An all-new Honda Civic Type R will go on sale in 2017 and the Japanese firm is previewing the new hot hatch with a bold Type R Prototype at the Paris Motor Show.
Finished in an eyecatching brushed aluminium-effect paint job, it further enhances the attitude of the current all-new Civic (also launching here at Paris) with more muscular bodywork and many of the radical aero features seen on the current Type R.
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There’s a carbon fibre splitter at the front, complete with wings and red accents, plus more air cooling in the bumper and an air scoop on the bonnet (Subaru fans, rejoice). Smoked light lenses give menace; a red ‘H’ Honda badge depicts it as a proper Type R.
More carbon fibre is used to make the side skirts, which sit between 20-inch alloys: they’re so big, they wheelarches have had to be enlarged to swallow them.
At the rear, all eyes will be on the humungous rear wing that Honda understatedly calls ‘visually striking’. There’s also yet more carbon fibre for the rear diffuser, a central exhaust tailpipe and yet more red detailing.
Honda will reveal the new Civic Type R Prototype at the Paris show later this afternoon – but, based on what we’ve seen here, plus given how the current regular Civic emerged so similar-looking to the bold prototype that previously impressed us, put good money on a new Type R emerging in showrooms looking not dissimilar to this hot hatch star later next year…
After months of teases, the 2017 Land Rover Discovery has been revealed at a special event on the eve of the Paris Motor Show. It featured Bear Grylls, Zara Phillips and a record-breaking Lego model of Tower Bridge.
The car is a huge deal for Land Rover, as evidenced by the huge marketing and PR budget that has gone into its launch. But reaction online has been varied. Our first impression was “it looks exactly as we expected”, but then we started to look a bit closer.
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Top Gear’s Chris Harris was amongst the first to point out that it looks a little, er, odd…
New Disco will be sold out for a few years already. But anyone else think it looks a bit, well, awkward from some angles?
Or is it the fact that the number plate is offset, mimicking the original Discovery’s side-hinged tailgate?
Maybe we’re being harsh on the new Discovery – as Harris points out, it’s sure to be yet another hit for JLR. We’ll reserve our final judgement until we’ve seen it up close and personal at the show – but we’d love to here your thoughts. Is it us, or does it look a bit awkward? Comment below.
Land Rover has revealed the all-new Discovery ahead of sales beginning in spring 2017 – and it is already claiming it is “the best family SUV in the world”.
Launched in a spectacular event attended by Bear Grylls, Sir Ben Ainslie and Zara Phillips MBE, the now-all-aluminium Discovery is a full-size seven-seat SUV that Land Rover insists has “unbeatable capability and versatility”.
The Discovery launch event was genuinely jaw-dropping. The centrepiece was, no less, a 13-metre-high Guinness World Record-breaking Lego structure of London’s Tower Bridge. Built from more than 5.8 million Lego bricks, the Discovery appeared alongside it – in the process, setting a new world record on the night for using the most Lego bricks in one construction (beating the previous record by almost half a million bricks!).
Children design unique 2017 Land Rover Discovery
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Paris Motor Show on Motoring Research
It also involved Bear Grylls abseiling off the bridge onto stage next to the Discovery, Sir Ben Ainslie driving his sailing team in a Discovery through almost a metre of water beneath the bridge – and Zara Phillips even starred in a special equestrian zone. And once we’d caught our breath, we took a look at the new Discovery itself.
‘The most complete all-round SUV package on sale’
Land Rover launched the Discovery back in 1989 but, although there have been four generations since then, there technically have only been two basic models: that’s not a lot for 27 years on sale. The new Discovery makes it three new models – and this is easily the most advanced yet. Indeed, it’s now more Range Rover than Land Rover.
Sleek new look
Doesn’t look much like a traditional Discovery, does it? More like a Discovery Sport, or the Discovery Vision Concept car that previewed Land Rover’s new look – or even, a Range Rover Sport sibling? This is easily the most sophisticated Discovery ever, a quantum leap over its Lego-block predecessor. The question is, of course, how will Land Rover traditionalists take to it?
A radical Discovery
Design chief Gerry McGovern admits the Discovery has been revolutionised and “the result is a radical departure in design,” but he feels the new look will “introduce the Discovery family to a new, wider customer base”. That’s buyers of the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90: this is why the Discovery has become so much more premium-looking. Besides, if they hadn’t waited so long to replace the old one, it probably would have looked more like this anyway…
Why it looks like it does
Key to the look of the new Discovery is its sheer volume and proportions, reckons McGovern. The surfaces are much more sophisticated and the detailing far more precise than the slightly hit-and-miss Discovery 4. Basically, it’s more premium in appearance, significantly so, which McGovern insists “will resonate with today’s customers”.
Discovery: a new face
Discoverys have always had square headlights and blunt, brick-like front ends. No longer. They now have sculpted lights, an ultra-smooth frontage and minimal fuss, fripperies or air intakes. It’s a huge step on here, reflecting the Discovery’s newfound lightness – almost half a tonne lighter than the old one.
Distinctive rear
The rear is distinctive. The number plate is offset and the design asymmetric, mimicking the side-hinged tailgate of the original (even though this is a conventional liftback). Those new horizontal tail lamps look almost like a concept car, and the ‘DISCOVERY’ text is again writ large. The one-piece design gives a bigger opening, says Land Rover, and the powered hatch is gesture activated. Just ‘kick’ beneath the rear bumper to open it.
Has the new Discovery retained its trademark features?
Every Discovery up to now has had a stepped roofline and the new 2017 Discovery isn’t about to change that. It means the stadium seating has been retained inside, too; each row is higher than the one in front of it, so everyone gets a good view out. Some timeless Discovery cues, such as the shape of the C-pillar, are retained, but others are eschewed. The tail lamps are horizontal, for example, rather than vertical – and the split tailgate is also no more (instead, a powered fold-out ledge in the boot floor provides the well-loved ‘picnic seat’, sheltered by the hatchback tailgate).
Inside Discovery
The new Discovery is equally headline-grabbing within. It was imperative to be as spacious and as practical as could be, insisted McGovern: Range Rovers are all about luxury, but this car should be about “complete interior flexibility”. Not that it isn’t luxurious, mind: to existing Disco owners, it may feel not unlike a posh Rangie in there…
Seven seat space
The big Discovery is just under five metres long and has enough space for adults in all three rows (95th percentile adults really can comfortably sit in the rear: we know – we tried it to confirm this). All those seats can even be reconfigured remotely via an app, as so aptly demonstrated recently by Bear Grylls jumping out of a plane (in fairness, you’ll more likely use this in the queue at IKEA). All three rows can be heated, and the first two can be cooled as well. The lucky duo up front can even have massage seats.
Glass is good
A massive panoramic roof is standard on SE models and above – that’s one up from base S, meaning most Discoverys will have the same light, airy feel that’s always been a feature of the model. It’s a tall machine, but standard air suspension on all can be dropped by 40mm to make it easier to get in and out. Up to four 12v sockets and nine USB sockets should keep multi-device families happy, and most models also have wi-fi.
Infotainment
The current Discovery’s horribly dated sat nav is fixed here with new, fully-connected InControl Touch Pro infotainment system, complete with 10-inch touchscreen. It’s so feature-packed, the button count on the centre console is down by a third, making it appear more modern. The screen even folds down, revealing yet another stowage box behind. Because, yes, there are a lot of them…
Out-of-car comms
Owners will even be able to communicate remotely with their new Discovery, courtesy of JLR’s clever smartphone app. Not all rivals offer this, and it’s functionality the Discovery has previously only been able to dream of. Range Rover sophistication is now available on the family-friendly Land Rover.
Does it off-road?
If you’re a die-hard fan, you’re at this stage probably panicking. Has Land Rover destroyed the Discovery’s bulletproof go-anywhere ability? Not one bit. A massive 200mm increase in wading depth alone – up to 0.9m – is evidence of that. The 283mm of ground clearance is up 43mm and other metrics simply “put Discovery in a class of its own,” says Land Rover. The all-terrain ability is simply described as “supreme”.
Off-road-ready
The suspension has an almost ridiculous 500mm of wheel articulation and a standard two-speed transfer box means all models offer high- and low-range gears (and the driver can switch between them at speeds of up to 37mph). The Land Rover All-Terrain Progress Control ‘off-road cruise control’ is also available, as is tech wizardry that helps it pull away smoothly even on virtually grip-free surfaces (perfect for sudden wintery British snowfall).
Engine insight
What’s under the bonnet? Because it’s now all-aluminium, greener and cleaner engines can be fitted. The entry unit is actually a 2.0-litre turbodiesel, producing 240hp and returning a stonking 43.5mpg. But it can also do 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds, making it as fast as the old 3.0-litre V6 Discovery, despite being so much more efficient. There will also be a 258hp 3.0-litre V6 diesel and a 340hp 3.0-litre supercharged V6 – yes, that is the engine from the Jaguar F-Type… All engines use a world-class ZF eight-speed automatic.
Smooth stuff
Double wishbone air suspension will mean the Discovery is transformed on the road, promises JLR dynamics guru Mike Cross. “We set out to deliver improved cornering dynamics with better body control than before – but we knew this couldn’t come at the expense of Discovery’s legendary ride quality.” It sounds like it’s going to drive in a way old Discoverys could only dream of. Oh, and it still leads the class with a 3.5-tonne towing weight, with Land Rover introducing semi-autonomous Advanced Tow Assist tech that takes the pain out of parking a trailer.
Safe stuff
Family-focused cars must sweat on safety, so Land Rover’s fitted a plethora of electronic kit to hopefully keep Euro NCAP happy. The old Discovery perhaps used its enormous weight to shrug off crashes, but the new one is way more sophisticated than that. All the cameras on board will autonomously help you avoid crashes, too.
Price walk
So how much does it all cost? From £43,493 for the base Discovery S, with the SE moving up to £49,495. An HSE costs from £56,995 (the V6 is £3,000 more) and the ultra-plus Discovery HSE Luxury costs £62,695. There’s also a limited-edition Discovery First Edition, with a mass of kit and special launch colour schemes. Just 600 are to be sold in the UK, each costing £68,295.
New 2017 Land Rover Discovery: verdict
Has Land Rover nailed the high-tech new Discovery? It certainly seems to have. This is Land Rover’s big family-friendly star car and the interior seems uncommonly well optimised for that role. It’s roomy, comfortable and set to be plush and luxurious like no Discovery before. It’s also all-aluminium, so much lighter and potentially better to drive – and packed with the modern tech buyers now demand.
The styling suggests it’s now more of a Range Rover than a Land Rover, but the firm insists no off-road potency has been lost. If anything, it’s even more wildly capable here too. Which just leaves the sophisticated new appearance. How will die-hards react to it, and will traditionalists accept this is what Land Rover had to do in order to take on the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90? Time will tell. Indeed, the launch event and Paris Motor Show debut will tell plenty.
We’ve briefed you about the highlights, now it’s over to you to click on and see more of the Discovery, and make your own first impressions of this vitally important new Land Rover. Over to you…
The new Volkswagen I.D. all-electric concept car has been revealed ahead of the Paris Motor Show 2016. With a remarkable claimed range of between 250 and 373 miles, it’s the first in a new era of post-dieselgate cars from the German giant.
The design is intentionally minimalist: the Volkswagen I.D. is intended to be a mainstream electric car, just as the Golf is a mainstream conventional car. It’s what’s beneath the surface that’s really significant here: a completely new architecture that’s radical enough to give a range equal to a normal petrol car. Volkswagen is calling this MEB – that’s ‘Modular Electric Drive’.
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It’s not only all-electric either: the Volkswagen I.D. also demonstrates a fully automated self-driving mode that the firm says will launch on the market in 2025.
The I.D. won’t just be a solus electric car – its arrival in 2020 will make it the first in an entire fleet of all-new Volkswagen electric cars, all of which will be “highly innovative”.
You can expect all future Volkswagen electric cars to carry the styling cues seen on the I.D. concept car – the firm says it’s an entirely new design DNA just for electric cars. As for the I.D. itself, Volkswagen is firmly pitching it as “a compact electric car in 2020, parallel to the Golf”.
The electric motor is rated at a punchy 170hp, more than enough for swift family hatchback performance. The range of up to 373 miles will be on a single battery charge, says Volkswagen.
Inside the Volkswagen I.D. the simpler and more compact packaging potential of an electric car has allowed the firm to create “an entirely new spatial experience” which it’s calling Open Space. For Open Space, think open-plan.
It becomes even more open-plan in that fully automated mode marked for launch in 2025: the steering wheel retracts fully into the dashboard when the car is driving itself.
The I.D. is a critical car for Volkswagen, which is still reeling from the dieselgate emissions crisis that’s affected millions of TDI diesels. Its strategic environmental response has been swiftly formulated and this is the first fruit of that plan. Volkswagen isn’t going to now sit back, either: by 2025, it aims to be selling one million electric cars like this a year.
A post-Brexit imposition of trade tariffs would not only threaten UK automotive industry jobs, but also put hundreds of thousands of jobs across Europe at risk, car industry leaders have said today.
Jaguar Land Rover director of corporate and strategy Hanno Kirner said that the firm employs 42,000 people, but estimates 300,000 positions depend on it – roles that are spread across Europe in the wider supply chain.
“Whatever the deal, if it involves tariffs, it will affect what we sell as well as what we buy – which would affect British and European jobs.”
Although more than half a million Jaguars and Land Rovers were built in the UK in 2015, 80% of them were exported. And 40% of the parts used to build them were purchased from Europe.
Kirner was also among car industry leaders calling for free movement of people for businesses. “Our jobs require skilled people,” he said, and Britain is not yet producing enough skilled engineers to meet them: just 21,000 engineers graduated from British universities last year, compared to 600,000 in India.
“How do we meet this skills gap? We must have access to global talent. It must be barrier-free.”
UK government: ‘We are listening to automotive’
Mark Garnier MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Trade, was also at the pre-Paris Motor Show briefing event organised by the SMMT at the Eiffel Tower. He reassured industry leaders that government was listening – and UK automotive has a big opportunity to help shape any post-Brexit deal.
“We have to look after UK automotive; 1.6 million cars were built here last year and 80% of them were exported. We have an incredible jewel with the automotive industry, which employs 900,000 people. We really understand how important it is to the UK.”
“Brexit is not what the automotive sector wanted,” he said, but “I am delivering your messages, via the SMMT, to parliament.
“As we develop our approach to Article 50, all of these messages will form part of the negotiation process.”
The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Microsoft Corp are to collaborate on next-gen technology to help connect cars with their owners, other cars and the world around them – to make self-driving car ‘free time’ more productive.
The companies will work together on so-called ‘connected driving experiences’ using the Microsoft Azure intelligent cloud platform, helping Renault-Nissan roll out new services to customers faster.
These will cover futuristic new sat nav solutions, predicted maintenance, remote vehicle monitoring and over-the-air updates for critical car functionality.
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“A car is becoming increasingly connected, intelligent and personal,” said Ogi Redzic, Renault-Nissan Alliance senior vice-president, Connected Vehicles and Mobility Services. “Partnering with Microsoft allows us to accelerate the development of associated key technologies.
“We aim to become the provider of connected mobility for everyone with one single global platform.”
The news comes as Nissan prepares to launch the first generation of its self-driving autonomous car technology. Next year, the UK-built Nissan Qashqai will become available with Propilot, a Tesla-style autonomous drive feature: coming generations will quickly follow, says Nissan, offering ever-greater self-driving abilities.
There will be almost a dozen Renault-Nissan Alliance vehicles on sale with autonomous driving technology by 2020 – and the new partnership with Microsoft should help newly-liberated drivers make better use of their in-car free time, say the two companies.
What will connected cars offer?
Microsoft and the Renault-Nissan Alliance say they want to roll out infotainment services and location-based services that:
Let drivers personalise – and protect – their settings
Project the vehicle and utilise ‘geofences’
Bring Microsoft productivity into Renault and Nissans
Access over-the-air updates
Remotely monitor the car
Allow car makers to deliver unique features to customers
Let drivers better stay in touch with others
“While the connected car experience is in its infancy,” said Microsoft’s Jean-Phillippe Courtois, “we believe there’s so much potential to dramatically change the industry.
“This collaboration will bring a new standard to connected cars.”
MG Motor’s Chinese owner SAIC has announced it is ending car production at the firm’s Longbridge plant in the West Midlands.
The manufacturer resumed production at the ex-MG Rover factory in 2011, assembling the MG6 and later MG3.
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Although most of the production work was already carried out in China, the cars were assembled at Longbridge and sold with the legendary MG badge.
But now, MG’s owners says the historic plant would “no longer be required”, with the cars produced entirely in China.
The firm says it only expects to make around 25 redundancies, while jobs in sales, marketing and after-sales will remain unaffected.
MG Motor UK’s head of sales and marketing, Matthew Cheyne, told the Birmingham Mail: “With efficiency and flexibility both key to long-term market success, off-shoring vehicle production is a necessary business decision.
“Relocating to state-of-the-art overseas production facilities will allow faster access to product and help to meet ever-increasing customer demand, all while maintaining the highest levels of production quality.
“In addition, improving production scale efficiencies will support ongoing sales growth in the UK market – a key priority.”
The MG brand has struggled in the UK since production restarted under Chinese ownership in 2011.
The company has registered just 2,300 vehicles so far this year – an increase of 350 compared to the same time in 2015, but a long way behind other mainstream manufacturers.
It’s hoping the launch of its new MG GS SUV will help boost sales, while the poor-selling MG6 was recently dropped from the range.
MG enthusiast Malcolm Watson posted on Facebook: “I honestly didn’t believe that SAIC had any interest in keeping MG in the UK or keeping Longbridge going. But I did hope.
“In the end they got what they wanted. Modern engineering, modern designs, and for a pittance. A sad day indeed.”
More than 400 designers, engineers and other staff at the Longbridge SAIC Motor Technical Centre (SMTC) are not affected, the firm says.
All 60 models of the limited edition Caterham Seven Sprint have sold out within just a week – despite a hefty £27,995 price tag.
The Seven Sprint was revealed at this year’s Goodwood Revival and sold out within seven days of going on sale, the manufacturer says.
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Caterham’s chief commercial officer, David Ridley, said: “We have been overwhelmed with the response to the Sprint. We knew of course it was a great product but the reaction we got is unprecedented.”
While it’s not unusual for limited edition models of desirable enthusiast cars to sell out quickly, the British sports car maker says it’s a big deal for the firm.
“In a typical year, we’ll sell around 500 cars meaning that, with the Sprint, we’ve sold more than 10% of our annual sales figure in a week,” explains Ridley. “It’s been the perfect scene-setter to our 60 Years of Seven celebrations.”
The car is powered by the same three-cylinder 80hp Suzuki engine as the entry-level Seven 160.
It features bespoke retro styling harking back to the mid-1960s, such as cream painted wheels and polished hubcaps.
Who better to break the two-wheeled world land speed record than plucky northerner, Guy Martin? The motorbike racer, truck mechanic and TV presenter escaped uninjured this weekend when his Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner lost control after hitting a patch of damp salt during a 300mph test-run.
Martin has a history of bad luck. He was meant to attempt to break the 376mph world record last year but, in a perhaps unsurprising move, had to bail when he lost control of his BMW motorbike during a race and was catapulted through the air, fracturing vertebrae, his sternum and a number of ribs.
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He was taking part in a test run when the latest incident took place. Regulations state that he must ride the motorcycle at 300mph before being allowed to take on the full land speed record – so the incident will have set the record run back yet again.
In typical Guy Martin fashion, the experience racer commented: “It’s all part the job, boy, isn’t it? Feeling our way. I guess if it was an easy thing to do everyone would have done it by now. So we’ll get a plan sorted and get on with the next go at it as soon as we get the chance.”
Apparently taking it “steady” following his crash last year, Martin successfully reached 198mph during an earlier run.
The crash wasn’t the only hiccup, however. While being towed to the start line, the bike toppled over, causing minor damage. This delayed Martin’s final attempt, which led to him losing control.
Bit slushy at Bonneville..she tipped over being towed out..only a scratch boy. We’re on it today. pic.twitter.com/PBa4B6b4vL
Triumph Motorcycles, who built the bike, put the later incident down to the ‘unpredictable’ surface.
The Infor Rocket Streamliner’s designer, Matt Markstaller, said: “It’s one of the challenges of land speed racing – the salt surface can be so unpredictable. We’ll fully inspect the streamliner and get ready for the next phase of our attempt.”
It might not be that simple. Bad weather as winter arrives could mean that the world record attempt has to be postponed by yet another year.
Uber has deployed a fleet of mapping cars on the capital’s streets in a bid to create its own Google Street View – allowing drivers and users to find the best pick-up and drop-off points as well as the best routes to avoid congestion.
The controversial transportation firm has already been mapping US roads in a similar way to Apple and Tomtom, it says, and is now looking to map London’s streets – with other UK towns and cities to follow in the coming weeks and months.
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Writing in a blog post, Uber’s Brian McClendon, formerly head of maps at Google, said: “Behind every successful Uber ride is a technology many of us take for granted: maps. Mobile maps and GPS allow us to match you with the closest available driver, navigate the fastest path to your destination, and give you an accurate ETA. Accurate maps are at the heart of our service and the backbone of our business.
“Existing maps are a good starting point,” McClendon explains. “But some information isn’t that relevant to Uber, like ocean topography. There are other things we need to know a lot more about, like traffic patterns and precise pick-up and drop-off locations. Moreover, we need to be able to provide a seamless experience in parts of the world where there aren’t detailed maps — or street signs.”
The move could also help Uber’s fleet of driverless cars, which are already being trialled on public roads in Pennsylvania. A fleet of four autonomous Ford Fusions have been giving rides to customers with technicians on-hand to monitor the car’s behaviour and take over when required.
Experts have said that Uber’s ability to crunch huge amounts of data collected from the millions of miles covered by Uber drivers have helped put it ahead of carmakers in the race to launch the driverless car.
“Over the past decade mapping innovation has disrupted industries and changed daily life in ways I couldn’t have imagined when I started,” added McClendon. “That progress will only accelerate in the coming years especially with technologies like self-driving cars. I remain excited by the prospect of how maps can put the world at our fingertips, improve everyday life, impact billions of people and enable innovations we can’t even imagine today.”
Uber is also working with Volvo to launch a new autonomous car based on the same SPA platform as the XC90 and S90.
An all-new Honda Civic Type R will go on sale in 2017 and the Japanese firm is previewing the new hot hatch with a bold Type R Prototype at the Paris Motor Show.
Land Rover has revealed the all-new Discovery ahead of sales beginning in spring 2017 – and it is already claiming it is “the best family SUV in the world”.
The new Volkswagen I.D. all-electric concept car has been revealed ahead of the Paris Motor Show 2016. With a remarkable claimed range of between 250 and 373 miles, it’s the first in a new era of post-dieselgate cars from the German giant.
A post-Brexit imposition of trade tariffs would not only threaten UK automotive industry jobs, but also put hundreds of thousands of jobs across Europe at risk, car industry leaders have said today.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Microsoft Corp are to collaborate on next-gen technology to help connect cars with their owners, other cars and the world around them – to make self-driving car ‘free time’ more productive.
