Autoesque

Kia has unveiled its revised Rio, which is due to arrive at dealers in Europe during the third quarter of this year. Changes to the B-segment hatchback focus mainly on various new technologies and a refreshed powertrain line-up, but there are a few subtle cosmetic tweaks as well.

‘No Time To Die’ – the 25th James Bond film – has had its release date delayed until at least November, for obvious social-distancing reasons. Nevertheless, fans of the franchise can already order a special Triumph motorcycle which was inspired by the movie’s bike scenes.

Volkswagen has once again created a Black Edition to help shift a few more units. This time, the T-Roc crossover is the subject model.

Among the myriad B-segment SUVs that are currently on sale, the SsangYong Tivoli has to be one of the most overlooked. Whether or not a mid-life facelift will raise its profile by much remains to be seen.

Ford has revived the Thunder name for its latest limited-edition Ranger. The new pick-up – which is based on the existing Wildtrak trim grade – comes in Double Cab guise with a 210 bhp (157 kW / 213 PS) 2.0 litre EcoBlue diesel engine, a ten-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive.

Last month, Vauxhall / Opel unveiled the production-ready Vivaro-e pure-electric van. Now, the virtually identical Citroën e-Jumpy (e-Dispatch in some markets) and Peugeot e-Expert are all set to go on sale as well.

Two new versions of the Chevrolet Tahoe SUV are aimed exclusively at law enforcement agencies.

From early next year, Toyota is going to begin offering the seven-seat Highlander in several European markets. It’s certainly big – indeed, an overall length of 4,950 mm (16’ 3”) means that this SUV is as large as a BMW X5, Land Rover Discovery or Volvo XC90.

Alfa Romeo has introduced the 2020 Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio. While they both still feature a 503 bhp (375 kW / 510 PS) 2.9 litre V6 bi-turbo engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission, an Akrapovič titanium exhaust with carbon fibre tailpipes has become a cost option.

Lotus has launched four Classic Heritage Editions. Based on the Elise Sport 220, each wears a special livery inspired by the firm’s Formula One history.

Škoda has announced prices and specifications for its all-new Octavia, which is being offered in both hatchback and estate guises.

Bentley’s Styling Specification is essentially a collection of carbon fibre add-ons. Available for a few models, it can either be included as part of a new car order or retro-fitted to an existing example.

Centro Stile Alfa Romeo has designed a collection of striking colour schemes for the new Giulia GTA and GTAm. Inspired by various racing saloons from the brand’s history, they’re going to be available in limited numbers.

An officially-approved tipper conversion for the D-Max pick-up will soon be available from Isuzu dealers.

Isuzu has built the Go2 to demonstrate how its D-Max can be modified using aftermarket parts. Based on a pre-registered Utah model, the result is a pick-up that should be able to tackle some extreme trails.

Once Isuzu dealers reopen, customers will be able to order the new XTR Colour Edition. Available with a choice of Cosmic Black Mica, Obsidian Grey Mica, Titanium Silver Metallic or Splash White paintwork, it gains several cosmetic enhancements.

Drag racing is a pretty simple discipline: prepare a car, then see how quickly it can travel along a straight and flat quarter-mile course. Electric powertrains should be ideally suited to such a task, given their potential for delivering huge amounts of instant torque (and range anxiety is unlikely to be an issue).