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‘If a year’s worth of magazines is a volume, Butler has 15,000 volumes’

THIS WEEK

Issue 6499 | Volume 311 | No 5

NEWS

MG Cyberster New electric roadster to lead EV push 4 Mercedes EQS, EQE SUVs On course for 2022 debut 6 Ford Mustang Hybrid V8 and 4WD for new-gen model 8 Super-SUVs Sales war for Urus, Bentayga, DBX et al 10 Mini’s old new EV Official conversion for old classics 12 Hydrogen insights Does it still have a future in cars? 14 What’s next for Kia? Exclusive interview of UK boss 16

TESTED

Ecurie Ecosse LM-C Don’t call it a Jag C-Type racer 24 Citroën ë-Berlingo People carrier i s now EV only 26 Turbo Technics Ford Fiesta ST S285 As in 285bhp 27 AC Schnitzer ACS1 35i Chassis tweaks for M135i 27 Fiat 500 Icon 42kWh ROAD TEST 28

FEATURES BMW i4 vs Porsche Taycan Two best EVs lock horns 38 Shelve it We visit an eye-opening private car l ibrary 44 Speakers corner New tech revolutionising car audio 48 Ferrari V12s From the 550 Maranello to the 812 GTS 52

OUR CARS McLaren GT Newcomer set to tackle epic commute 64 Volkswagen ID 3 Plans rethought in colder weather 65 Fiat 500 Range i s not an i ssue; charger network i s 67

EVERY WEEK Jesse Crosse Once landfill plastic, now hydrogen fuel 11 Matt Prior Lamborghini’s Sterrato; Gran Turismo 13 Jim Holder What are the secrets of Dacia’s success? 17 Steve Cropley Corner hard and the boot pops open 19 Damien Smith Alex Lynn on 2022 Daytona 24 Hours 20 Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits 22 Autocar Archive Access 125 years of issues for free 36 Your Views Keep i t simple; Toyota iQ ; Skoda Superb 60 On this day It’s 1988: Tipo’s top, Paris-Dakar drama 63 Slideshow When Nasa, Kalashnikov et al made a car 82

DEALS

James Ruppert Toyota Prius, VW Polo, Jaguar XK 68 Cult Hero Honda S2000 – and how to get a good ’un 70 As good as new Latest Mercedes CLA, from £27k 72 Take it or leave it RS4 Avant, Qashqai, Civic Type R 73 New cars A-Z Key car stats , from Abarth to Zenos 74 Road test index Track down that road test here 81

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WE CELEBRATE THE MODERN DAY FERRARI V12 52

ECURIE ECOSSE’S NEW £516K LM C DRIVEN 24

BMW i4 TAKES ON THE PORSCHE TAYCAN 38

COVER STORY

❝HERE’S ANOTHER HEADLINE: THE EV AGE QUESTIONS THE APPEAL OF ‘FLAGSHIP’ MODELS❞

RICHARD LANE PICKS A DRIVER’S EV TWIN TEST WINNER AND UNPICKS THE NEW ERA 38

COMMENT

CAN MG BECOME THE NEXT HYUNDAI OR KIA?

IS THERE A car brand in the UK right now going about its business more impressively than MG? It’s 11 years since the storied marque relaunched under Chinese ownership here with the 6, and for most of that time it has felt like a bit-part player. Then the electric car era started and MG now finds itself making the right products at the right time for the right price and – crucially in the current market – able to quickly fulfil orders to keep up with rising demand for EVs.

In 2021, it was the UK’s fastestgrowing mainstream brand, with sales up more than 60%. MG added over 40 new dealers, with plenty more planned.

For inspiration on where it goes next, MG need only look at Kia and Hyundai, brands that felt similar a decade ago to where MG is now. They navigated the tricky path from fastgrowing upstarts to established players by adding in other qualities such as bolder design, more sophisticated dynamics and big leaps in perceived quality to ever more desirable products without abandoning their value roots. They started to build performance models, too. That’s something MG already has in the pipeline, with a new sports car due in 2024 (see p4). While MG’s progress has been under the radar to date, that will soon change with what it has in store next. Mark Tisshaw Editor mark.tisshaw@haymarket.com

@mtisshaw

IMAGE

DETAILS OF MG’S NEW ELECTRIC ROADSTER 4

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