Order books open for the all-electric Mercedes EQC 4MATIC

The new Mercedes-Benz EQC 4MATIC is now available to order, with prices starting at £65,640 for the EQC 400 4MATIC Sport. The EQC is the first fully-electric vehicle from Mercedes-Benz’s new EQ brand. It is powered by an 80 kWh lithium-ion battery which has a range of 259 miles (WLTP) and an output of 402 bhp and 564 ft lb of torque. It can travel from 0 to 62 mph in 5.1 seconds and has a top speed of 111 mph.

Vauxhall readies next Corsa – including electric model – for summer launch

Vauxhall’s all-new fifth generation Corsa is close to the end of development, “primed to become the most efficient Corsa ever after undergoing extensive testing and tuning”. The company says its engineers have used the long polar winters in Swedish Lapland for intensive testing on frozen lakes and on snow-covered roads. Pre-production cars have been lapping the test tracks at the test centre for handling tuning, and the car has undergone electrical tests in the laboratory.

Volkswagen tests the electric ID. R at the Nürburgring

One day after the world premiere for the new ID. R at the Nürburgring, Romain Dumas drove the first test laps on the circuit’s Nordschleife in the fully electric race car. On the 20.832-kilometre-long (12.94 miles) circuit, the Frenchman completed an extensive testing programme, driving two alternative ID. R chassis to make optimal use of the available time. In doing so, Volkswagen Motorsport began the final preparation phase for the attempt to set a new lap record for electric vehicles on the tradition-steeped track in the Eifel with the 500 kW (671 bhp) race car.

Kia to unveil electric concept at Geneva

Kia Motors Europe will unveil its new all-electric concept car at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show. Designed at Kia’s European design centre in Frankfurt, the concept is “a visual embodiment of the company’s desire to move forward in the exciting world of electrification”. “Automotive design is about capturing the heart and making it beat […]

BMW releases design sketches of 2019 all-electric MINI

MINI has released a pair of design sketches as an early preview of the brand’s first fully-electric production model, which is set to make its debut in 2019. The first sketches of the production model coincides with the MINI Electric Concept making its UK debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018.