The Mazda ICONIC SP has claimed the coveted EV Concept of the Year title at the 2024 Top Gear Electric Awards. Revealed last year at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo, the ICONIC SP is a concept car that marries together a dual rotary engine with an EV platform and drivetrain – a powertrain model that made its production debut with the Mazda MX-30 R-EV – a car that last year also scooped a Top Gear Electric Award, taking the Innovation Award in 2023. A compact sports car concept designed to highlight Mazda’s continued commitment to the creation of...
The all-new BMW M4 CS
Filling the space between the racetrack experience and soul-stirring road performance, the new BMW M4 CS celebrates racing passion with lightweight design elements for every day driving comfort. With an increased engine output of 550 hp, model-specific chassis tuning and minimised weight – helped by numerous components made from carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) – the BMW M4 CS (fuel consumption, combined 27.7 mpg; CO2 emissions combined: 232 g/km in the WLTP cycle, CO2 class: G) bring an extra edge to the BMW M4 Coupé vehicle concept of four seats, everyday practicality, advanced equipment and exclusive design features. Production of the new BMW...
Volvo EX30 lifts Best EV Crossover title in the 2024 Topgear.com Electric Awards
The Volvo EX30 continues to gather award-winning momentum, being crowned the Best EV Crossover in the 2024 Topgear.com Electric Awards. It is the latest accolade in a growing list of honours – now into double figures – bestowed on the small SUV within its first few months on sale. Announcing the model’s latest success, Ollie Marriage, Head of Car Testing at Top Gear, said: “The EX30 manages to play to Volvo’s traditional strengths, yet also pushes into new areas. It’s compact, easy to place, has just enough space inside for four and enough range to be daily usable. Outwardly it...
Ferrari 12Cilindri: for the few
There has been a single leitmotif that has been thrilling Prancing Horse enthusiasts since 1947: the naturally-aspirated, mid-front-mounted V12, the very first Ferrari engine to roar its way through the factory gates in Maranello. Unveiled today to public and media against the spectacular backdrop of Miami Beach in celebration of the 70th anniversary of Ferrari’s arrival on the American market, the Ferrari 12Cilindri is the natural evolution of the company’s uncompromising powertrain philosophy, which over the decades has continued to develop without ever straying from its original DNA and the marque’s core values. The Ferrari 12Cilindri is inspired by the legendary Grand Tourers...
Updated colours for Suzuki V-Strom 1050 and V-Strom 1050 Tour
Suzuki has released four new colour options for its venerable V-Strom 1050 and the luggage-equipped V-Strom 1050 Tour. Both variants of the adventure machine will come in a striking new, bright orange with black infill panels and black wheels. Buyers looking for a more stealth option can choose a gloss black version with grey and black accents and blue cast aluminium wheels. Also equipped with the blue wheels are an updated grey version and a revised trademark blue colour scheme. The V-Strom 1050 and 1050 Tour feature an electronics package that includes cruise control, a bi-directional quickshifter, lean angle-sensitive ABS,...
The new Kia Picanto: UK pricing and specification announced
Kia has revealed UK pricing and specification for the new Kia Picanto, the most recent recipient of a major mid-life refreshment. Starting from just £15,595 on-the-road, the new Kia Picanto remains one of the most affordable new cars on sale in the UK and represents Kia’s commitment to the A-segment. The new Picanto is a bold statement of intent for the Korean brand, meeting the need for small, compact and affordable cars suitable for first-time and experienced drivers alike. Growing sales momentum for the Kia PicantoWhile demand remains high for small cars, drivers are now left with fewer choices in...
GEM sounds the alarm on sleepy drivers
Drivers need to be properly rested before setting off on long journeys, says breakdown and road safety organisation GEM Motoring Assist. The warning comes as families make plans for bank holiday weekend getaways that could involve road journeys of several hundred miles. Being tired when you’re driving raises the risk of a collision, because you’re less aware of what’s happening around you, according to GEM. Your ability to react is compromised if a risky situation develops. That’s why fatigue is believed to be a factor in up to 20 per cent of all road collisions, and up to 25 per...
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars: Shaping the world for 120 years
“From a modern perspective, 1904 can feel impossibly distant from our own times. But it was an age of unprecedented invention, innovation and technological progress, in which many of the things we now take for granted first appeared. Rolls-Royce was born into this extraordinarily dynamic, creative world and would go on to shape it profoundly and irrevocably. Looking back, the meeting of Rolls and Royce seems somehow predestined, the arcs of their respective careers up to that point making it appear almost inevitable. In fact, it came about through a web of chance connections and overlapping relationships; without these, given...
Gotham City icon Bruce Wayne inspires other-worldly HYPERCARS from Automobili Pininfarina
Automobili Pininfarina has curated a collection of bespoke pure-electric vehicles inspired by DC’s Bruce Wayne, in collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products and Relevance International. As a visionary entrepreneur with a passion for cutting-edge innovation and sustainable technology, Wayne’s elegant and refined taste matches Automobili Pininfarina’s bespoke Italian design and luxury customer experience, where clients co-curate their ‘dream car’ together with the artisans and Design team in the Cambiano Atelier. As a result, Bruce Wayne’s on-screen persona has inspired two new highly exclusive versions of both the Automobili Pininfarina B95 hyper Barchetta and the Battista hyper GT. Every...
Kia EV9 wins coveted Red Dot: ‘Best of the Best’ Award
The Kia EV9 has been recognized with the prestigious ‘Best of the Best’ award at the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2024 in the Cars and Motorcycles category. Success at the highest level of the global design competition acknowledges the contribution Kia as a brand, and the EV9 in particular, has made to setting exceptional standards of design innovation. The Red Dot: ‘Best of the Best’ award, presented only to the most pioneering designs, further validates the success of the Kia design team in creating the EV9, the brand’s first flagship electric SUV. “With the EV9, we created an EV...