Autoesque

As is the case in many markets, the popularity of SUVs continues to grow in India. Indeed, this year they’re expected to account for over a third of sales in the country’s B-segment. The new Renault Kiger is intended to exploit the opportunities created by such ever-increasing demand.

Peugeot has confirmed the technical specifications of its upcoming e-Partner, which is due to arrive at UK dealers in November. Unsurprisingly, they’re pretty much identical to those of the recently-announced Vauxhall / Opel Combo-e .

Hymer’s new CrossOver editions are designed for off-grid stays in remote places. One takes the existing Grand Canyon S camper van as its starting point, while the other is a modified version of the ML-T 570 semi-integrated coachbuilt motorhome.

Some cosmetic tweaks can’t really hide the fact that the Abarth 595 is now rather elderly. Nevertheless, it continues into 2021 with a choice of four trim grades.

An electric-powered Combo compact van is due to arrive at Vauxhall and Opel dealers this autumn. Named Combo-e, it looks virtually identical to the existing combustion-engine versions and cargo space is unaffected.

“Ideal for winter expeditions” is how Nissan describes its pure-electric e-NV200 Winter Camper concept vehicle. That claim is debatable, though.

As the R 18 ‘Spirit of Passion’ demonstrates, it’s not just BMW cars that can have a controversial front grille.

Ford and conversion specialists MS-RT have collaborated to produce a new street-focused version of the Ranger pick-up. Named Ranger MS-RT (obviously), it’s based on the existing Wildtrak trim grade with a choice of either Super Cab or Double Cab configurations.

Dacia is getting ready to expand its range with an all-new SUV, which is being previewed by the Bigster Concept.

As part of Groupe Renault’s just-announced ‘Renaulution’ strategic plan, Dacia and Lada are forming a single business unit. The intention is that every model offered by the two brands will eventually be based on the CMF-B platform (the flexible architecture which already underpins various vehicles such as the 2021 Dacia Sandero ).

This year’s North American Car of the Year, Utility Vehicle of the Year and Truck of the Year have been announced. A jury of fifty automotive journalists from across Canada and the United States chose the winners, based on segment leadership, innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for money.

Toyota has just begun selling the 2.0-litre version of its GR Supra in the UK.

This year’s European Car of the Year jurors clearly aren’t very keen on German premium brands. A combined total of seven models from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz appeared on the candidates list , but all have been eliminated from the contest following the first voting round.

There’s a new member of the Nissan Juke line-up. Named Enigma, it features a unique look.

Just 1,631,064 new cars were registered in the UK during 2020, a figure that was down by 680,076 units or 29.4% compared to 2019’s total. As in previous years, several manufacturers outperformed the market, but others experienced terrible results.

By the end of the first quarter, it was already evident that new car demand and supply were both going to be severely affected by the pandemic. Indeed, figures just published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show a UK registrations total of only 1,631,064 units for the entire year, the worst annual performance since 1992.

New car registrations in Ireland fell to 88,324 units during 2020, a reduction of 24.6% versus 2019’s total. Certainly, such a downturn was largely due to the ongoing pandemic, but the impact varied significantly between brands.

Bentley has begun the new year by giving its recently-facelifted Bentayga SUV a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid powertrain.

To be considered for this year’s European Car of the Year award, new models had to be on sale in at least five European markets before the end of 2020.