r

£500 million cash injection puts the spark back into Government electric car policy

A few weeks ago Ray branded the Government's electric car policy being in a mess. His Whitehall sources tell him it rattled cages at the Department for Transport.




r

Supercar buyers may as well be on a different planet

Mike Flewitt, chief executive of McLaren, was speaking this week about the challenge of keeping his international high-octane customers satisfied




r

Hyundai's iX factor: Ray Massey takes the iX35 for a spin

Ray Massey tests the Hyundai iX35 Premium 1.7 CRDI 2WD Manual, a car with kerb appeal




r

Ray Massey takes the MG3 3STYLE for a spin

It was with a sense of nostalgia that Ray jumped into the newest MG on the block — the MG3 five-door hatchback




r

Mini's first five-door hatchback

Promising more space, headroom, legroom and much greater ease of entry for rear passengers, it goes on sale in October from £15,900 to £20,050 on the road




r

Living on the edge: Ford reveals new SUV

Ford unveiled its smart new Edge fiveseater sports utility vehicle this week. The Edge will go on sale here next year from around £30,000




r

Ray Massey gets an exclusive drive in the Peugeot 2008 Hybrid Air

This week Ray Massey became the first British journalist to road-test the radical new family car that drives on air: the Peugeot 2008 Hybrid Air




r

Vauxhall is on a roll as they announce new super-mini

Vauxhall has just released details of the new, fifth-generation Corsa super-mini, set for its official launch at the Paris Motor Show in October




r

Mazda 2 to hit showrooms this autumn, as sales of hot-hatch superminis soar

The Mazda 2 is the fourth member of a line-up that includes the CX-5 sports utility vehicle, the svelte Mazda 6 saloon and estate and the Mazda3 hatchback and fastback




r

Electric dreamland: Ray Massey test drives the BMW i8 electric hybrid

BMW's i8 electric hybrid has just gone on sale. It takes smugness to a new level, but also makes electric cars look and feel supercool. Batteries and a plug are included. Ray Massey gives his verdict.




r

'A scintillating and sophisticated drive': Ray Massey test drives the new Audi S3 cabriolet 

The Audi S3 feels smart, comfortable, sporty and grown-up, but also great fun says RAY MASSEY. The stop-start system also switches off the engine to save fuel.




r

RAY MASSEY takes the Porsche Macan S for a spin

Recently voted Auto Express's best compact SUV of the year, the Porsche Macan S is priced from £43,000




r

Volkswagen's sporty revised Scirocco is open for orders 

Prices start at £20,455 on the road for the 1.4-litre TSI 125 PS manual and rise to £33,795 for the mean-looking 2-litre TSI 280 PS R. First UK deliveries will be in October




r

A Bohemian Rhapsody: RAY MASSEY tests Skoda's third generation Fabia

The new model will be 17 per cent more economical than its predecessor. The Fabia is expected to go on sale in the UK early next year and will cost between £10, 000 and £16, 000.




r

A cactus poised to bloom: RAY MASSEY takes the Citroen C4 Cactus Flair 1.6 Blue HDi 100 for a spin

This French back-to-basics family car combines simplicity and efficiency with practicality, low ownership costs and quirky looks. It also boasts a 1.6 litre HDi four-cylinder in-line turbodiesel engine.




r

Jaguar Land Rover launches the Discovery Sport with a 2.2-litre SD4 four-cylinder diesel engine

Priced from £32,395 to £42,995, the baby 'Disco' goes on sale in January alongside the existing full-size sevenseater Discovery.




r

Jaguar's baby XE sport saloon arrives in a blaze of publicity 

The XE, on sale next spring from £27,000, is Britain's challenger to Germany's big-selling BMW 3-series and is arguably the most important family car in the firm's history.




r

Honda HR-V combines coupe-like design with the versatility and stability of a 4x4

Honda has revealed its new compact sports utility vehicle — the HR-V — which goes on sale next summer from £16,000.




r

Renault unveils the new Espace, an elegant crossover people carrier

The car is largely based on the concept car revealed a year ago and both the five and seven-seat versions are designed for greater flexibility.




r

Jaguar Land Rover unveils new XE sport at the Paris Motor Show

Land Rover Discovery Sport has also received 1,200 orders in three weeks. Chief executive Dr Ralf Speth said the cars are 'at the very heart of Britain's manufacturing renaissance'.




r

Lexus NX 300h is quite a package says RAY MASSEY

More than 800 advance orders have been taken for the mid-sized, compact, petrol-electric crossover, costing from £29,495 for the entry level S version with front-wheel drive.




r

Great British Bake Off's Paul Hollywood starts London to Brighton veteran car run

The event marks Parliament allowing motorists to drive without a man waving a red flag ahead in 1896. Hollywood drove a two-seater 1904 De Dion-Bouton




r

Five-door hatchback Mazda2 named Car of the Year in its native Japan

Mazda promises great performance, economy, safety and driving fun when the supermini reaches Britain early next year, priced from around £13,000.




r

Suzuki Celerio goes on sale with stability control, alloy wheels and dual jet engine

Suzuki's new global city car offers very low CO2 emissions of 99g/km, 'class leading luggage capacity' of 254 litres and its AGS system also allows a low-speed 'creep' facility




r

Mercedes-Benz unveil CLA Shooting Brake just in time for Christmas 

Expect prices from around £25,500 to about £43,000 for the pumped-up CLA45 AMG, which will accelerate from rest to 62mph in 4.7 seconds, thanks to its 360 bhp, 2-litre turbo engine.




r

The rebirth of the Vauxhall Viva as a frugal city car

The model hasn't been seen in 35 years. It will cost £7,000 and manage up to 70mpg. Its features include heated seats and steering wheel




r

Order books open for new Lexus RC F Coupe with powerful 471 bhp 5-litre engine

Acceleration from rest to 60mph in 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 168mph. The guiding principle, it says, was 'functional beauty'. The driver can also control wing deployment.




r

A new star on ice RAY MASSEY tests the new Land Rover Discovery Sport 

RAY MASSEY tests the new Land Rover Discovery Sport on the snowy roads of Iceland. With an impressive seven seats avilable and fantastic flexibilty this car is perfect for families.




r

The latest niche Mercedes is unveiled and will be on sale in the UK from June 

It's Mercedes-Benz's its answer to rival BMW's X6 sports utility vehicle. It will be launched at the Detroit Motor Show next month. The new GLE Coupe is to get sporty styling and improved suspension.




r

BMW to take extreme step and unveil the entire new range of next generation 6 series at North American International Auto Show 

Including the new BMW 6 Series Convertible, Coupe and Gran Coupe. The cabriolet will go from rest to 62 mph in just 5.5 seconds. All petrol models will have a sports tuned exhaust system.




r

The Skoda Fabia is named Car of the Year at awards ceremony organised by What Car? 

The Czech company beat rivals BMW and Range Rover to win the title. The original Skoda Fabia won the award 15 years ago as well. Since VW took over the firm, Skoda has shed its joke reputation.




r

Honda unveiled long awaited new NSX supercar this week at Detroit Motor Show

It's a petrol electric sport hybrid with aerodynamic low slung features. It has a combination of the 550bhp twin-turbo V6 engine at the rear and two of its three electric motors fixed on the axle towards the front.




r

I'm in eighth heaven! RAY MASSEY takes a look at the new Volkswagen Passat Estate

The Passat has been around for 42 years, the first model came out in 1973. The estate car is the fourth biggest-selling VW in the UK. The new model has keyless entry and heated seats.




r

BMW's new compact people carrier, the 2 Series Gran Tourer, is the first premium compact to offer up to seven seats

Built with flexibility in mind, it also has a sliding second row of seats. There is a choice of five turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. It is also the only car in its class to team four wheel -drive with seven seats.




r

Ford's fresher focus: Ray Massey test drives the new 5-door Focus Zetec

The company have put a great deal of attention to detail into the new model of the Zetec which is both effortless and nimble to drive. Ford have listened to their customers and simplified the car's interior.




r

Aston Martin to lead the British supercars at Geneva Motor Show next week with the new two-seater Vulcan

The new two-seater Aston Martin Vulcan will set you back £1.8million. The V12 engine is the equivalent of eight Ford Fiestas. The Vulcan will reach top speeds of 200mph and 0-60mph in three seconds.




r

Kia's third generation Sorrento brings a refreshing sense of reality

Amid all the fashion models and cars at the Paris motor show, Kia's sports utility vehicle turned heads. The seven-seater promises improved ride, handling and crash safety, writes RAY MASSEY




r

James Bond's favourite car-maker has unveiled the radical new family-friendly Aston Martin DBX at Geneva Motor Show

The new prototype is a two-door 'crossover' aimed at young families but the final version will be a four-door petrol-electric hatchback crossover. It includes a permanent integrated child seat.




r

Mitsubishi's new XR-PHEV II prototype is selling fast as a company car thanks to it's massive tax advantages

The Outlander PHEV can be charged overnight at home, run on electric-only power or operate in hybrid mode, switching between petrol and electric power, depending on which is most efficient.




r

New 'green' BMW X5 xDrive40e can be recharged at home and switches between petrol and electric power while on the move

Just as George Osborne ratcheted up company car tax for thousands of motorists, German giant BMW unveiled its new 'budget buster' — its first mainstream plug-in petrol-electric hybrid SUV.




r

Jaguar launches its new second-generation XF compact sports saloon with high-wire drive over London's Docklands

In a stunt worthy of the latest Bond film Spectre — for which the firm is supplying many of the cars — the XF (pictured) was revealed in a dramatic stunt high over the Royal Dock in Canary Wharf.




r

Honda makes a splash as it unveils new-look Civic prototype in garish green at the New York Motor Show

The good news is that the five-door hatchback version will be built exclusively at the Swindon factory. Honda announced the Wiltshire works would benefit from a £200million investment.




r

SsangYong is launching a value for money five-door sports car from under £13,000

Korea's SsangYong is launching a new sports utility vehicle from under £13,000 that promises value for money motoring for drivers who believe in watching their pennies.




r

Feel that breeze: Ray Massey gets the roof off the new third-generation Audi TT Roadster 2.0 and puts it to the test

Ray Massey drove the fully stocked four-wheel-drive 2-litre TFSI, which was adept at whipping around the Cotswolds in style. The range starts at £31,995 and the Audi can cost as much as £50,000




r

MGs new Cumberhatch The suave British actor has been drafted in to be the company's face in the Far East 

Cumberbatch was at the Shanghai Motor Show for the unveiling of the MG GS It will go on sale in Britain late next year.




r

Nissan takes over from Ford with new four-year deal as the main motoring sponsor of the UEFA Champions League 

It's been an electric week for motoring. A fleet of 100 electric vehicles was ferrying VIPs at the UEFA Champions League in Berlin last Sunday where Spain's FC Barcelona triumphed over Juventus.




r

Goodwood Festival of Speed begins on Thursday with more than 600 cars from past and present, including Honda Civic Type-R

The festival will feature cars from yesteryear, today and tomorrow. Since 1993 automotive extravaganza has become the nation's motor show. All major car makers brass will be attending.




r

Maria Sharapova sparks 'car-wars' in a Porsche as Jaguar celebrates its first year as the official car of Wimbledon

As British Jaguars delivered guests to the annual WTA pre-Wimbledon Party, the Russian tennis star squeezed in a sneaky drive of the Porsche Boxter Spyder.




r

Volvo XC90 named Car Of The Year at the Auto Express Awards

Having test-driven one for a week, I'm impressed with Volvo's exceptionally striking, high-tech and nimble XC90 sports utility vehicle.




r

Funky, Tardis-like and efficient: Honda announces prices for new hatchback supermini launching in September

Just in time for next month's new 65 plate, Honda has announced prices for its funky new third-generation Jazz, which goes on sale from £13,495.