the Geneva Motor Show to continue evolving and we may return in future.”
An example of Volvo’s new, more direct communications with customers and potential buyers will come later this month, when the firm reveals its new S60 at the Charleston, South Carolina plant that will build it.
Once the S60 is rolled out, Volvo will have fully renewed its entire model range, a process that begun in 2014 with the launch of the XC90 SUV.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed the London Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be expanded to reach the North and South circular roads from 25 October 2021. It will be an expansion of the upcoming central London ULEZ, which goes live in April 2019.
Non-compliant vehicles will be charged £12.50 a day to enter the ULEZ – and, unlike the London Congestion Charge, fees apply 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Controversially, the ULEZ is particularly onerous for diesel car drivers. Only vehicles meeting Euro 6 emissions standards, introduced in 2014, will be exempt from the charge. The rules are more lenient for petrol vehicles; only those that don’t meet Euro 4 standards, introduced in January 2005, need to pay the charge.
It means that by 2021, says the Mayor of London’s office, petrol cars aged up to 15 years old will be exempt from the charge – but only diesel cars no more than six years old will escape it.
Expanding the 2019 central London Ultra-Low Emission Zone in 2021 will see it become 18 times larger. The Mayor’s office estimates this will affect 100,000 cars, 35,000 vans and 3,000 lorries a day.
The ULEZ zones will replace the current London T-Charge, introduced in October 2017. Owners of pre-Euro 4 petrol and diesel cars (pre-2005 vehicles) must pay a £10 supplement on top of the £11.50 London Congestion Charge.
“These bold measures will deliver a major improvement to Londoners’ health by reducing the toxic air quality that is currently responsible for thousands of premature deaths and other serious conditions. Research demonstrates these effects disproportionately impact the poorest Londoners.”
A combination of expanding the ULEZ zone and clamping down on emissions from eavy vehicles will “result in more than 100,000 Londoners no longer living in areas exceeding legal air quality limits in 2021”. That’s an 80 percent reduction.
Shameful air pollution
“Tackling London’s lethal air and safeguarding the health of Londoners requires bold action,” said London Mayor Sadiq Khan. “Air pollution is a national health crisis and I refuse to stand back as thousands of Londoners breathe in air so filthy that it shortens our life expectancy, harms our lungs and worsens chronic illness.
“I promised hard-hitting measures to tackle our shameful air pollution… We’re doing everything in our power to tackle this issue and are starting to see improvements in air quality with the wide-ranging action we’ve taken already on tackling the most polluting cars, and cleaning up our bus and taxi fleet.”
Responding to calls the new ULEZ will disproportionally impact some drivers, the Mayor called for the government to launch a diesel car scrappage scheme.
“City Hall are urging Ministers to deliver a diesel scrappage scheme to get the dirtiest cars off our roads and offer drivers a fair deal, especially the many diesel drivers who brought vehicles thinking they were more environmentally friendly after Government advice.”
Disabled drivers and specially adapted private hire vehicles have been given an exemption until 2025 to replace their vehicles. Charities running minibuses have a two-year sunset extension until 2023.
‘A huge move’
RAC roads policy spokesman Nicholas Lyes describes the 2021 ULEZ expansion as “a huge move into residential areas within the North and South Circular. Residents and small businesses within this area now have just three years to become compliant with the Mayor’s emission standards.
“This means many now face the daunting challenge of having to spend substantial amounts of money on a newer vehicle or face a daily charge of £12.50 to use their vehicles from October 2021. These time pressures and costs will be keenest felt by those from low income backgrounds, as well as those who work in roles such as hospitality and depend on using a car at night when public transport is not readily available.”
Lyes also pointed out that it’s currently very hard for motorists to actually find out what Euro emissions standard their car is. “It is absolutely vital that a central database is developed as quickly as possible.”
Transport for London consulted with the public ahead of expanding the ULEZ, and the response was “the largest ever recorded by TfL”. 56 percent of Londoners either supported or strongly supported the proposals. 74 percent backed tougher standards for heavy vehicles.
If there’s two things we like to complain about, it’s the weather and the state of Britain’s roads. Sadly, in both cases, we seem powerless to do anything about it, but while a rainy day is unlikely to leave you out of pocket, a potholed road could cost you thousands of pounds.
Online car and maintenance expert MotorEasy has analysed its database of 30,000 warranty customers to identify the top repair claims for axle and suspension damage. Spoiler alert: hitting a pothole could leave a serious dent in your wallet. Here are the top 10 claims in the last 12 months.
10. 2008 Nissan Qashqai: £486
The Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey (ALARM) revealed that 24,000 miles of UK roads need repairing within the next year, so be prepared for more pothole dodging over the next 12 months. According to MotorEasy, the owner of a 2008 Nissan Qashqai claimed £486 for a suspension/axle repair.
That’s more than the average cost of a suspension claim, which stands at £297. You might think that the nation’s most popular crossover is tough enough to tackle the mean streets, but it’s no match for a potholed road.
9. 2011 BMW 5 Series: £495
Meanwhile, the owner of a 2011 5 Series claimed £495 for suspension and axle damage, presumably following an unfortunate incident involving a British pothole.
Duncan McClure Fisher, MotorEasy founder said: “Potholes can prove to be a costly problem for motorists, causing damage that can run into thousands of pounds. With the ALARM report showing that a huge number of roads are still in poor condition, this is a problem that could plague many British drivers for months to come.”
8. 2008 Volvo XC70: £650
You’d think that a jacked-up off-road estate car would have no problem dealing with a potholed road. But while a Volvo XC70 is at home on a green lane or a gymkhana car park, it’s not immune to the curse of a pothole.
Did you know that it’s possible to report a pothole to the government? Head to www.gov.uk/report-pothole and enter the postcode of the unwanted crevice.
7. 2013 Hyundai ix35: £809
When a 2013 Hyundai ix35 met a pothole, it cost £809 to repair the damage. That’s around 10 percent of the value of a 2013 ix35. Ouch.
According to Potholes.co.uk, potholes are estimated to cause as many as one in 10 mechanical failures in the UK, costing motorists an estimated £730 million every year.
6. 2008 Land Rover Discovery: £884
The Land Rover Discovery might have developed a reputation for its ability to climb every mountain and ford every stream, but a British pothole could stop this off-roader in its tracks.
Residents in Bangor were delighted to discover a 1.5m hole dubbed the “biggest in Bangor” had been filled in by the makers of The Voyage of Dr Dolittle. The filmmakers offered to repair the hole as part of a deal to film at the location.
5. 2011 BMW 5 Series: £953
It’s the 2011 BMW 5 Series again, this time with a claim of £953. On this evidence, owners of F10/F11 5 Series will be taking extra care on their way home from the office this evening.
According to the Hull Daily Mail, the potholes on one street are up to five inches deep, with one resident saying: “I have a five-inch deep pothole outside my house that wakes me up in the morning when people drive over it. It’s dangerous and I’m worried about a cyclist going over the handlebars.” BMW 5 Series drivers should avoid Thoresby Street, Hull.
4. 2008 Alfa Romeo Brera: £1,036
Meanwhile, still in Hull, one garage owner said he is fixing cars wrecked by potholes every week. Wayne Sargeson told the Hull Daily Mail: “We easily replace one or two snapped coils a week now. Going back a couple of years, we’d only maybe do one a month.”
The first claim to run into four figures is a repair job on a 2008 Alfa Romeo Brera. But why are the roads in such a poor state? It’s a combination of factors, including councils lacking the funds to repair them, and the effects of the winter weather, including the ‘Beast from the East’.
3. 2011 Ford Galaxy: £1,697
You can buy a 2011 Ford Galaxy from upwards of £3,500, which means that this claim for repairs represents a sizeable proportion of the car’s value. Just as well it was covered by an aftermarket warranty.
Drivers aren’t alone in their pothole misery. A recent YouGov poll for Cycling UK found that more than half of people would cycle more if the roads were in a better condition. Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK’s head of campaigns, said: “Cycling is still a minority activity in the UK with only 2 percent of all journeys made by bike. Those who do cycle put up with the potholes and dangerous traffic conditions daily and still continue.”
2. 2008 Audi Q7: £3,528
Imagine hitting a pothole and finding out that it had caused £3,528 worth of damage. When a mechanic takes a sharp intake of breath before presenting you with the bill, that’s normally the time to prime your wallet for action.
On Friday 13 January 2017, the Department for Transport announced funding for a so-called ‘Pothole Spotter’ trial, with Thurrock, Wiltshire and York councils using vehicle-based cameras to identify potholes when out on the road.
1. 2012 Range Rover Sport: £3,863
Meanwhile, the world-first BridgeCat uses sensors to measure the damage caused by floodwater. Crucially, the system uses sonar and underwater cameras to assess damage before the flood water has receded. This tech has come too late for the owner of one Range Rover Sport…
Hitting a pothole resulted in a whopping £3,863 of repair bills, which must have been hard to stomach. If you see a pothole, be sure to report it to your local council or via the government website.
Read more:
The government is spending £46m repairing potholes
Audi has introduced Amazon Music to its Audi connect services roster. It brings the music streaming service’s library of 50 million songs to Audi drivers, accessible through the regular MMI service.
It also offers live broadcasts of sporting events such as football matches – and Audi’s taken advantage of this in time for the Russia World Cup with a special information service for football-addict drivers.
The ‘2018 World Cup Ticker’ is a temporary information service that feeds team news, match schedules, current scores and results to Audi drivers. Once the World Cup ends, so too will the Ticker.
Amazon Music will remain: it is fully integrated into the Audi MMI system (rather than being accessed via Apple CarPlay or Android Audi): drivers can even use handwriting input to search for artists or songs. It has a dedicated panel on the navigation menu and aims to closely mirror the functionality of Amazon Music on smartphones.
What’s needed? The latest version of the (free) myAudi app on an owner’s smartphone, plus an onboard SIM card with data package – and for those who may (for some reason) not want to use the embedded Audi connect SIM, they can pop in their own SIM.
You don’t need to connect your smartphone in order to use the service.
The service is currently offered in the UK as well as Germany, the USA, France, Spain and Italy (which is good news if you’re planning an European driving holiday this summer).
The service also scales in line with your subscription: if you have an all-access package, you’ll be able to enjoy ad-free songs and other bonuses while on the road. The introduction of Amazon Music will offer users more choice: Audi has already integrated Spotify into its cars.
Polestar, the new premium electric car brand from Volvo, is going to run in public for the first time at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The Porsche Taycan is the official production name chosen for the 
Fully Charged Live, Britain’s 
Volvo is continuing its withdrawal from traditional automotive industry events by announcing it is not going to attend the 
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed the 
Audi has introduced Amazon Music to its Audi connect services roster. It brings the music streaming service’s library of 50 million songs to Audi drivers, accessible through the regular MMI service.