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WATCH: New Range Rover EV prototype on test

WATCH: New Range Rover EV prototype on test

Auto Car6 hours ago
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This is the new electric Range Rover, in still-secret prototype form. And we've driven it off-road. Join Matt Saunders here as he guides you through the new Range Rover EV's technical details, some of which are still to be confirmed. What we can tell you is that it'll have two motors, one at each end, totalling 542bhp.
There's a 118kWh battery underneath the car too, which because it's a stressed element helps make this the strongest Range Rover yet built. It may well be the heaviest too, but we'll know more about that when final details are released, ahead of the car's launch this coming autumn. For now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the sound of silence as this exceptionally quiet EV goes about its off-roading business. Watch the video by clicking above.
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Could "SUV bashing" mean the comeback of people carriers? Renault's design boss thinks so
Could "SUV bashing" mean the comeback of people carriers? Renault's design boss thinks so

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time22 minutes ago

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Could "SUV bashing" mean the comeback of people carriers? Renault's design boss thinks so

Renault design boss Gilles Vidal predicts the people carrier could make a comeback to shake up the family car market as designers explore new ways of boosting efficiency and depart from the hallmarks of conventional SUV styling. People carriers, or multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs), used to be big business in Europe, with the likes of the Renault Scenic, Vauxhall Zafira, Ford Galaxy and Citroën Picasso claiming a huge share of the regional car market (the segment accounted for more than 10% at one point) on the basis of their ability to accommodate seven occupants in a tall cabin, while occupying a footprint comparable with an estate car. The decline of the MPV began in 2006 when Nissan launched the Qashqai - effectively the genesis of the crossover segment, which would come to be the default choice for family motoring and dominate Europe's car market. Currently, SUVs account for more than half of all European car sales, while MPVs have dropped to a market share in the low single digits. But Gilles Vidal says the transition to electrification could bring about a renaissance for the MPV segment, as car makers strive to make their vehicles as efficient as possible and exploit the packaging freedoms of EV 'skateboard' architecture. He said: "SUVs won the battle against the MPVs because MPVs are cars that you need but you don't desire, and suddenly SUVs with the same engines, same weight, same everything - they are shapes that you will desire. "Now there's an SUV bashing going on in Europe, especially. You would never do MPV bashing because it's a very respectable family car - but it's equally polluting, equally heavy, equally everything, so that's a weird society twist." Vidal added that the general concept of an SUV "is still attractive today for most people, and still a functional car in terms of size, roominess and practicality". But he said that as cars become more aerodynamic in pursuit of efficiency, we could see a return to lower, sleeker and more MPV-like silhouettes. "What will probably happen with SUVs is they will try to be more and more efficient, so maybe slightly lower and better in aerodynamics. They will morph into a very efficient car, less energy consuming, with equivalent habitability and roominess and everything that's probably the trend." He said Renault's segment-straddling Emblème concept (pictured below), due in production in the coming years as the first of a new-generation electric car line-up, is a 'morphing of all of that' – with a raised ride height but a sleeker, lower profile than any of Renault's current SUVs.

New electric car grants of up to £3,750 aims to drive sales
New electric car grants of up to £3,750 aims to drive sales

Sky News

time42 minutes ago

  • Sky News

New electric car grants of up to £3,750 aims to drive sales

The taxpayer is to help drive the switch to non-polluting vehicles through a new grant of up to £3,750, but some of the cheapest electric cars are to be excluded. The Department for Transport (DfT) said a £650m fund was being made available for the Electric Car Grant, which is due to get into gear from Wednesday. Users of the scheme - the first of its kind since the last Conservative government scrapped grants for new electric vehicles three years ago - will be able to secure discounts based on the "sustainability" of the car. It will apply only to vehicles with a list price of £37,000 or below - with only the greenest models eligible for the highest grant. Buyers of so-called 'Band two' vehicles can receive up to £1,500. The qualification criteria includes a recognition of a vehicle's carbon footprint from manufacture to showroom so UK-produced EVs, costing less than £37,000, would be expected to qualify for the top grant. It is understood that Chinese-produced EVs - often the cheapest in the market - would not. DfT said 33 new electric car models were currently available for less than £30,000. The government has been encouraged to act as sales of new electric vehicles are struggling to keep pace with what is needed to meet emissions targets. Challenges include the high prices for electric cars when compared to conventionally-powered models. At the same time, consumer and business budgets have been squeezed since the 2022 cost of living crisis - and households and businesses are continuing to feel the pinch to this day. 3:29 Another key concern is the state of the public charging network. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "This EV grant will not only allow people to keep more of their hard-earned money - it'll help our automotive sector seize one of the biggest opportunities of the 21st century. "And with over 82,000 public chargepoints now available across the UK, we've built the infrastructure families need to make the switch with confidence." The Government has pledged to ban the sale of new fully petrol or diesel cars and vans from 2030 but has allowed non-plug in hybrid sales to continue until 2025. It is hoped that the grants will enable the industry to meet and even exceed the current zero emission vehicle mandate. Under the rules, at least 28% of new cars sold by each manufacturer in the UK this year must be zero emission. The figure stood at 21.6% during the first half of the year. The car industry has long complained that it has had to foot a multi-billion pound bill to woo buyers for electric cars through "unsustainable" discounting. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the grants sent a "clear signal to consumers that now is the time to switch". He went on: "Rapid deployment and availability of this grant over the next few years will help provide the momentum that is essential to take the EV market from just one in four today, to four in five by the end of the decade." But the Conservatives questioned whether taxpayers should be footing the bill. Shadow transport secretary Gareth Bacon said: "Last week, the Office for Budget Responsibility made clear the transition to EVs comes at a cost, and this scheme only adds to it.

Gloucestershire Highways warn of 'tsunami' of 20mph requests.
Gloucestershire Highways warn of 'tsunami' of 20mph requests.

BBC News

timean hour ago

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Gloucestershire Highways warn of 'tsunami' of 20mph requests.

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