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Leapmotor B10

Leapmotor B10

Electric SUV offers a lot of tech and luxury for a low price but demands some compromises Before we get into the question of what the Leapmotor B10 is like, shall we remind ourselves of who Leapmotor is? This is a Chinese tech and automotive brand that’s been around in its domestic market since 2015 and sold more than 400,000 vehicles globally before Stellantis bought a controlling stake.After all, Stellantis wanted a budget electric car brand to rival the likes of BYD, Dacia and MG. Leapmotor had the tech and affordability it needed, while Stellantis had the full deck of heritage brands and sprawling European dealership network that Leapmotor needed. Makes sense, eh?The Leapmotor B10 is the third model from this brand to go on sale in the UK. At 4.5m long, it splits the difference between Skoda's Elroq and Enyaq in size but pricing of £31,495 (or under £30k with the current ‘Leap grant’ discount), means that the Jaecoo E5 and MG S5 are its closest rivals on price, size and range. Smaller alternatives for this sort of money include the Ford Puma Gen-E, Jeep Avenger, BYD Atto 2 and Renault 4.

New Mercedes S-Class coupe concept channels Gullwing

New Mercedes S-Class coupe concept channels Gullwing

Solar-coated paint could harvest enough electricity for to drive 7500 miles annually New limo to inherit concept’s bold grille design and steer-by-wire tech Mercedes-Benz has revealed the Vision Iconic, a luxury coupé concept with a bold art deco-inspired design that both previews the next S-Class and hints at the return of a two-door coupé and drop-top to the line-up. The flamboyant concept also showcases some of the brand’s most advanced future technologies, including a hands-off, eyes-off autonomous system and steer-by-wire. Unveiled at the brand’s design house in Shanghai, China, the new concept provides the first look at the future face of the S-Class, due in the UK in 2028. The concept features a unique five-slat version of Mercedes’ illuminated ‘ Iconic Grille ’ that was first seen on the new GLC EV . The panel is larger and more upright than on the current S-Class, and is a reinterpretation of the classic grille design that dates back to the 1900 Mercedes 35 PS. Like the upcoming C-Class, the eighth-generation S-Class will be launched exclusively as an MB.EA-platform-based EV, with a heavily facelifted version of the currentgeneration MRA-based S-Class arriving soon after as part of an effort to extend the life of combustion-engined cars in the most cost-effective way possible. In contrast to today’s range, both versions will share identical designs in a move to unify model lines regardless of powertrain. They will also share a name, with the EQS badge being axed as Mercedes abandons dedicated model names for its EVs. The S-Class could be the first Mercedes to sport an illuminated three-pointed star, a key element of the concept’s front end. Speaking to Autocar, Mercedes design boss Gorden Wagener said the concept was inspired by “the golden era of automotive design of the 1930s”, blending classic elements from some of Mercedes’ most celebrated models. He added that the radical interior is “lounge first, driver second”. The Vision Iconic is also the strongest signal yet that Mercedes-Benz is considering a return of the S-Class coupé and cabriolet to its line-up. The flagship two-door models, a mainstay of the Mercedes-Benz line-up for more than 60 years, were discontinued in 2021 as part of a streamlining of the company’s range. However, insiders now suggest they could return as part of a push to introduce more low-volume, high-margin models, which could pave the way for a return of the pair later in the decade. The Vision Iconic receives a suite of new automotive technologies that are still being developed, including level-four autonomous driving for hands-off, eyes-off driving. Mercedes offers its level-three (eyes-on) Drive Pilot system in its current S-Class. This level-four system features a new ‘neuromorphic’ computer system that is claimed to mimic the human brain’s neural networks. It is said to make driving calculations up to 10 times faster and be 90% more energy-efficient than the Drive Pilot system. The concept also showcases a new steer-by-wire system, which has already been confirmed for use by the next S-Class. When combined with a reworked version of the existing models’ rear-axle steering, it is claimed to increase agility and low-speed manoeuvrability.

Volkswagen W12: The wild supercar that walked so Bugatti could run

Volkswagen W12: The wild supercar that walked so Bugatti could run

The W12 may never have made it to showrooms, but it laid the groundwork for Bugatti's hyper-roadsters The new Bugatti Mistral is an open-air take on the Chiron – and the very last model to carry the four-turbo W16 engine that had its debut in the Veyron back in 2005. The Mistral’s pedigree can be traced back further than the Veyron, though. In 1998, the year Volkswagen bought Bugatti (as well as Bentley , Cosworth and Lamborghini , Ferdinand Piëch being on the acquisitional rampage), the company unveiled a sensational roadster at the Geneva show. Though neither we nor VW knew it at the time, this car was laying the groundwork for future Bugatti roadsters. The engine had a short, W-layout (the block was just 510mm long) and was exposed to the elements amidships. The cockpit was luxurious by supercar standards, and practical to the extent that two golf bags could fit in the boot. Top speed mattered more than handling. And but for the jutting roll hoops, the long-tail silhouette and face were elegantly uncomplicated. It was called the W12. Volkswagen had previously shown a coupé, but we didn’t get to drive the tintop, whereas just six weeks on from Geneva, Autocar special correspondent Bern Ostmann was in Germany to try the roadster. VW was intending to put these cars into production, and within just two years (the impetuous hand of Piëch again), so it was key the car was seen as a credible rival to Ferrari. Ostmann described this car being a Volkswagen as “unbelievable”. It’s understandable. The engine was a 5.6-litre W12 – two VR6 units melded – that made 420bhp and 391lb ft but was to be capable of 700bhp in race trim. Which race? Le Mans. Wanting to make the ultimate statement, VW’s intent was to beat the Mercedes CLK GTR and Porsche’s GT1. Launch-spec road cars would make 500bhp, pushing against just 1380kg, thanks to the Italdesign-styled Kevlar bodywork. With an eye on new dials that would soon be introduced in the Lupo, Ostmann was waved off by the car’s project leader “with an impassioned plea for leniency on the gearbox, especially in the lower ratios”. At this point, the transmission was a borrowed Audi five-speed automatic “pushed nearly to breaking point”. The Veyron Grand Sport (Bugatti’s term for roadsters) that this VW W12 would eventually become would famously use a vast, state-of-the-art dual-clutch unit painstakingly developed by Ricardo. At Ostmann’s feet, floor-hinged Tilton pedals; ahead of him, inboard suspension at the base of a wraparound screen not tall enough to protect our man’s forehead from the icy wind. Behind him, the mighty W12. The car was commendably stable on straights but prone to wandering in bends. “In need of further development” was the verdict. To the extent that it ever took place, that further development never came to fruition, even if VW was still touting the W12 Roadster as a real production proposition early in 2001, and at a cost of less than £100,000 – £190,000 or so today. By the end of that year, it was looking more unlikely, not least because VW already had Lamborghini to purvey mainstream supercars. Piëch’s desire to develop a truly extraordinary performance car that pushed the envelope in every conceivable way had found a sweeter vessel in the nascent Bugatti project. Ulrich Eichhorn, VW’s head of R&D, insisted at the time that the W12 was crucial because it was about raising the brand’s profile in a way no Bugatti or Lamborghini could. Fair enough, but then in 2002 Piëch ostentatiously drove a ‘1-litre’ VW concept to a shareholder meeting. It signalled a change of tack. The firm’s flagship would one day take the form not of a 200mph supercar but the ultra-efficient XL1. “Company bosses are determined that by 2002 Volkswagen will field the industry’s most comprehensive range, from supermini to supercar,” concluded Ostmann in 1998, “and with designs on no less than a Le Mans class win.” As it happened, Audi would be the brand to dominate Le Mans, and luxury, W-fired drop-top supercars would be the preserve of Bugatti, ending with the Mistral. But for a while, all that ambition was contained within a slightly ropey and mostly forgotten but fully operational prototype from Wolfsburg.