Auto Express, Carwow Studio Limited: 2nd Floor, Verde Building, 10 Bressenden Place, London (2026)

04/06/2026

Ford Focus primed for sensational return... as an SUV 🛻😣🚙

Ford isn’t giving up on Europe, and the good news is that it won’t exclude buyers who want to stick with combustion engines, because alongside the new electric Puma and Fiesta coming in 2028, there could well be a new hybrid-powered Ford Focus.

The company has confirmed it’s working on a new C-segment crossover, which is said to be inspired by Ford’s ‘motorsport’ heritage and could well signal the return of the iconic Focus nameplate.

As you can see in our exclusive image, the new crossover will also feature a four-point headlight design inspired by iconic racers and models from Ford’s past. These are offset with a combination of muscular surfaces and some rugged design elements to remind buyers that the car is still an SUV.

It might be a stretch to call this new model a traditional hatchback like previous generations of the Focus. Rather than challenge the Volkswagen Golf rival, it will instead rival crossovers such as the T-Roc, a model that has an even bigger appeal to European buyers. Other mainstream rivals will include the Nissan Qashqai, Toyota C-HR and Cupra Formentor.

However, few technical details of the new Focus are known, such as whether it will run hybrid, plug-in hybrid or range-extender hybrid engines. The decision will depend on whether these new models are built from their own joint-venture partnership; Ford refused to elaborate, but it did say it has entered into strategic partnerships to boost scale on these projects and speed up development times.

02/06/2026

Built to show the Audi RS 3 who's boss, the M2 goes xDrive... 🛞🛞🛞🛞🇩🇪

The Bavarian brute still features a 473bhp straight-six engine, but can now sprint from 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds

For the past five years, the BMW M2 has been the only member of the M car family to send all its power exclusively to the rear wheels. But not anymore, because an all-wheel-drive version of Munich's menacing mini muscle car has arrived to challenge the Audi RS 3.

The new BMW M2 xDrive features a rear-biased, fully variable all-wheel drive system that in normal driving conditions sends the entire 473bhp this car delivers to the back wheels. Only when those can’t put any more power to the road does the electronically controlled multi-plate clutch in the transfer case get the front wheels in on the action.

Thanks to the extra traction that comes with all-wheel drive, BMW says the new M2 xDrive offers additional assurance in conditions with fluctuating levels of grip – on ice and snow, for example – or driving on the track. Plus it’s helped boost performance, with 0-62mph now taking just 3.7 seconds.

That’s 0.3 seconds quicker than the rear-drive version with an automatic transmission and 0.1 seconds quicker than the BMW’s chief rival from Audi, which features Quattro all-wheel drive as standard. Meanwhile, the M2 xDrive can do 0-124mph in only 12.8 seconds and, flat out, will hit 177mph if customers specify the optional M Driver’s Package.

The M xDrive system also includes an Active M Differential that splits the torque across the rear axle, helps maximise traction, and includes specifically tuned traction control and stability control settings.

02/06/2026

Ferrari went high-tech but this new Rolls-Royce EV is all about elegance 🕴♥️🍾

The Spectre Black Badge is the more powerful Rolls-Royce ever, now with 671bhp and up to 1,100Nm of torque at its disposal

The Rolls-Royce Spectre has been updated with even more power, more possibilities for personalisation and a greater sense of splendour. The new Series II has arrived just one week after the highly controversial Ferrari Luce was revealed, perhaps to remind the world’s elite that ultra-luxurious EVs can be graceful.

Both the standard and range-topping Black Badge versions of the Spectre have been updated with largely subtle changes, but the most significant tweaks went to the more potent version. Almost all of its brightwork now has a new, specially developed Iced Black matte finish, as do the new ‘open-spoke’ wheels that provide a glimpse of the car’s enormous brakes.

Even the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy is now matte black, although the vanes of the Black Badge’s Pantheon grille are still polished to a brilliant shine, because the designers wanted “to preserve the motor car’s identity”.

01/06/2026

New Ford Fiesta comeback to take Renault 5 and XR2i inspiration 🎉🎊🎈

Ford is laying out its ‘Ready Set Ford’ plan that it hopes will turn around the brand’s fortunes in the European market. Core to this movement will be a brand new Ford Fiesta supermini, but it won’t be going it alone.

That’s because Ford will be introducing five all-new models between 2028 and 2029 to cover all of the biggest selling market segments in Europe, and in many cases with both hybrid and electric car powertrain options.

The full line-up has already been teased in an image showing off their front-end silhouettes and new lighting signatures, which also point to a dramatic shift in Ford’s current design language. The company won’t be developing all of these new models from scratch, though, because most will be the products of joint ventures to increase scale and thus bring their prices down to compete with the influx of products from more agile Chinese manufacturers.

However, the stakes are high. These newcomers will be charged with stopping the bleeding at Ford: its new-car registrations in Europe have slumped from just over one million in 2019 to 426,459 last year.

The plan is ambitious, but it’s one that Ford of Europe’s president, Jim Baumbick, is confident will ensure the brand has a stable future in Europe well into the future. And it will all hinge on the rebirth of the iconic Fiesta.

What will the new Ford Fiesta look like?

Regardless of the platform, though, Ford is adamant that its new Fiesta will still look and feel like a Ford, because it plans to instil its competition-derived heritage into all its future models. As you can see in our exclusive images, the new model will feature sporty styling elements inspired by Ford’s iconic past models, such as the XR2i, with two-element headlights, and black wheelarch surrounds.

01/06/2026

Here's the £36k Nissan Leaf and the £440k Ferrari Luce 🇯🇵⚡🇮🇹

29/05/2026

New GMC Hummer X concept is what America calls ‘mid-size’ 🇺🇸🪨🚙

General Motors is celebrating the opening of a new design studio in Pasadena, California, with GMC Hummer X concepts in truck and SUV form.

Labelled “highly reconfigurable mid-size EVs”, the imposing Hummer concepts don’t preview production models, although we’re told they’ll be a testbed “for new technologies, new aesthetics and new ways to build community around adventure, all centered around sustainability”.

The Hummer X concepts clearly borrow plenty of design language from the production Hummer EV, with a flat-top roofline, narrow windows, blocky bodywork and full-width LED headlight signature. The SUV concept’s wheelbase is shorter, as is the overall length, and as a result, Hummer says the X redefines what a “mid-size EV can do off-road” – and it has the numbers to back this up.

There are massive 37-inch off-road tyres that look more suited to something you’d drive on the moon, a whopping ground clearance of 334mm and approach and departure angles of 44 and 46 degrees respectively (a Land Rover Defender 90 has up to 40 degrees in comparison).

The truck has a longer wheelbase and body, so its off-road figures aren’t quite as remarkable, although Hummer says it’s still suited to “rock crawling, trail running, or cruising the highway”.

Other features designed to transform the Hummer X into a proper off-roader include beadlock wheels, bespoke shock absorbers, removable wings and “serious underbody protection”.

28/05/2026

New Jaecoo 9 flagship SUV coming to the UK to target the Range Rover 🚙 🇨🇳

Jaecoo is set to expand it's UK line-up even further with the introduction of a new six-seat SUV flagship. Due to be called the Jaecoo 9, its underpinnings will be sourced from the brand’s existing range and a model called the Chery Fulwin T11. More importantly it's a model that will really test the UK buying public’s trust of this new-age brand.

In its native China, the T11 features a three-row layout with two captain’s chairs in the centre row, with two more mounted behind. At 5.2 metres long, it’s almost the size of a long-wheelbase Range Rover, only with even more interior space and almost as much luxury.

Even though the Jaecoo 9 hasn’t been revealed in its global form, the T11 shows that key design elements are set to be shared with other Jaecoo models, such as the vertical slats, thin headlights and the shape of the lower bumper.

Under the bonnet is a range-extender hybrid set-up; this combines Chery’s turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine with either one or two electric motors. The latter unlocks all-wheel drive, and depending on model, it’s capable of up to 136 miles of electric range on the admittedly very forgiving CLTC efficiency test.

Which powertrain eventually makes its way to the UK is not yet clear, but initial information from other Chinese manufacturers suggests that legislating these types of range-extender powertrains is proving to be difficult under the tougher Euro 7 regulations.

27/05/2026

New Lotus Emira 420 Sport: a true Lotus, at last! 🔥🇬🇧🪷

Lotus, long lost in the pursuit of electric car development and increasingly-stringent emissions regulations, has just revealed a new lightweight Emira with a titanium exhaust, adjustable dampers and high-performance tyres. Prices for the new model start from £105,900.

The Lotus Emira 420 Sport is based on the four-cylinder Emira Turbo SE, meaning it gets that car’s 2.0-litre Mercedes-AMG engine – tuned here to 414bhp and 500Nm. It shaves one-tenth from the SE’s 0-62mph time, which is now possible in 3.9 seconds. Top speed is 186mph, and all cars come with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Visual differences include a new front splitter, different vents and larger air intakes, plus extended sills and a fresh spoiler at the rear. Together, these changes improve airflow and cooling by up to 15 per cent. Lotus claims this gives drivers “more consistent performance in demanding conditions, particularly on track”. In addition, the 420 Sport gets a ride height lowered by 5mm versus the standard Emira, complete with revised suspension settings.

Despite an apparent track focus, the 420 Sport doesn’t scrimp on luxury features inside. There are 12-way electrically adjustable seats, for example, plus new carbon-fibre shift paddles “for added responsiveness and engagement”.

An optional Lightweight Handling Pack reduces weight by 25kg, while also generating 25kg of additional downforce. This pack also includes a set of two-way adjustable Multimatic dampers, a titanium exhaust, lithium-ion battery and carbon-fibre parts. Owners will also be given access to the dedicated ‘Lotus Track Performance’ app to measure and record lap times.

26/05/2026

The best manual cars with the greatest gear changes 🚗 ⚙ 😁

Some of us may be reluctant to admit it, but manual cars are on the decline. The rise of electrification has contributed towards automatics becoming the default option for countless motorists, so finding the very best manual cars means delving into both the new and used car worlds.

Our expert road testers have rounded up their picks of the cars that provide the perfect three-pedal experience. Ranging from stripped-back sports cars to sensible superminis, these top manual cars will have you rowing through cogs with a smile on your face.

Mazda MX-5
Audi R8 V8
Honda Civic Type R
Caterham Seven 310S
Porsche 911 Carrera T
Lotus Elise S3
BMW E46 330D
Toyota GT86
Ford Fiesta Mk6
Ferrari 599 GTB

25/05/2026

Breaking news: Ferrari Luce electric car makes world debut 🇮🇹⚡💡🔌

The moment that many thought and some hope would never come has finally arrived. This is the first-ever fully-electric Ferrari – the all-new Luce – and it is almost guaranteed to be the most-talked about car of 2026.

Ferrari took an unconventional approach to designing the Luce, by which we mean its in-house team, led by chief designer Flavio Manzoni, wasn’t responsible for it. Instead, both the styling and interior were entrusted to LoveFrom – a creative collective co-founded by Sir Jony Ive (the man who designed the iPhone), and Marc Newson.

These are arguably two of the most influential industrial designers of all time and have probably designed something in your house, if not in your hand right now. However neither of them have ever designed a car.

Auto Express

04/06/2026

02/06/2026

02/06/2026

01/06/2026

01/06/2026

29/05/2026

28/05/2026

27/05/2026

26/05/2026

25/05/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category