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Everything you need to know about cars this week: 8 Mar '20
Geneva might not have happened, but all the cars certainly did
The Renault Morphoz is a wild shapeshifting concept
"This is the Renault Morphoz, and whilst at first glance it may look like your everyday, run-of-the-mill concept car (complete with shiny paint and big wheels), it’s actually hiding quite the secret."
Advertisement - Page continues belowThe Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA is a hardcore 532bhp super-saloon
"Less weight, more power, more noise, more money – it’s the classic recipe for car porn that’s served the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren and even Renault well. So, about time Alfa Romeo got in on the lightweight special game – with one of the best supersaloons money can buy."
The Cupra Formentor definitely isn't a Seat
"The Formentor is the first car designed specifically to be a Cupra. The brand’s other models – the Cupra Ateca and Leon, are both fast versions of existing Seats, while the Formentor is supposed to be bespoke to the VW’s sub-brand’s sub-brand. It is not a Seat, and probably never will be."
Advertisement - Page continues belowThis is the brand-new Morgan Plus Four
"While the rest of the world gets tweaked about electric this and battery that, here comes Morgan with… a new engine. Which has absolutely no kind of hybrid assistance. Kind of refreshing, when you think about it. Also: an aluminium chassis."
The new Octavia vRS is a performance plug-in hybrid
"We’ve always been big fans of the Skoda Octavia vRS here at Top Gear. It’s a solid, gimmick-free all-rounder that’s slightly less good at everything than a Golf, but cheaper for it. And if you don’t fancy the new, eighth-gen Golf GTI, you better - ahem - Czech out the new Mk4 vRS. Mainly because it’s even sportier and stealthier than before thanks to 242bhp and electricity."
The Dacia Spring concept will soon be Europe’s cheapest EV
"We’ve always admired Dacia for having a clear philosophy and for sticking to it, no matter what type of car it produces. The Logan, Sandero and Duster are all cheap to buy and simple to run, and it looks as though that won’t change when the company takes its first step into the future."
Behold: the all-electric, BMW Concept i4
"Boring though it is to start every electric-car story with a mention of the Tesla Model 3, it’d be neglectful to do otherwise in this case. Because like the massive-selling Tesla, this BMW is a compact saloon with superb range and gut-spinning acceleration."
Advertisement - Page continues belowThe Bentley Mulliner Bacalar is a 200mph two-seat drop-top
"So, what is this car? Another garage queen for the hyper-rich? Bentley insists it’s a much more important machine. This car is a launchpad for its coachbuilding division, Mulliner, to cater to the most rarefied, esoteric, expensive tastes in the car world."
The new McLaren 765LT is a harder, faster 720S
"Driven a McLaren 720S lately? We have, it’s almost too quick. Not on the track of course, because there you can actually use all the performance, but on public roads it’s just ballistic. But when has too fast ever been a problem for McLaren? It’s a car we all knew was coming, but that doesn’t make it any less shocking. Allow us to introduce the 765LT – a harder, faster cousin to the 720S and the car that could make a Ferrari 488 Pista look pedestrian."
Advertisement - Page continues belowThe new Mercedes E-class is too clever for puny humans
"Germans don’t normally do big facelifts. Change a bit of trim, add eight new shades of grey to the colour palette and boom, job done. So it’s nice to see Mercedes has put a bit of effort into the E-Class’s mid-life facelift, which was supposed to be revealed at this week’s now non-existent Geneva Motor Show."
Look, it's the new Audi A3. No, really...
"Welcome to the, erm, fourth Volkswagen Golf launched in as many months. We’ve had the Skoda, the Seat and the Volkswagen itself, and now, men and women of the Internet, may we present to you the Audi. And lo, the VW Group’s quadrilogy of C-segment hatchbacks is at last complete."
BAC has made the Mono lighter, cleaner and punchier
"Meet the new BAC Mono. Which, it’s fair to say, looks a fair bit like the old BAC Mono. But peek closer and you realised this is rather like the new Ariel Atom; an evolution aesthetically, but a revolution elsewhere."
Porsche's new 911 Turbo S does 0-62 in 2.7secs
"The last Turbo S launched with 552bhp. This one launches with 641bhp. Even madder is its 590lb ft torque figure, available in full from 2,500 to 4,500rpm. Yikes. Those figures are pumped out by a new 3.8-litre flat-six engine, with a pair of turbos larger than before and tons more cooling."
VW has bottled giving its electric SUV a funny name
"VW is at pains to point out the all-electric ID4, which promises a range of some 310 miles, is a very aerodynamic SUV, which is a bit of a tautology if you ask us, like ‘civil war’ or ‘healthy cheeseburger’. If you’re obsessed with aero, why not get the smaller ID3?"
The Hyundai Prophecy concept is a swoopy four-seat EV thing
"What you’re looking at above is the Hyundai Prophecy concept – something that was of course scheduled to be on display at the now-virtual Geneva Motor Show. Pretty stunning isn’t it? Despite the slightly odd design speak, Hyundai might just have stolen the ‘best-looking concept’ prize from the shapeshifting Renault Morphoz. We won’t mention the BMW i4…"
The Koenigsegg Gemera is a 1,700bhp four-seat ‘Mega GT’
"This is the new Koenigsegg Gemera, and it is a family car. Indeed, we know this because it has four seats, hot and cold cupholders, front and rear seat infotainment, wireless phone charging and the ability to store four adults’ carry-on luggage."
The new Jesko Absolut is the fastest ever Koenigsegg
"The top speed wars end here, says Koenigsegg. This is the mic drop. The last word. This is its distillation of everything it’s learned about v-max: the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut."
The new Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport is a €3m drivers’ hypercar
"Where the Bugatti Chiron Sport 300+ blitzed the top speed run – and broke records and the hearts of rivals in the process – so this new Chiron is built for blitzing corners. It is officially called the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport, and you must officially ready your finest driving gloves."
The Aston Martin V12 Speedster is here to ruin millionaire hair
"Great news, Top Gear readers and millionaire car collectors! Welcome to a limited-edition supercar that – get this – isn’t yet sold out! You can have your very own Aston Martin V12 Speedster. One of 88 examples, to be precise. And you only have to find a mere £765,000 for the privilege. Great news indeed."
This is the all-new, all-electric Fiat 500
"Whilst the looks may not be radically different, the powertrain certainly is. That’s because this third-gen 500 will only be available as a fully electric vehicle. Eggs, meet basket."
The Porsche 911 may be 'the last car to be electrified'
"Porsche has shown off its new 911 Turbo S in the week of the cancelled Geneva Motor Show. Unlike other Turbo S models, it’s not a hybrid. And Porsche’s big cheeses have been pretty bullish that an electrified 911 remains a long way off."
Fully electric Bentleys will be here in five years
"Electric Bentleys will be here by the middle of the decade. So said CEO Adrian Hallmark when TopGear.com spoke to him on Bentley’s mock-Geneva show stand, hastily assembled in its Crewe showroom when the Swiss motor show was cancelled last minute."
Koenigsegg: Jesko 310mph attempt ‘in a year or two’
"Indeed, projections indicate the 1,600bhp+ Jesko Absolut will go “way, way over 500kmh”. Which, in old money, is 310mph. And which, in this scary fast new world of ours, is quicker than That Other Car From Molsheim."
Trending this week
- Electric
