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‘ I t feels l ike something out of the school of Sir Alex Ferguson’

THIS WEEK

Issue 6579 | Volume 317 | No 9

NEWS

Vauxhall reboot The car that reveals its design future 6 Abarth 600e Go-faster makeover for EV crossover 10 Renault’s retro kick Design boss on reviving classics 12 Volvo estates RIP Its wagons roll no more in the UK 14 Fears over EV values Used market flooded by fleets 16

TESTED

Lotus Emira I4 AMG’s four-pot in ‘a baby Ferrari’ 24 Porsche 718 Spyder RS Epic petrol Boxster finale 28 Ford Puma ST Hybrid Automatic choice, of sorts 30 Volkswagen ID 3 Pro S Revised hatch hits the UK 31 Abarth 500e Turismo ROAD TEST 46

FEATURES BMW M3 Touring vs Audi RS6 Avant Estate duel 32 Tough at the top Ex-Autocar man on racing in BTCC 38 Pininfarina Battista 1876bhp hyper-EV unleashed 40

OUR CARS Skoda Enyaq iV vRS Final report nails its identity 54 Lexus RZ Electric SUV is starting to work its magic 56 Alpina D3 S On flowing back roads in North Wales 57

EVERY WEEK Jesse Crosse How intelligent will your next tyres be? 15 Secret Source The expensive gaffe after a clear-out 17 Matt Prior A piece of history in 723kg, 118bhp form 19 Steve Cropley Festival of the Unexceptional day trip 21 Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits 22 Damien Smith Formula E; BTCC; Gold Cup at Oulton 23 Your Views Merc-AMG SL 63; EV issues; BMW’s i3 58 On this day 1939: 500 for four declared; wet races 65 Slideshow The world’s best-selling cars from 2022 74

DEALS

Cult hero Aston Martin DB9, now priced from £20k 60 James Ruppert Alfa’s GTV and Spider; VW Golf R32 63 Road test index Track down that road test here 67 New cars A-Z Key car stats, from Abarth to Zenvo 68

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RATED: LOTUS EMIRA WITH AMG TURBO FOUR 24

M3 TAKES ON RS6 IN FAST ESTATE SHOWDOWN 32

220MPH-PLUS PININFARINA BATTISTA DRIVEN 40

C O V E R STORY

❝ IF IT WORKS, HE WILL SURELY STAND WITH THE GREATEST CAR DESIGNERS WHO EVER LIVED ❞

STEVE CROPLEY DIGESTS THE BULLISH TALK OF A MAN SHAPING A MARQUE’S REVIVAL 21

VAUXHALL AS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE 6

COMMENT

VAUXHALL SETS THE STAGE FOR REINVENTION

VAUXHALL HAS ONE of the longest histories in the Stellantis portfolio. And yet the British brand, along with its Opel sibling, has arguably the least clearly defined identity. But that is changing fast. Vauxhall has already made strides to move into the ‘upper mainstream’ segment, with vastly improved products thanks to the use of Stellantis platforms. Design chief Mark Adams has injected much needed dynamism into Vauxhall’s design language too.

But it’s time for the next step. We’ve noted before how car makers can use the step-change of electrification to reset and redefine their brands, and the new Experimental concept (p6) shows how Vauxhall plans to do that. The concept has classic coupé-esque styling with modern touches and a production version could easily serve as a sporty brand-building exercise similar to that undertaken by Audi with the TT. More intriguingly, a production car tak ing heav y inspiration from the concept will be called Manta, a name rich with performance heritage (as an Opel, although never as a Vauxhall). Many people look fondly upon Vauxhall and want it to succeed. And the signs are positive that it is equipped to thrive in the future.

James Attwood Acting mag editor james.attwood@haymarket.com

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