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44
Issue 6522 | Volume 313 | No 2
NEWS
COMMENT
6
Electric Lamborghinis New GT to be first, Urus next
10 AS A CAR ENTHUSIAST,
McMurtry Spéirling Driver’s view of radical hypercar
12
EV-friendly racetrack Jonathan Palmer’s eco circuit
14 YOU’LL LIKE THIS NEWS
Vauxhall makeover New design-led change of image
16
Pagani shuns EVs Why hypercar firm won’t make any
18
Citroën ë-C4 X Fastback addition for genre-bender
20
Williams’ next project Green venture in Australia MERCEDES-AMG EQE 53: FIRST DRIVE 32 LAST WEEK, THE EU
TESTED
pushed forward plans to
28
Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica Is this an STO lite? ban the sale of combustion
32
Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 Up to 677bhp for EV saloon
engines from 2035, refl ecting
34
Nissan Ariya Crossover muscles in on VW ID 4’s turf
35 a similar decision here in the UK.
Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo Rally-inspired flagship
35
Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Who needs an SUV? Good news in the quest for a better
36
Cupra Born 204 58kWh V3 ROAD TEST
future for the planet, but where does
FEATURES
it leave the low-volume combustion-
44
Lamborghini Countach A66 road trip in reborn icon
engined cars that we so love?
50
Living with an ë-Berlingo ‘MP-EV’ real-world test
54 Encouragingly, things are looking up.
Slick operation Tyre insights at Nürburgring 24hr
56
Used car bargain buys Beat the cost of living crisis The suggestion – as yet unconfi rmed –
POLESTAR 2: VERDICT AFTER SIX-MONTH TEST 64
OUR CARS is that car makers with volumes below
64 10,000 units annually, such as Ferrari
Polestar 2 Final report after 9670 real-world miles
66
Honda HR-V When is a hybrid more like an EV? and Lamborghini, will be exempt from
67
Mercedes-Benz S-Class Range Rover comparison
meeting interim carbon targets ahead
EVERY WEEK
of 2035, rather than the proposed 2029.
17
Jesse Crosse How EVs can be 96% energy efficient Both of those fi rms are developing
19
Matt Prior Why car buyers ignore expert advice
EVs – for details of Lamborghini’s
21
Jim Holder Sad tale of new Defender’s unreliability
23 zero-emissions 2+2 GT, see p6 – but
Steve Cropley Bugatti rearranges internal organs
26
Damien Smith Ride of the Valkyrie up Goodwood hill this news suggests that combustion-
60
Your Views Diversity best for powertrains and staff
engined sports cars (with a hybrid
62
Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits
63 CUPRA BORN ROAD TEST: WHY IT BEATS ID 3 36 element) can continue alongside these
On this day What was making headlines in 2003?
82
Slideshow One-off road cars get no cooler than this models for even longer than we hoped.
ALL THIS TALK
(cid:96)
DEALS That a mass volume of EVs can save
68 OF 0-62MPH TIMES the world (to some extent) while small-
As good as new Mazda’s latest MX-5, from £11,500
James Ruppert Low-cost route to an open-top 4x4 69 volume, low-mileage, predominantly
70 IS MEANINGLESS. WE
Cult hero Lotus Elise S1 – and how to buy a good one combustion sports cars can satisfy
72
New cars A-Z Key car stats, from Abarth to Zenos
81 petrolheads is an exciting prospect.
Road test index Track down that road test here WANT SO MUCH MORE
But does it only apply to luxury car
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6 JULY 2022 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 5
N E W S
GOT A STORY?
Email our news editor
[email protected]
Lambo’s electric era to
start with SUVs
Electric GT crossover due 2028, then Urus
EV; lifeline for petrol-powered sports cars
T
he first fully electric despite setting a new
Lamborghini will be an production record of 8405
all-new, radically styled last year, means it could
2+2 crossover arriving in be subject to different
2028, adding a fourth model emissions regulations
line to the Italian brand’s to mainstream makers.
range, and it will be swiftly Winkelmann also pointed
followed by an electric-only to ongoing talks about the
second-generation Urus SUV, use of synthetic fuels as
CEO Stephan Winkelmann another avenue that could
has revealed to Autocar. potentially help Sant’Agata
Intriguingly, the launch of meet emissions targets while
the electric duo also raises the still building small volumes of
possibility of Lamborghini’s hybridised ICE cars, although
sports cars – currently called legislators are currently
the Huracán and Aventador – debating the viability of this.
keeping petrol power as part Winkelmann said: “The
of a plug-in hybrid system for first step is to launch two
at least two more generations, fully electric cars by 2030.
the first launching next year As a result of that, we have
and the second at the turn some time to decide whether
of the decade. we can stay with the internal
This means they could be combustion engines or if we
on sale until at least 2035, have to go fully electric.
when most regions are “The pressure to decide
expected to legislate full the final details isn’t here yet.
electrification for new cars. If the European Parliament
The continuation of the decides on a ban, that will
sports cars as combustion- influence us, of course.
engine models is a potential “But there are also markets
(cid:96)
consequence of the new other than Europe that we We’ve time to decide whether we
EVs dramatically reducing must consider, as well as
Lamborghini’s fleet-average regulations that we are still can stay with combustion engines
CO emissions. Moreover, the waiting for clarity on, for
2
fact it remains a relatively where we go next.
(cid:97)
low-volume manufacturer, “Let’s say that we will
Aventador successor welcome harmonisation two fully electric cars is a support for the car but that the
will add electrical of global plans. There are so decision that gives us more cost of its development versus
element to V12 many markets with so many time to consider.” projected sales meant it didn’t
different plans that we must While Winkelmann didn’t make it from the Volkswagen
IMAGE
take all the time we have offer specifics, the new 2+2 Group’s prioritisation list
to consider the best route crossover is expected to draw to production. Funds were
forward. It’s not simple. light inspiration from the instead focused on a rapid
“Of course, we must make Estoque saloon concept, development of its SUV
decisions well ahead of any which was revealed in 2008 offerings – including the ultra-
deadlines, and it might be but never made production. successful Urus, of which 5021
that we can’t wait for the Lamborghini insiders examples were sold last year.
regulations to commit, suggested at the time that However, instead of being
but this strategy with the there was significant customer designed around a four-door ◊
6 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 JULY 2022
The
last 2+2 GT
that Lamborghini
produced was the Urraco,
lasting from 1972 to 1979. The
only production cars with more
than two seats produced since
are the LM002 SUV of 1986
to 1993 and today’s Urus.
Electric crossover
will have 2+2 seating
and GT proportions
Estoque of 2008
explored idea of
a Lambo saloon
IMAGE
Q&A STEPHAN WINKELMANN, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, LAMBORGHINI
Does electrification open It looks like we’re heading Given its success, how much What about more
up the possibility of even for recession, so is this does the Urus protect you? special editions?
more Lamborghini the right time to expand? “It definitely gives us “We will continue to make
model lines? “So far, we still have good more stability. At the time, them once in a while but
“Going from a two-model news, in that we’re taking launching it felt like a real always with an eye not to
company to a three-model more orders than we have bet, but it has been a huge overload the market. The
company [with the Urus production capacity, meaning success and given us the market is still very buoyant
in 2018] was a huge step. waiting times are more than a space to invest in a fourth for super-special cars, but
The investment, in terms year. But I do see dark clouds: model line. If we hadn’t done “There are limits to what we have to explore what’s
of money and people, interest rates rising, inflation, it, it wouldn’t have just been we can do, both in terms feasible. The key here is we
is huge. We must make raw material prices, energy our future that would be of production numbers, pre-explore the opportunities,
each step work before prices. It’s a global issue that harder but also our present.” which we don’t want to pre-selling to customers
we look to take further will have an impact of some extend too far, and in terms who buy into the ideas. If the
ones. The new car is kind. But our mission is to Is there more room in the of pricing, which we don’t interest isn’t there, then we
our next hurdle.” meet the challenges.” market for other SUVs? want to take too low.” don’t have to take a risk.”
6 JULY 2022 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 7
Δ saloon silhouette, the EV
(cid:96)
is expected to sit higher, as Customers are interested so long
a result of its floor-mounted
battery pack, and to have
as the tech marries sustainability
significantly more dramatic
styling to highlight that its
with enhanced performance
powertrain differentiates it
from other Lamborghinis.
While it is loosely being (cid:97)
described as a crossover,
Winkelmann highlighted the 2+2’s starting price being no electric car in our sector
that the different packaging in excess of £300,000 and has yet resolved sufficiently:
requirements of an EV “open topping Lamborghini’s line-up not just acceleration and
up interesting avenues” in in terms of price. However, handling behaviour but also
terms of its eventual design. the impact of hybridisation on responsiveness, braking feel
Lamborghini design the cost of its most expensive and multiple acceleration
boss Mitja Borkert recently model today, the Aventador, protocols. These are unproven
asserted to Autocar that all has yet to be revealed. in high-performance EVs and
future vehicles from the firm Bentley is set to introduce things we must spend the
will still “look like spaceships”. its first electric car in next years working out.”
The 2+2 might also be a 2025, having committed to The revelations from
two-door, given that it is likely launching five EVs by 2030. Autocar’s exclusive interview
to use the same Bentley/ In light of Winkelmann’s provide the first details to
Audi-developed Artemis acknowledgement that the support Lamborghini’s stated
platform that will underpin Urus will go electric by 2030, electrification plan, which was
Bentley’s new family of EVs. it is inevitable that the twinned announced one year ago and
These include its mooted new Bentley Bentayga will as well. which will come to fruition
range-topper, which is loosely Winkelmann confirmed over the next decade.
described as a successor to that the strategy to launch Called Direzione Cor IMAGE
the Mulsanne limousine. the 2+2 and then the new Tauri, referring prosaically
The popularity of super- Urus was a result of family- to the Latin name for a bull’s
luxury four-door saloons has oriented customers being heart and the brightest
waned in recent years. Market more open to going electric. star of the constellation
analyst Jato Dynamics’ data “For now, electrification of Taurus, the plan lays this year, ahead of the launch By the end of 2024, all three
suggests that they have fallen suits these kinds of vehicles,” out a three-step strategy of Lamborghini’s first plug-in of Lamborghini’s models – the
from 21.6% of the sector’s he said. “That will develop, but towards electrification. hybrid, the successor to the Aventador, Huracán and Urus –
sales mix in 2010 to just we must plan for what we know The initial stage, a Aventador. This will be revealed will be sold as plug-in hybrids.
9.1% today. will work best today. There celebration of pure-ICE later this year before sales That will allow the company
There is a possibility of are definitions that I think specials, is set to conclude start in 2023. to record official CO outputs
2
Meet the man in
Mohr promises
to preserve fun
charge of turning of an ICE Lambo
Lamborghini electric
ROUVEN MOHR HAS held German is no stranger to the
the enviable responsibility of halls of Sant’Agata. Mohr
engineering Lamborghini’s served as head of development
radical electrified future for the Aventador, Huracán and
since January. He moved Urus before leaving for a brief
across from the validation second stint at sibling brand
department to fill the Audi, where he specialised
sizeable shoes of CTO in energy and weight
Maurizio Reggiani, who management.
is now vice-president of the He told us what to expect What are the challenges We also want a car that delivers “But I have to be clear,
brand’s motorsport division. from what was, not so long ago, of electrification? consistent performance, not because the system we will use
Like Lamborghini CEO the completely unexpected: a “The first thing I want to say is one that’s brilliant for a few laps will be unique to Lamborghini.
Stephan Winkelmann, the Lamborghini without an engine. that there are opportunities, of a track and then not so good We have a core competence
too. A performance hybrid, when the battery is flat. Energy that we can draw on, but the
774bhp Sián shows rather than one focused on recuperation is going to be key, hardware we must develop
Lamborghini’s vision range, can provide a perfect and with that, brake feel.” to our own specifications.”
for hybrids combination between engine
and battery, bridging the How much does being part Which areas are you
torque gaps of a combustion of the Volkswagen Group focusing on?
engine. For customers, hybrid help you progress? “Hybridisation brings a lot of
should mean added value: an “In general, being in the options that just weren’t there
even faster, more fun car. group is always a big help. before. I’m particularly excited
“The challenges are “We can go into hybridisation about the possibilities of
selecting the battery size so without having to go through torque vectoring left to right.
we offer enough performance a lot of the processes of trial Yes, there were options with
but don’t add too much weight. and error again. semi-active differentials and
8 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 JULY 2022
NEWS
WHEN WILL
WE SEE THEIR
FIRST EV?
IMAGE
Urus today has a V8
but in future will use Bentley
motors and a battery First EV is confirmed
for 2025, most likely a
high-riding saloon. Testing
began this year. Five more
EVs due by 2030, when the
firm will go fully electric.
IMAGE
Ferrari
Due 2025, but details are
scant. Chairman has said it
will “bring the uniqueness
and passion of Ferrari to
new generations”.
IMAGE
at half today’s levels by 2025, “They are aware of the “That’s why [Lamborghini’s] have accepted our vision
the pair of EVs then providing a legislation and interested in hybridisation phase is coming on that. And in turn, that Lamborghini
further significant reduction. the technology so long as it first: that has been digested opens the door for a new An all-new electric 2+2
“What’s clear is that marries sustainability with and accepted by the customer breed of customer to look crossover will arrive in
customer perceptions have enhanced performance from base. Even the majority of at full electrification.” 2028, shortly before an
shifted,” said Winkelmann. what has gone before. petrolheads say that they JIM HOLDER EV-only replacement
for the Urus SUV.
so on, but now the possibilities Lamborghini engines
are much greater. are in their final pre-
“I promise you now that you electrification years
will really be able to drive these
cars. They’re special, and any Lotus
worries over extra weight from Evija hypercar is now on
the hybrid system won’t last.” sale, having been created
with help from Williams
Can it go too far, though? Not Advanced Engineering,
everyone wants electronics and more EVs are coming,
to drive the car for them. including the Eletre SUV.
“Okay, yes, let’s say now
that I agree and Lamborghini
IMAGE
agrees. We don’t want to make
cars without character, so we
don’t actually want to build the
perfect car, if a perfect car is
one that does everything for McLaren
you. This isn’t the PlayStation. No official statements
“We define that character have been made, but our
from the start of every project, “But let me be clear: I don’t so much more from our cars at the best feedback. We have recent scoop reported it
and that character should mean acceleration. Every EV Lamborghini.” to take more meaningful will follow Lamborghini
stand out even if you have can accelerate fast. You don’t advantages of electrification in launching an electric
your eyes closed. The driver take your car out on a Sunday So you are rejecting any than 0-100kph times.” crossover before 2030.
is always at the centre of a for a drive to go from 0-100kph power race?
Lamborghini. They must [0-62mph] in 1.9sec again and “Well, you have to have a How far down this road are
IMAGE
be the hero, not the car.” again. Maybe once or twice, certain amount of power to be you, with Lamborghini’s
but after that it’s boring. part of the game, but I’m clear first EV due in 2028?
Where does that leave a fully “Where we will focus is that winning that game won’t “At the moment, nothing is
electric Lamborghini, with no on the control of the car, how mean you’ve built the most decided; we’re still discussing
gears and no engine noise? it reacts to inputs and more. emotional car. With electric the direction to take, because Rolls-Royce
“You’re right to ask this I won’t talk about rivals by motors, everything is fast. we’re in the pre-development Will launch the Spectre
question. It’s a challenge, to name, but I don’t think there’s A customer won’t discern the phase. There’s a lot to decide. coupé as its first EV in late
be honest, but one I think we an EV on the market today that difference between 1.9sec What we do know is that it will 2023 and has pledged to
must approach with openness. does this well. All this talk about and 2.0sec. Let’s worry more be more oriented to day-to- phase out combustion
New technology means new 0-100kph times is meaningless. about controlling the torque, day use than our sports cars. engines across its entire
opportunities to excite people. Really meaningless. We want about the car giving the driver The rest is still to come.” line-up by 2030.
6 JULY 2022 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 9
How a British start-up
stormed Goodwood
39.08
The number of seconds
McMurtry’s electric Spéirling shattered the Festival of
the Spéirling took to
cover the 1.16-mile
Speed hillclimb record. Its driver tells us how he did it
hillclimb course at
Goodwood.
(cid:96)
They’re charging £3-4 million for
The next a hypercar and we’ll be 10-15sec
McMurtry car will
be even smaller than the quicker than them at Silverstone
Spéirling, according to MD
Thomas Yates: “There are
so many two-seaters to (cid:97)
choose from, but for now
V we’re making amazing cars
olkswagen made without that redundant about Goodwood. It really was torque steering. You’re there in up a wheel. With this car, the
headlines at the 2019 space.” the most special day of my 1.3sec. It’s brilliant technology.” downforce doesn’t change
Goodwood Festival of motorsport career, and I when you slow down. Instead
Speed when its ID R never thought that would Did you have to learn how to of hitting the brake pedal and
electric racer surged to the top times, but to see it speed up be a hillclimb in Sussex!” drive the Spéirling specifically? feeding off, you just hit the
of the hill in 39.9sec – and that like that… They can see it looks “When you turn the fan system brake pedal and keep that
record stood for three years visibly different, which is great How do you get used to this off, it’s quite a challenge to pressure as hard as you can –
until being beaten last weekend to be a part of, and it’s wicked sort of pace? drive, but once you turn the until you don’t want to brake
by Wiltshire-based start-up that it was me driving it. I’ve “The first time I did a full-suck- fan on, it’s unbelievable. It’s any more – and then come
McMurtry Automotive, whose been going [to the festival] down, full-torque launch, I so backwards, because straight off it and get back
ludicrous Spéirling fan car since I was four years old. thought: ‘That is mad fast.’ But normally when a car goes on the power.”
shaved 0.82sec off that time. My dad was in the hillclimb in you get used to it and now a 2.5- quicker, there’s more airflow
We spoke to ex-Marussia 1995 – I remember being there 3.0sec launch feels useless, so and more downforce, but with Did you look to any other
Formula 1 driver Max Chilton – to watch him going up the hill blasé, because anything sub- this car, it doesn’t matter: drivers for advice on the hill?
who was at the wheel for the – and I’ve known the Duke and 2.0sec really puts the force on 1mph to 200mph, the car’s “I did watch some of their
record run – to find out exactly Duchess [of Richmond] all my the body. It’s still great fun, and got the same downforce. videos and thought: ‘Jeez,
how it was done, what it means life, so it was a special moment the best thing about it is anyone “In a normal racing car, you I don’t see how we’ll go that
and what’s coming next. to break a 23-year-old [Sunday with no driving experience brake as hard as you physically quick.’ When you watch the ID
shootout] record with a British- could do 0-60mph in 1.5sec: can on the first application, R record, you think [Romain
E What did it feel like? built, British-engineered you literally go full throttle with and then you feed off the Dumas] was absolutely on it
Y
W “Everyone has watched the car with a British driver who full brake, and once you let go brake pedal as the downforce and there’s nothing left, but
N
E Festival of Speed multiple has always been passionate of the brake, it doesn’t do any reduces, otherwise you’ll lock once I got in the zone and
B
10 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 JULY 2022
