From China with Love: Xpeng’s Luxury Ambition Motoring 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 Life&Style 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 Motoring 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 [...]