Table Of ContentT H I S W E E K
‘I don’t do it for money. Out in the forest at night is the right place for me’
50
Issue 6525 | Volume 313 | No 5
NEWS
COMMENT
6
Mini Aceman EV sparks big design and line-up rethink
10 LET’S HOPE THIS TIME
TVR relaunch Back with a bang, and EVs, from 2024
14
Honda Civic Type R All new; more power than ever
16 IT’S DIFFERENT FOR TVR
Porsche’s new SUV Electric; larger than a Cayenne
18
Recruitment crisis Fears as China’s brands enter UK
20
Meanwhile in China Trouble hiring overseas talent
TESTED MERCEDES’ HIGH-TECH VISION EQXX DRIVEN 26 OUR WORLD
26
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX It’s the future of EVs exclusive TVR story this
30
Aston Martin DBX 707 The best car the firm makes
week sets out its bold plans
32
Citroën C5 X PHEV Big, comfy, idiosyncratic barge
Kia Xceed Refresh for successful family crossover 34 to launch not one but three
35
Ford Mustang CS850 R 847bhp and track friendly
electric models – a sports car, saloon
35
Cupra Born 77kWh e-Boost New long-range model
36 and SUV – all while fi nally putting its
Cupra Leon 2.0 TSI 245 VZ2 ROAD TEST
Griffi th sports car into production.
FEATURES
44 We’ve heard promises of new models
Mammoth Ram 1500 TRX Huge 1012bhp US pick-up
Group B movie On set of new WRC 1983 season film 50 before, of course. The reborn Griffi th
54
Village car show From Audi Sport Quattro to kit cars was revealed in 2017 but a factory to
56
Drug driving It’s on the rise. We investigate the issue
produce it has yet to emerge, let alone
1012BHP MAMMOTH PICK-UP LET LOOSE IN UK 44
OUR CARS
a customer car. So news of anything in
64
Dacia Duster Test ends with a surprising outcome
the medium- or long-term future must
66
Jaguar E-Pace Is a diesel one better than a PHEV?
67 be met with a degree of caution until a
Volkswagen ID 4 GTX The family give their opinions
Griffi th is in the hands of a customer.
EVERY WEEK
Let’s fast forward and assume (hope)
4
Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits
15 that day comes. What of this week’s
Jesse Crosse Bentley Bentayga’s ‘Airline Seat’ tech
17
Matt Prior Why Australian Supercars racing is ace news? Are things diff erent this time?
21
Jim Holder Is selling optional kit for a month smart?
22 Can we really see TVR’s future plans
Autocar Archive Access 125 years of issues for free
Steve Cropley Aston talk; Austin Sevens; speeding 23 and launches as ones they can pull off ?
24
Damien Smith Irreplaceable BTCC kingpin retires
TVR says it can. It has a wealthy
60
Your Views Jaguar’s future; noisy Kona; Giulia QV
63 CUPRA LEON 245 HOT HATCH: ROAD TEST 36 new benefactor, Daniel Layton, whom
On this day 1980: Delta, 323 and F1 stars in F2 scrap
82
Slideshow Finest car engines Britain has designed we interview on p12. An unknown in
I’M ANNOYED.
(cid:96)
DEALS the automotive world, he is an expert
68 IT’S MY FIRST in green lithium mining, a handy fi eld
As good as new Mk5 Vauxhall Corsa, from £11,500
69
James Ruppert Fun convertibles from £3000 up in the electrifi cation era. He says he is
70
Cult hero Porsche’s 997-gen 911 GT3 and GT3 RS TRANSGRESSION IN
ready to invest more as needed (will an
72
New cars A-Z Key car stats, from Abarth to Zenos
81 eight-fi gure sum really be enough for
Road test index Track down that road test here 20 YEARS AND I LIKE
these plans?) or seek other investors.
Autocar, ISSN number 1355-8293 (USPS 25185), is published weekly by Haymarket Media Group, Bridge A CLEAN LICENCE Make or break time has now arrived
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27 JULY 2022 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 5
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NOFFICeIAL PwICTURE SMini EV heralds bold
design and range shake-up
Compact electric crossover, due 2024, initiates reboot of Mini’s look and line-up
6 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 27 JULY 2022
T
he Mini Aceman concept will be marked by at least one greatly reduced visually and LEDs replace chrome
will evolve into a new special edition, recalling the the brand’s traditional ‘face’ is as part of reworking
compact electric original Clubman estate’s now defined by an LED outline. the front-end look
crossover at the end of trademark side graphics. The The Mini grille has donated
2024 to fill the gap between five-door Mini hatch is also not its outside edge as a very
the flagship Mini hatch and set to get an electric successor. minimalist reminder of the
the mid-sized Countryman. The Aceman concept is the brand’s roots.
It uses a stretched version result “of a lot of research and “This car feels robust,
of the all-new Spotlight feedback”, Mini design chief but it is not huge. The new
architecture that is being Oliver Heilmer told Autocar. Countryman will have more
developed jointly by BMW “The owners of the Mini boot space,” said Heilmer. “The
and Chinese partner firm hatch and Countryman are shoulder on the car is a result of
Great Wall and will form the very happy, but they are very the aerodynamic performance
basis for the next-generation different people,” he said, needed for an electric vehicle.
electric Mini hatchback. hinting that the Aceman will “The tailgate spoiler and the
Although Mini says it is a target a demographic that way the rear of the glasshouse
pure concept, it isn’t very far has never owned a Mini. narrows was also driven by
from the car that will arrive in “This is classic Mini in the aerodynamics, as was the Union Jack theme
dealerships in two years’ time. sense of the very short front wheel design.” occurs throughout
Mini has not given any and rear overhangs, but we The car also has a glazed the outside and cabin
clues to the likely battery have a very different side roof with no strengthening
sizes or potential range of elevation. There is much bars, something that might
the final production version more muscle in the sides.” be made possible on the
of the Aceman. However, the The clean, almost fuselage- production car by using the
Spotlight-based EV hatchback like sides have been replaced by battery pack as a structural
will come as a 181bhp Cooper surfaces that are more clearly part of the chassis.
with an approximately 40kWh stamped and industrial. BMW This glass roof also gives a
battery and a 221bhp Cooper said: “This ‘edginess’ signifies clear view of an especially neat
S with a 50kWh pack, giving a a progressive interpretation feature on the concept: a roof
range of around 250 miles, so of the robustness and rack whose structure, when
the production Aceman will versatility characteristic mounted on the Aceman’s
be broadly similar. of a crossover model.” diagonal roof bars, references
Sources emphasise that this Also gone are the prominent the Union Jack. Heilmer said
concept is not intended as a chrome door handles and the the BMW board was interested
Countryman replacement. That triangular panel between the in making this conceptual Battery will be
model will be reborn in a third front wheel arch and front door. flourish a production reality. located in the floor:
generation as a larger car with Heilmer’s team has reduced The Union Jack theme 40 and 50kWh likely
a bigger boot and be twinned the Aceman’s front-end appears throughout the car: as
with the next-generation BMW design to a bare minimum. a brace behind the minimalist
X1. The Aceman is shorter The Mini’s large, chrome- dashboard, stamped into the
than today’s Countryman, at rimmed headlights have been wheel-arch mouldings and ◊
4050mm long, 1990mm wide
(cid:96)
and 1590mm tall. Although Mini says it’s a concept, it
However, the Aceman
could be seen as an indirect isn’t very far from the car that will
replacement for the Clubman,
which, Autocar understands, arrive in dealerships in two years
will be phased out in the
middle of 2023. Sources say
the departure of the Clubman (cid:97)
Tapered rear, roof
spoiler and wheels
are all aero influenced
27 JULY 2022 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 7
Δ designed into the Aceman’s in production, Heilmer said store a bag, so now it can fit Union Jack roof rack
rear light clusters. Heilmer leather is likely to be replaced between the front seats. And is being considered
said this graphic is “popular by the latest incarnation having the armrest in the for production
all around the world”. of leatherette, which, he seat is more flexible for the
While the Aceman exterior is explained, is now pretty much customer,” said Heilmer.
a big departure from the Mini indistinguishable from the real “Chrome is not good
norm, the interior is a complete leather used in today’s cars. [ecologically],” he said, so it
break from what has come “Leatherette is the future. It is has been eliminated entirely in
before but, Heilmer argues, it better quality and customers the cabin and the exterior. As
is much more philosophically in cannot tell,” he said. brightwork was such a major
tune with the austere Sir Alec The move to declutter and part of the aesthetic of the
Issigonis-designed original. pare back interior volumes original and BMW Minis, it is
“This is pretty much the has resulted in more useful perhaps this change that will
[production] interior,” Heilmer door pockets and a centre have the greatest impact on
said of the Aceman’s spacey console area that is now the way people will view the
and bare cabin. The dashboard nearly completely empty. The new Mini family.
has been reduced to a single centre console storage has Heilmer acknowledged this:
circular OLED touchscreen with been dropped and the central “The Aceman is not retro or
a small toggle bar beneath it. armrest swapped for one cute and we can’t stand still,
“This is the same user sited on the side of the seat. in design terms. But I also think
interface as the [2023] three- “We’ve had so many that this car keeps our roots.”
door. There’s no controller and requests for somewhere to HILTON HOLLOWAY
the display is much cleaner.
It’s a touchscreen with pop-up
support. You have to swipe
to change the temperature,”
Aceman’s
Heilmer told Autocar.
daytime-running
“The toggle bar has five
lights can display
elements, like in the original
animations, and external
Mini,” he added. One of
speakers at the front
the toggles acts as the
emit a specially tuned
transmission shifter and one
acceleration sound on
switches between drive modes.
the way to 19mph.
Another is the parking brake.
Because the Aceman uses
a bespoke EV platform, the
interior is far more open and
spacious than today’s five-
door hatch and Clubman. The
dashboard volume especially
has been greatly reduced, as
has the steering wheel’s bulk.
“There’s more cabin space,
especially in the front, as we
have been able to push the
HVAC [heating and ventilation
pack] forward because there’s
no conventional engine under
the bonnet,” said Heilmer.
The dash is covered in knitted
textiles, but it’s not yet known
if this will make it to the final
Aceman is 4050mm
production model.
long, 1590mm tall
On the subject of more
and 1990mm wide
ecologically sound materials
Concept
includes a
number of fresh
ways of exploiting new
LED technology. Perhaps
the most engaging and
production feasible is the
ability to project a map
onto the whole of the
dashboard.
Roomy cabin has Pared-back look is
space between the in keeping with the
seats to stow a bag original, says Mini
8 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 27 JULY 2022
NEWS
Q&A OLIVER HEILMER,
HEAD OF DESIGN, MINI
Would you agree that the
Aceman concept is quite a
departure from the Mini as
BMW has defined the brand
over the past 21 years ?
“The design target was to
give this concept some edge,
not try to make it too cute.
I wanted something fresh elements [for the future Mini
and bold, within certain family] and existing design
boundaries.” elements will be treated
differently. We want to
What does the Aceman expand beyond the British
tell us about the future Racing Green and white-
Mini family? roof classic Mini look.”
Glazed roof beneath
“Each member of the
the rack forgoes
Mini family will have its What about the traditional
strengthening bars
own character. There will buyer customisation that
be a new [design] step for Mini has become known for?
the hatchback and the “There’ll be less
Countryman will be remade customisation and less
for the third generation. complex speccing for the
I wanted to extend the future Mini family and more
[design] bandwidth of emphasis on different
the Mini brand. interior curations and
“There’s no grille on this optimal trim packages for
EV and other traditional technical upgrades, such as
details such as the standout headlamps or driver assist
door handles have gone. packages and even dealer-
There will be new iconic purchased accessories.”
Wheel volume has
been reduced; eco
fabric is widespread
THIS IS AN INTELLIGENT AND MUCH NEEDED RETHINK
HILTON HOLLOWAY
A full quarter of a century and detailing. The awkward five- bespoke electric platform,
three generations of BMW’s door hatch – itself necessarily the establishment of a
new Mini later, it was clearly spun off the Clubman – was factory in China and the
time for another deep rethink. not well liked internally, either. drawing up of a new roadmap
When Oliver Heilmer The 2017 Mini Electric for Mini – will have taken over
took the Mini design hot concept and the John five years since BMW hit the
seat in autumn 2017, there Cooper Works GP concept pause button.
were already plans to give gave big clues to a planned But the splitting of Mini
the current Mini models a major overhaul of the cars, into ICE and pure-EV families
serious makeover. The shift pencilled in for around 2019. – combined with Heilmer’s
to sharing a BMW front-drive But the automotive world back-to-basics design,
platform and the need to was changing fast and BMW embracing the spartan
share the same dashboard had to both make sense of approach of the original Mini –
between the three-door the relatively small-sized is a compelling and intelligent
hatch and larger Countryman Mini brand and deal with change of direction. The proof
had rather compromised the demand for electric vehicles, will be in the market, but it
final products in some eyes, especially in China. makes for an encouraging
Rear offers seating
from long front overhangs Such a huge reorientation third reinvention of Mini as it
for three but middle
to rather cartoonish exterior – requiring a partner for a heads for a seventh decade.
perch is occasional
27 JULY 2022 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 9
WORLD EXCLUSIVE
TVR Griffith EV set to be
followed by saloon and SUV
New backer supports 2024 launch of V8 coupé; trio of EVs to come
L
egendary British and the right route to building a Cosworth and producing 450- statistics for which have yet to
sports car firm TVR will sustainable future with a family 500bhp. It will be available with be revealed.
relaunch in 2024, with of electric vehicles, which is a six-speed manual gearbox. The lease for the Ebbw Vale
the Griffith V8 finally where Daniel [Layton] comes Edgar says the firm still has production plant – potentially
making production and a in. We are ready to start work “several hundred” deposits the first to utilise Murray’s
Griffith EV scheduled to be on the manufacturing site and from “engaged, excited and iStream production process
on sale just six months later. build towards a 2024 launch.” ready” customers for the car, outside of his own company –
Thereafter, two more cars, The Griffith V8 will be sold although he admits some may is not yet finalised, but TVR ◊
believed to be an electric in near-identical specification switch their orders to the
saloon and SUV, are planned to the car first revealed at EV, the performance
for production, although the the Goodwood Revival in
timeline for their launches 2017, powered by a naturally
has yet to be confirmed. aspirated 5.0-litre Ford
The long-awaited revival V8, dry-sumped by
project – revealed exclusively
to Autocar by owner Les
Edgar, major investor and
chairman of green lithium
firm Ensorcia Automotive
Daniel Layton and CEO Jim
Berriman – will kick-start a
longer-term plan to seize
the opportunities of
electrification and
turn TVR into a global
luxury car maker.
Responding to
questions about the
long gestation of
TVR’s relaunch to
this point – having
acquired the brand
in 2013, started
development of the
Griffith with Gordon
Murray in 2014 and then
revealed a production-
ready prototype of the
car in 2017 – Edgar said:
“It has taken longer than
expected but everything is
now in place for us to succeed
long into the future.
“We have always had the
right car for the relaunch,
the concept engineered by
Gordon Murray and ready to
be built using his innovative
production practices. All the
feedback is clear that it is the
right product for us to build
on TVR’s 75-year history.
“Crucially, though, we now
OFFICIAL PICTURE
have the right investment
NEW MOKE OWNER PLANS EV EMPIRE X-TRAIL GETS PETROL-POWERED EV TECH
Moke International, the UK firm behind an Nissan has given fresh details of the new X-Trail
‘electromod’ version of the 1960s Mini beach ahead of its arrival. With a tech-heavy interior and
car, has been acquired for £46.2 million by the bold new look, it drives exclusively on EV power
newly formed EV Technology Group, which plans but with a 1.5-litre petrol engine supplying charge
to build a family of low-volume EV makers. and offers front- and four-wheel drive.
10 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 27 JULY 2022
