Is VW’s ID. Tiguan the EV the ID.4 should have been? Motoring Volkswagen is retiring the ID.4 and putting its best-selling SUV name on the replacement. Early prototype drives suggest it’s quieter and comfier, but the charging hasn’t moved on as much as it should have. Volkswagen’s ID naming never quite stuck with buyers, and the company seems to have admitted as much. The ID.2 became the [...]
New car smell: Taking the fragrant new Omoda 7 for a spin Life&Style Can you bottle that new car smell? Adam Hay-Nicholls goes on a scent tour of the Cotswolds in the new Omoda 7 hybrid electric vehicle Could you bottle that ‘new car smell’, you’d be on to a winner. That’s the bracing odour of a bold financial decision. That odour is a cocktail of volatile organic [...]
XPeng G6: Five Things I Like About It Motoring As London’s key decision-makers handle the transition to net-zero, the capital’s fleet managers and executive drivers are navigating the journey to zero-emissions motoring, writes Tim Barnes-Clay. Even though electric vehicles (EVs) haven’t been around for long, the market already feels overwhelmingly crowded. That’s especially true after the recent avalanche of Chinese brands entering the UK, [...]
XPeng G6 vs Tesla Model Y, which is worth your money? September 21, 2026 The XPeng G6 is taking on the Tesla Model Y with a lower price, rapid charging and plenty of technology. But is it actually the better electric SUV? The XPeng G6 and Tesla Model Y are competing for much the same buyer, but they go about it in rather different ways. Both are electric family [...]
What is Polestar’s Formula 2030, and why does it matter? September 18, 2026 Polestar will reveal its Formula 2030 concept in October, previewing the next Polestar 2 and Polestar 7 as the Swedish-Chinese EV maker looks to grow sales and move towards profitability. This is the first clean-sheet design produced under design chief Philipp Römers, who joined Polestar in January 2025, and it will preview two of the [...]
From China with Love: Xpeng’s Luxury Ambition August 17, 2026 China is changing the car industry at extraordinary speed. For affluent professionals used to proven premium brands, the next chapter of that transformation is becoming ever more challenging to turn a blind eye to, writes our motoring journalist Tim Barnes-Clay. I had seen more Chinese cars than you can shake a stick at before, but [...]
Lepas L8: China’s New SUV Means Business August 10, 2026 Is the UK’s SUV market ready for another Chinese challenger? Motoring journalist Tim Barnes-Clay takes a closer look at the new Lepas. Lepas, another new marque from automotive giant Chery – the company behind Omoda and Jaecoo – is positioning the L8 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) as a premium SUV that combines handsome styling, generous technology [...]
Jaecoo 8: A Premium SUV with Substance and Surprising Polish July 24, 2026 The arrival of the Jaecoo 8 SHS-P in the UK says something about where the car market is heading here, writes motoring journalist Tim Barnes-Clay. Chinese brands are no longer content with building budget alternatives. They want a place at the top table, and after spending time with Jaecoo’s new plug-in hybrid flagship, I came [...]
Volkswagen’s China crunch deepens as Europe’s biggest carmaker weighs 100,000 job cuts June 27, 2026 Volkswagen is weighing up to 100,000 job cuts as Europe’s biggest carmaker accelerates a sweeping overhaul after admitting the manufacturing model that underpinned decades of German industrial success can no longer compete in a market reshaped by Chinese rivals. The German automotive giant is reportedly considering almost doubling previously announced workforce reductions while shutting four [...]