ALL WE WANT FOR XMAS IS SMARTER THINKING

“BANNING INTERNAL combustion engines might be picking a

UK-built Leaf successor to lead Nissan’s EV charge

Nissan will release 15 new bespoke electric cars by 2030, including innovative SUV

NEW CONCEPTS SUGGEST NISSAN’S FUTURE ISN’T ENTIRELY SUV-SHAPED

Nissan has also given clues to production cars

Toyota shows hydrogen GR Yaris

Engine mods bring zero emissions but “thrills similar to those we enjoy today”

MORE NEWS FROM TOYOTA’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE

LEXUS ROV Lexus’s hydrogen-fuelled Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle (ROV)

Toyota to pull GR86 from Europe in 2024

THOSE INTERESTED IN the new Toyota GR86 should

CONFIDENTIAL

THE NEW BMW Concept XM previews a performance

The future of on-street charging

We assess some new concepts enabling those without a driveway to run electric cars

ROBOT CHARGING

Robots could be called on to deliver charge

LAMP-POST CHARGING

One major benefit is the infrastructure is already

CHARGING DELIVERED TO YOU

Bringing the charger to the car saves time

Salvation for low-volume makers

Neil Yates’s WEVC and Ian Foley’s Equipmake have

Why Ferrari needs Icona

Tech boss on the importance of Icona series and its SP3 Daytona

Ferrari’s first SUV breaks cover

FERRARI’S FIRST SUV has been seen with production

Porsche’s new EV game plan

Gran Turismo video-game concept hints at firm’s future electric sports cars

Are e-fuels part of our future?

Experts discuss environmental and cost benefits of synthetically created liquid fuels

THIS IS NO MERE FLIGHT OF FANCY

FELIX PAGE It would be easy to dismiss

WHY COOLING AND LUBRICATING FLUIDS ARE KEY TO IMPROVING EVs

UNDER THE SKIN JESSE CROSSE ELECTRIC VEHICLES HAVE

WILLIAMS TO MAKE EVs COOL

The Williams Formula 1 team’s Advanced Engineering spin-off

Jim Holder

INSIDE INFORMATION

Steve Cropley

MY STARS OF 2021

FRANKLY INIMITABLE

The recently departed Sir Frank Williams was a true force of nature

Bob’s still full of Beans at 83

Bob Bean often tops historic rallies, despite being historic himself

ESTABLISHED 1895 Autocar

Youngster aims high 27 November 1985 AT THE

YOUR VIEWS

WRITE TO autocar@haymarket.com LETTER OF THE WEEK Taycan

Matt Prior

TESTER’S NOTES Electric SUVs dominate COTY 2022 shortlist

The Autocar

Ferrari creates a junior GT 16 November 1962

SEAT

KIMERA EVO37

Scintillating restomod recreates Lancia’s 037 rally icon for the modern era, with help from some of the original WRC cast

FORD MUSTANG MACH-E GT

Performance flagship shows what it can – and can’t – do on British roads

CATERHAM SEVEN 420R CHAMPIONSHIP

Track-only model aims to showcase the Seven in its purest form

JEEP COMPASS

Ford Kuga rival is comprehensively updated and gains a plug-in hybrid offering

McLAREN 765LT SPIDER

Woking’s track-focused ‘Long Tail’ flagship arrives in open-top form

VW ID 3 PURE PERFORMANCE LIFE

Range refresh gives rise to no-frills model with modest motor and smaller battery

MERCEDES-BENZ EQB 350 4MATIC

Electric version of seven-seat compact SUV arrives in Britain in its priciest form

RAF Chinook

MODEL TESTED HC.MK6A

My true love gave to me…

The Autocar road testers’ Christmas lunch/car of the year shootout returns with a twist: this year, it’s all about the giving. Mike Duff lays the festive table

PLE NTY OF FUN IN 2021

After the pandemic sent a wreck ing ball through 2020, we vowed to make this year one to remember. Here are our highlights

When the chips are down

The semiconductor shortage means that for many of us, brand-new premium-badged cars are out of reach this Christmas. So why not choose from James Ruppert’s sack ful of bargain used goodies inst ead?

PARTS AND CRAFTS

It takes hundreds of hours to build a Bentley, much of it by hand, using materials crafted by specialists from across the UK. R ichard Webber hits the road in a Cupra Formentor, a distant cousin of Crewe’s finest, to meet some of them, and to visit some very special Bentleys

The life of Riley

Victor Riley’s lifetime ambition has been to preserve the history of the manufacturing firm his grandfather founded. John Evans meets him at his new museum in Coventry

FIXER-UPPERS

Building little plastic cars is a hobby loved by kids big and small. John Evans visits Airfix HQ to see how the kits are created

What if…

Unless you’re luck y enough to own a DeLorean, you can’t change the past. But what if you could? We look back at how the path of motoring histor y might have changed if events had turned out differently

WHAT IF…

THERE HAD BEEN A SAAB VERSION OF CHEVROLET’S VOLT?

WHAT IF…

BMC HAD MADE THE PININFARINA 1100?

ONE OF A KIND

Motorsport commentar y legend Murray Walker was passionate at the m icrophone and charming away from it, his friend and colleague Maurice Hamilton remembers

IN OUR GOOD BOOKS

What’s the best way to unwind after driving? Reading about driving. To prepare you for the festive break, we pick our favourite motoring titles

FIRST-CLASS TRAVEL

As online shopping goes from strength to strength, electric vans are helping courier firms clean up their act. Simon Huck nall hits the road in a Citroën e-Dispatch to distribute a full load of emission-free Christmas cheer

A DRIVER’S CAR FOR 2030

How will Britain’s low-volume car makers survive the upcoming ban on new ICE cars? Steve Cropley sits down with Equipmake and W EVC to plan an enthusiast’s electric roadster

BABY DRIVER

Ferrari ’s newest model isn’t built by Ferrari. And it’s made in Oxfordshire, not Italy. And it’s an EV. Andrew Frankel explains all

Almost famous

Unseen protot ypes and stalled concepts are a fact of automotive life. James Attwood uncovers more hidden Fords that never saw the light of day

THE FAT OF THE LAND

And of the water, for that matter, because there ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough to keep the Fat Truck from getting to you, as Piers Ward discovers

! UNLESS I MISS MY GUESS…

Each year, we stick our necks out to

INDUSTRY

We predicted that more car makers would follow

NEW CARS

More in hope than expectation, we predicted a

CAR SALES

Ford Puma virtually matched Ford Fiesta in the

OTHER FORETELLINGS

HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS What we said “They will

WE BUY ANY CAR…

Never mind the conveyor belt of shiny new test cars, these are the motors that Autocar’s staff have bought – and sold – this past year

WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

We car lovers pride ourselves on remembering all the facts and figures. Here are some from the minds of Autocar’s writers for you to test yourself against

PIC THAT ONE OUT

Our photographers have hit the target yet again with some stunning shots this year. We run the highlights reel

‘I lef t the moment I won ’

The circumstances surrounding Damon Hill’s F1 title win left a bad taste, but he doesn’t hold any grudges. Twent y-five years on, the 1996 world champion talks to Damien Smith about the challenges he faced and how the sport has evolved

THE AUTOCAR FLEET AWARDS 2021

No fewer than 27 vehicles were members of our long-term test fleet this year, ranging from people-carr ying vans to performance machiner y and saloons to SU Vs. Which of them left the greatest impressions on our testers?

THE EXTENDED HOURS LONG-DISTANCE AWARD For the car you would most want to take on a very long journey

WINNER BENTLEY BENTAYGA V8 HIGHLY COMMENDED JAGUAR XF, SKODA OCTAVIA

THE ‘YEAH, APART FROM THAT’ AWARD For the car with flaws you shouldn’t ignore but do because it’s otherwise charming

WINNER BMW M440i COUPE HIGHLY COMMENDED MAZDA MX-30, VOLKSWAGEN GOLF, SEAT LEON, SKODA OCTAVIA

THE ‘I WOULD BUY IT’ AWARD For the car you would be most likely to spend your own money on

WINNER DACIA SANDERO STEPWAY HIGHLY COMMENDED TOYOTA GR YARIS, FORD TOURNEO CUSTOM

THE B-ROAD BOOSTER SHOT AWARD For the car that’s the most enjoyable to take for a pleasure drive

WINNER TOYOTA GR YARIS HIGHLY COMMENDED PORSCHE 718 BOXSTER GTS

THE PRACTICALLY PERFECT AWARD For the most practical car for any task

WINNERS SKODA OCTAVIA, FORD TOURNEO CUSTOM

THE BETTER-THAN-AN-EJECTOR- SEAT Q AWARD FOR INNOVATION For the best in-car tech, gadget or feature

WINNER MAZDA MX-30

THE HEAD-TURNER PRIZE For the car that gained the most attention from friends, family and strangers

WINNER CUPRA FORMENTOR HIGHLY COMMENDED MINI CONVERTIBLE, PORSCHE 718 BOXSTER GTS

THE ‘PICK YOUR OWN’ AWARDS NAME YOUR OWN TROPHY AND A WINNER

THE PURISTS’ AWARD PORSCHE 718 BOXSTER GTS

USED CARS

What to buy, where to buy it and how much to pay

CHEAP, BUT NOT TOO CHEAP

Bangers shouldn’t cost the earth, but be careful where you buy

AUDI E-TRON

If you want to go electric in familiar luxury, this is a great option, says Oliver Young

McLaren 570GT

BUY THEM BEFORE WE DO £99,850 GT WITH

VAUXHALL VX2300

This 1978 Vauxhall Victor VX2300 was one of

CLASH OF THE CLASSIFIEDS

USED CAR DESK DOES BATTLE

SWEDE SURRENDER

It’s easy to succumb to the charms of Saab’s 900 Turbo –a comfy, robust and stylish car that paved the way for today’s turbo era. Jack Warrick looks at this pioneer

INDEX

The best new cars rated as only Autocar knows how

GREATEST CHRISTM AS ROAD TESTS

VELDEN 2-LITRE F1 TESTED 27.12.80 This Christmas road