CHIPS ARE DOWN AS A NEW TREND RISES

LAST MONTH’S NEW car sales were the worst

Mazda stays true to petrol power with all-new MX-5

Next-gen roadster, due 2024, to be designed around innovative Skyactiv-X engine

Nissan GT-R sticking to its guns

Next iteration of supercar will get a new platform but is unlikely to ditch turbo V6

HOW R35 WAS MADE SPECIAL

2009 SpecV With no rear seats and carbonfibre

CONFIDENTIAL

AN ELECTRIC ROLLS- Royce could be louder inside

Sales slump amid chip crisis

Chip shortage blamed for the lowest September new car registrations since 1999

TOYOTA CALLS NEW CITY CAR AYGO X

Toyota’s next A-segment car, to be revealed in

High-tech new MG flagship heads to Europe with 285bhp

MG HAS EXPANDED its European line-up with the

Piëch Automotive GT starts testing for 2024 launch

PIECH AUTOMOTIVE, THE Swiss EV start-up founded by

CHEAPEST SANDERO NOW NUDGES £10K

Dacia has axed the Sandero’s entry-level Access trim,

AUDI SHARPENS UP REAR-DRIVE R8

The rear-drive version of the Audi R8 has

Lotus EV platform made for sharing

Inspired by Elise’s influence, Lotus aims to cash in on new sports car underpinnings

Pulling the plug on plug-in grants

Would removing the shrinking subsidy altogether affect the roll-out of electric cars?

THE SCIENCE BEHIND LOTUS’S E-SPORTS ARCHITECTURE

JESSE CROSSE WITH THE NEED to reduce weight

Jim Holder

INSIDE INFORMATION

ELFYN EVANS’ FLYING FINNISH

Perfect win in Finland was a special achievement for Welsh rally hero

NEWS ROUND-UP

Formula 1 bosses set to expand sprint format

Why WRX is turning electric

Following industry’s biggest trend could at last popularise rallycross

The Power Stage in WRC rallies

The hard graft in winning a rally is

MOTOR SPORT GREATS

Two drivers share the record for the most

Alfa’s secret weapon

12 April 1963

“We don’t take no for an answer”

When historic racing fan Jonathan Holtzman couldn’t buy a Tyrrell six-wheeler, he assembled a team of experts to build a pair of new ones. Damien Smith meets them

YOUR VIEWS

WRITE TO autocar@haymarket.com Tailored differentials Richard Lane’s comments

Matt Prior

TESTER’S NOTES

Winkers mandated 25 May 1956

TRANSPORT MINISTER HAROLD Watkinson announced in 1956 that,

Steve Cropley

MY WEEK IN CARS

BMW i4 M50

TESTED 14.9.21, MUNICH, GERMANY ON SALE NOVEMBER PRICE £63,905

CUPRA BORN

TESTED 7.10.21, BARCELONA, SPAIN ON SALE EARLY 2022 PRICE £40,000 (EST)

DS 4 E-TENSE 225

TESTED 5.10.21, BERKSHIRE ON SALE JANUARY

HONDA HR-V

TESTED 6.10.21, FRANKFURT, GERMANY ON SALE LATE 2021

SKODA FABIA 1.0 TSI 110

TESTED 7.10.21, BEDFORDSHIRE ON SALE LATE 2021

Renault Arkana

AUTOCAR ROAD TEST No 5545

TRUE BLUE

One such car arrived in 1986, but how about in 2021? Jesse Crosse compares two rather different fast Fords, the Sierra RS Cosworth and Mustang Mach-E

Drawing fire

Domagoj Dukec has come under attack for his reinvention of BMW’s design, but he will keep fighting for his ideas in the electric era, he tells James Attwood

A pandemic, logistical issues, soaring demand – and now a chip shortage. Just how long will you have to wait for a new car?

With dealers carrying only minimal stock, customers are having to wait up to a year for deliver y of a new build, discovers John Evans

PORSCHE 718 BOXSTER GTS

The best way to really get to know a long-termer? On an epic continental road trip

FORD MONDEO ESTATE

How does this family hauler do when more than fully laden?

James Ruppert

THE HIGH PRIEST OF BANGERNOMICS

AUDI A7 SPORTBACK

This is an attractive grand touring coupé yet fit for the family, reports Mark Pearson

Mercedes E220 CDI Estate £8800

CLASSY AND FULLY LOADED Top-class estate options are

Skoda Superb Estate

THE NAME SAYS IT ALL £5699 The Superb

Ford Mondeo Estate

SOON TO BE EXTINCT £9480 The Mondeo may

BMW M5 Touring

V10 WITH MORE THAN 500BHP £18,250 Yes, V10

Volvo 940 Wentworth

WILD CARD £4995 The 940 was built to

MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO IV RS

This fourth-generation 1997 Lancer Evolution was imported into

Ford Fiesta ST £4450

The Fiesta ST is now a modern-day phenomenon,

CLASH OF THE CLASSIFIEDS

It’s raining outside, so find me a weatherproof car for under £10,000

WESTFIELD HO!

If you want adrenaline-rush immediacy and driver reward from £4000 up, head for a Westfield. John Evans tells you how to navigate the many choices and find a good ’un

HOW TO GET ONE IN YOUR GARAGE

An expert’s view MARK GLASSWELL, FOUNDER, MKG AUTOMOTIVE

NEW CARS

ROAD TEST INDEX

The best new cars rated as only Autocar knows how