Auto Express, Carwow Studio Limited: 2nd Floor, Verde Building, 10 Bressenden Place, London (2026)

22/07/2026

Aston Martin Vanquish 25 celebrates a quarter-century of British supercar muscle 💪🏋‍♀🇬🇧2️⃣5️⃣

Has it already been a quarter of a century since the Aston Martin Vanquish was unleashed upon the world? Apparently so, because the British luxury carmaker has announced the Vanquish 25, a celebratory model honouring 25 years since the original V12 Vanquish made its debut.

The original 2001 Vanquish was the perfect way for Aston Martin to see-in the new millennium. While it used an updated version of the 5.9-litre V12 that had first appeared in the DB7 Vantage, the rest of the car was all-new. Styling from Ian Callum, a bonded aluminium structure similar to that used by Lotus in the Elise, and supercar-style performance, it set the visual and spiritual template for more than a decade of Astons to follow, including the DB9, V8 Vantage, and Rapide.

That first car bowed out in 2007. In 2012, Aston Martin launched the oft-forgotten second-generation Vanquish, and the latest car appeared in 2024, using a V12 still distantly related to that of the original Vanquish engine – though today it displaces 5.2 litres and with a pair of turbochargers, makes a massive 824bhp and 1,000Nm of torque.

21/07/2026

BREAKING NEWS: First look inside the electric Range Rover GT ⚡😍😎🇬🇧

This is the Range Rover GT, an all-new, mid-size electric 4x4 that will add an unprecedentedly sporty fifth model to the luxury brand’s portfolio when it hits the market in 2027.

The GT name sums up the car’s positioning: this is a spacious but sleek grand tourer that will sit alongside the 4.8m-long Velar in the line-up. JLR has released one profile shot of a camouflaged car in a semi-anechoic chamber, a soundproofed room designed to identify squeaks and rattles to optimise on-board tranquility – crucial for an EV. By picturing the car in such surroundings, Range Rover is making a very clear statement about the refinement expectations of its new model.

21/07/2026

New Volkswagen ID. Polo will start from under £24,000 🇩🇪⚡🔌

Auto Express can reveal the long-awaited and critically important Volkswagen ID. Polo will start from £23,945, which is tantamount to a declaration of war against the best-selling Renault 5.

Order books for the Volkswagen ID. Polo are due to open at the end of July and to begin with there will just be three ‘Launch Edition’ models on offer.

The entry-level Life version will start from £25,555. It should offer roughly 200 miles of range from its 37kWh LFP battery and, with 133bhp on tap, 0-62mph will take less than 10 seconds – putting it within spitting distance of its French nemesis.

For £28,830, buyers will be able to add a larger, more energy-dense 52kWh NMC battery that ups the ID. Polo’s range to 280 miles – nearly 30 miles further than the equivalent Renault 5 can cover. Meanwhile a more potent 208bhp e-motor cuts the stylish supermini’s sprint time down to just 7.1 seconds.

Base models have a 90kW maximum charging speed, which VW says is enough for a 10 to 80 per cent top-up in 27 minutes. The equivalent figures for cars with the upgraded battery pack are 105kW and 24 minutes.

Standard kit with Life trim will include a 10-inch digital driver’s display, a 13-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, LED headlights, fabric upholstery, a reversing camera, adaptive cruise control and other safety features.
Finally, for £32,995, will be the Style Launch Edition that will come with the bigger battery set-up and all the bells and whistles that VW can throw at it, including ambient lighting, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, matrix LED headlights, and more.

The regular versions of the ID. Polo should be available to order later this year. Customers will have the same choice of battery sizes and either Life or Style trim. But while the sub-£24k one should still have a circa-200-mile range, it’s only going to get 114bhp, resulting in 0-62mph in 11 seconds.

20/07/2026

Jeep's Land Rover defender rival is coming, with a little help from China 🇺🇸🇨🇳🚙

Jeep has revealed a new masterplan for sales growth in Europe, headed by three all-new models that the American company says will focus on the wants and needs of local buyers. The apex of this future line-up will be a new large and rugged family SUV to be launched in the next 12-24 months. It’ll come with the option of hybrid or electric powertrains, giving buyers a credible alternative to cars such as the Land Rover Defender, although this new Jeep should be far less expensive.

This as-yet-unnamed model will be a product of a joint venture between Jeep and Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng, leveraging the Chinese brand’s manufacturing and engineering capacities to deliver the production car in a record time.

However, while it might use Dongfeng’s scale, Jeep has remained steadfast in its assurance this will be a Jeep through and through. Fabio Carlo said: ”This is a global Jeep project for this vehicle that will be sold in China and in other regions, Europe included. It is a [vehicle] fully designed by Jeep.

“Jeep has four design centres all around the world, one here in Europe, and I can assure you that we have two or three [meetings] each week. The technical features are specifically designed by Jeep for Jeep in order to protect the identity of the vehicle.”

Jeep will use the Chinese speed and engineering resources to develop this new model in a short amount of time. Just as Renault has done with the Twingo, Jeep will be hoping to complete the car’s development in two to three years, suggesting this model could be arriving as soon as 2027 or 2028.

17/07/2026

Wild Aston Martin Dreadnought V12 military 4x4 is set for Call of Duty debut!

As unlikely partnerships go, Aston Martin and the hugely popular video game series Call of Duty is right up there – but together, the pair have produced the suitably mad Dreadnought.

Available in the latest ‘Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’ game, there’s also a full-size model of the Dreadnought on show at the Fanatics Fest convention in New York City this week.

While Aston Martin already has an off-roader of sorts in its portfolio in the form of the DBX SUV, the Dreadnought is as far removed from the British luxury sports car brand as you can imagine. Drawn up by the company’s design team – who apparently “enjoyed the freedom of working without the restraints of the physical world”, according to the firm – the Dreadnought is a ‘tactical all-wheel-drive SUV’ with a V12 engine.

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/aston-martin/370029/wild-aston-martin-dreadnought-v12-military-4x4-set-call-duty-debut

16/07/2026

Are Chinese cars really cheaper? True buying and running costs for top models uncovered 🇨🇳💰❓

Price is the number-one factor when it comes to buying a new car. But where that car is assembled is neither here nor there for British consumers: according to YouGov, more than half of us would consider an emerging Chinese brand – if it offered competitive pricing. As a result, new entrants such as Jaecoo, Omoda, Chery and BYD are exploding in popularity, taking more than 10 per cent of the new-car market in 2026.

Chinese car prices can be around 10 per cent lower than for their European, American, Korean and Japanese rivals, but are the former really cheaper to own? Research by our sister brand Carwow has already revealed Chinese cars can be trickier and more expensive to insure – so how does that translate into other running costs, such as servicing, fuel and depreciation?

We’ve done the maths to investigate whether Chinese cars really are as cheap as they seem. We’ve picked out top-selling models from five of Britain’s most popular Far-East brands and pitted them against rivals, finding out how much they cost to run over the course of three years and 30,000 miles, the average lease or ownership period.

The cost of charging has been determined by using the July Ofgem Energy Price Cap, combined with the ZapMap average cost for rapid charging, at a domestic to public charging ratio of 84:16 – the typical usage pattern for most EV drivers. We’ve also compared the cost of buying with cash or leasing – the former with residuals sourced from industry expert, cap HPI, and the latter using the best ‘Available to Order’ deals we found on the Auto Express Buy A Car service.

15/07/2026

New Ferrari 849 Testarossa Spider review: king of the convertibles 🪟😍

With no discernible drop-off in the coupe’s outrageous performance, driveability or usability combined with the bonus of more exhilarating, open-air motoring, the Ferrari 849 Testarossa is even more joyous in Spider form. True, the looks – which are perhaps more dramatic in this drop-top – might not suit all tastes. But while there is a real sense of occasion with the Spider, it’s still a supercar you can genuinely use every day.

15/07/2026

BREAKING NEWS: New Volkswagen ID. Cross electric SUV revealed with 278-mile range 😄😲😍

Here’s Volkswagen’s small electric car for families, the VW ID. Cross SUV, with a maximum range of 273 miles. The big brother to the new ID. Polo hatchback is set for UK launch in early 2027, costing from around £28,000.

One look at the Volkswagen ID. Cross’s exterior, combining an elevated ride height, plastic body protection and roof rails, makes clear exactly how it’s positioned. “This is one of Volkswagen Group’s electric urban car family, like the ID. Polo,” product manager Florian Schrader told Auto Express. “But it’s a bigger car with more space and more usability. It’s a true SUV, rolling on larger wheels.” They span 17 to 20 inches in diameter.

Think of the ID. Cross as a rival for the Skoda Epiq and Renault 4, and a zero-emissions alternative to Volkswagen’s petrol-powered T-Cross. At 4,153mm long, the new ID SUV is fractionally longer and has an extra 50mm between the wheels, plus it’s wider and taller to boost cabin space. It also has a larger boot, and a 22-litre storage area under the bonnet for the charging cable.

15/07/2026

New baby Jeep SUV is set to tackle the Ford Puma 🚙🇺🇸

Jeep is developing three new SUV models that’ll join the Avenger and Compass in its range, bringing the total count to five by 2030. They will include a new B-segment SUV, a slightly larger replacement for the Renegade and a tough new family-sized model that could just be a cut-priced rival for the Land Rover Defender.

The stakes are high, though, because the American 4x4 specialist is at the sharp end of the massive growth plan laid down by parent company Stellantis, so each of these new models has to deliver big sales numbers if the company is to survive in Europe. That’s why each is targeting big-selling segments, rather than acting as halo products.

There is another, more unfortunate reason for this explosion of new models, though. Plans to introduce two of Jeep’s new American-made models into European markets have stalled. The Wagoneer S and Recon have both been pulled from the UK product plan before they’ve even reached dealerships.

This is in addition to another major loss in the UK and Europe. Jeep’s halo model – the Wrangler – is no longer compatible with European emissions or safety regulations, so it has also been removed from sale in the UK. The company is certain, however, that it can make up for this with this upcoming set of more Euro-friendly models, offering Jeep’s American image in cars more suited to customers here.

14/07/2026

Mazda CX-80 and its brilliant buttons

The Mazda CX-80 has a dated interior compared to many large SUV rivals but that means plenty of buttons to press and no fiddly touchscreen. Where things better in the old days?

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