Next month the Duke of Richmond will once again open up his substantial grounds to Britain’s car enthusiasts, as the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed gets under way. The ever-popular celebration of all things automotive celebrated its silver jubilee last year, and organisers will use 2019 to debut some exciting changes to the event layout when it opens on 4 July. For those familiar with the setting, the Supercar Paddock will be relocated to where the Moving Motor Show was previously held, near the start of the famous hillclimb course. In its place will be a new area called ‘The arena’, which will showcase the extreme end of motorsport – stunt driving, drift cars and daring motorcycle displays with some of the biggest stars of each discipline set to appear. Goodwood has also now announced the first batch of star names driving up the hillclimb. They include Tom Kristensen, the Le Mans driver who’s won the 24 Hours a record nine times. WRC and World Rallycross champion Petter Solberg will also be there, while Ken Block will put on a typically epic display. A number of Moto GP and Isle of Man TT legends will also attend. The Goodwood Central Feature, an always impressive monument, will be dedicated this year to Aston Martin, in honour of the 70th anniversary of the brand winning its first race at Goodwood. Expect some of the world’s rarest, most valuable and most exciting Astons to be on display, too. The event will also celebrate the career of Michael Schumacher, with team-mates, former rivals and a collection of his most iconic Formula 1 cars all set to come together. It’s likely there will also be a memorable tribute to Niki Lauda, who died in May, though what that will be remains a mystery. A homage to the Monaco Grand Prix will be another theme. Goodwood isn’t just about the past, however: A number of brands use the show to give debuts to new models in front of enthusiastic crowds. Here’s a list of the new models that we know will be there, either on static display or being driven flat-out up the hillclimb. Plenty more will be added as we find out about them: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019: what new cars will be there? Alfa Romeo is celebrating its return to Formula 1 with two special edition variants of the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio. The limited-run ‘Alfa Romeo Racing’ versions of the performance saloon and SUV gain a red and white livery and unique interior trim upgrades, such as Sparco carbonfibre-shell bucket seats. The 503bhp 2.9-litre V6 remains the same, however. Aston’s fastest convertible in its history, the 211mph DBS Superleggera Volante, will almost certainly make its first public debut at the show given the brand’s presence will be bigger than ever. Revealed last month, the £250,000 model features a 715bhp 5.2-litre V12, with Aston claiming a “sensory overload” thanks to the electric folding soft-top. It’s been eight years since Cheshire-based Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) first launched the Mono single-seater. Now, at long last, the company is turning up the wick with a new version heading to Goodwood. Set to be unveiled on the Thursday, preview images show it doesn’t look dramatically different but sports a newly modified engine to make it faster. We’ll learn more about it at the show. Bentley revealed the new Flying Spur late last month, and it’ll be shown in static and dynamic form at Goodwood. The luxury four-door is taking aim at the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class and Rolls-Royce Ghost. Based on the platform of the Continental GT, it is the first Bentley to feature all-wheel steering – while it promises to offer the firm’s most tech-laden cabin yet. Citroen is celebrating its centenary at the 2019 Festival of Speed. Alongside what’s expected to be a huge variety of iconic classics spanning its history, we will be seeing the UK debut of two concepts. The first is the Ami One, a quirky, budget two-seater that meets Europe’s quadricycle regulations and could be driven without a licence in some countries. The second (above) is even more radical: the 19_19 is a comfort-focused electric car designed to envision autonomous long-distance travel. De Tomaso, the Italian performance brand that’s been dormant since its founder died in 2003, is making a dramatic return. Backed by a Hong Kong-based venture, It will celebrate the brand’s 60th anniversary with an all-new, V8-powered mid-engined sports car at the Festival of Speed. A preview image suggests it will bear a striking resemblance to the iconic Pantera, too. Ford will have a number of important cars making debuts at this year’s event. The return of the Focus ST hot hatch will be a notable one, alongside the new Puma which will also make its UK premiere, reborn as a sporty small crossover. At the other end of the scale, we’re expecting to see some big news with the GT supercar. Teased but not officially confirmed, it looks like a more hardcore, race-inspired variant
Origin: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019: full preview
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2019 New York motor show: full report and all the new cars
The New York International Auto Show is home to some of the biggest US-market unveilings, as well as a chance to see some recently revealed European models in the flesh for the first time. Held in one of the world’s most vibrant cities, the event always features some interesting new launches, and some outlandish concepts. We were on the ground to see everything first-hand: New York 2019: Full show report If chatter at this year’s New York motor show is anything to go by, the US vehicle market is holding strong, seemingly less affected by global headwinds than European brands. US vehicle sales are predicted to fall this year – they were down 2.5% in the first quarter, but still won’t fall much below the 17 million mark. America’s all-time record sales year was 2016 when 17.55m vehicles were sold. By most accounts, the US market is in rude health. Where saloons (or ‘sedans’ if you’re American) used to reign supreme, the US has fallen victim to SUVs as much as the rest of the world. Around 70% of auto sales are now SUVs or trucks. No surprise then that the show’s truck hall was full to the brim with monstrous trucks, while there were far more SUVs than saloons on manufacturer stands. Stand-out cars? The Kia HabaNiro concept, hinting at the next Niro due in 2021, got plenty of attention thanks to its butterfly wing doors and funky looks. Alongside it was a bright orange Stinger GTS. It’s a special edition, limited to 800 units, for the US only. It wouldn’t be that interesting if it weren’t for its new drift mode, a feature which we expect to see on an updated Stinger for Europe in a couple of years… Those might have been the new reveals for Kia, but it’s still pushing its Telluride large SUV hard as it endeavours to establish itself as a credible SUV brand. The Korean maker is best known for its sedans in the US such as the Forte and Optima. US COO Michael says: “We have a stronger reputation as sedan brand but we’re repositioning ourselves as an SUV brand. Telluride is where we see a real opportunity. We need to build a capable SUV reputation and we’ve made a great start with Telluride which is exceeding expectations.” Another popular car, based on stand footfall, was the Genesis Mint Concept. Refreshingly not an SUV, the premium city car could make production in the next three to four years, reckons brand boss Manfred Fitzgerald. He said: “I believe that there is a white spot on the map (for a car like this) that nobody is really catering to and it’s something we should really take a stab at.” Genesis, which only established itself as a standalone brand from Hyundai in 2015, sees New York as a “second home”, having just opened a dealership and brand centre in the city. There’s also word the brand is planning to launch in Europe next year. There’s potential there, but it’ll need to nail a tricky market far better than rival Infiniti, which recently pulled out of the region… Back to better-known brands. Mercedes chose this week’s Shanghai motor show to reveal its GLB, which should quickly become a big seller. But there was still plenty of new metal saved for New York including the updated GLC63 plus the all-new CLA 35. The big reveal was the new GLS. It only accounts for one per cent of Mercedes sales in the UK, but in the US it’s a different story. It’s the segment leader here. Merc RD boss Andreas Zygan said the car’s focus was even more comfort and luxury for rear passengers than its predecessor, and said a Maybach version could be on the cards. Another reveal fitting for New York was the 911 Speedster. The original 356 Speedster, which remains the inspiration for all Speedsters since, was created at the request of New York dealer Max Hoffman – the sole importer for Porsche in the US at the time – who wanted a ‘stripped-down’ version of the 356 to sell on the West Coast. The new machines uses the same 4.0-litre flat six as the current 911 GT3 but is heavily modified with revised exhaust, fuel and injection systems. GT division boss Andreas Preuninger told us we’d see the engine elsewhere: “We’ve invested in the future with this engine. “Our philosophy in GT cars is to stay naturally aspirated. We want to keep that engine for the future and that’s why we’ve made such a tremendous effort to get the engine right without taking emotion and performance away from the customer.” Hyundai’s premium brand is showcasing the Genesis Mint, a quirky electric car with a range of around 200 miles. It’s designed to show how luxury transport might work in cities in the future, and hint at the future design direction of Genesis – a brand that is set to be introduced into the UK. Hyundai Sonata The 2020 Sonata, Hyundai’s answer to the Toyota Camry, is making its public debut in New York. The mid-sized saloon is due in US dealerships later this year, with a raft of new interior technology and bold new styling. The Sonata is the first model to sit atop Hyundai’s new N3
Origin: 2019 New York motor show: full report and all the new cars
2019 Shanghai motor show: full report and all the new cars
At the Shanghai motor show, some of the biggest manufacturers you’ve never heard of displayed their newest models alongside familiar Western brands keen to crack the world’s most lucrative automotive market. Long gone are the days when Shanghai was an exhibition of the most blatant copycat cars, and the impressive quality of new Chinese creations is beginning to pose a very real threat to more established manufacturers. The 2019 edition was especially significant, with an increasing number of Chinese models being prepared for European launches and global manufacturers such as Volkswagen adding to their range of models adapted specifically for sale in China. Shanghai 2019: Full show report China’s car sales fell for the tenth consecutive month in March, pitching the country’s growing ranks of car makers face-first into an unprecedented headwind whipped up, in part, by on-going trade frictions with the US and a continued slowing of the global economy, stymying their dramatic growth of the past two decades and threatening new model plans along the way. But if there were concerns for the long-term health of the Chinese car industry in what has been described as its biggest crisis yet, it certainly wasn’t showing as the 2019 Shanghai motor show opened its doors. With business confidence in the world’s largest car market showing heartening signs of a rebound, owing to a timely reduction in sales tax ordered by the Chinese central government effective from the beginning of April, the mood within the vast halls of the international convention centre, where the country’s biggest motor show takes place every two years, was cautiously upbeat. While China’s car sales have fallen for the good part of the past year, they continue to far outstrip those of any other country. The overall figure for March, at 2.52 million, showed the smallest decrease year-on-year in over seven months, at 5.2 per cent. With many car makers reducing prices to boost sales in light of the tax break, expectations are total car sales for 2019 will be roughly in line with those of 2018 at around 22.5 million. Predictably given the importance now placed on Shanghai motor show as an automotive showcase with international reach, every key Chinese car maker, including the five state-owned heavyweights SAIC, FAW, BAIC, Dongfeng and Changan, all presented new or improved production models this year. They were kept honest by an ever more competitive list of private own rivals headed by the likes of Geely, GAC, Great Wall Motors and BYD as well as key introductions by joint venture operations such as those operated by Volkswagen, BMW, Toyota and Honda. It was the concept cars from established western car makers, including the clever new Audi AI:ME, versatile Volkswagen Roomzz and rugged looking Mercedes-Benz Concept GLB, that grabbed the headlines in the days leading up to Shanghai motor show. However, it was China’s growing number of increasingly well funded electric vehicle start-ups that stole the limelight once the veils went up. With China’s electric car sales showing no sign of a slow down despite a recent reduction in government subsidies, the competition for the attention of buyers is now intense. Zero local emission compatibility and other key technology solutions play a big part in the attraction of new cars for Chinese buyers and it was being laid on thick by the likes of Nio, XPeng, Weltmeister, Singulato, Byton, Aiways, Bordrin Motor and Leap Motors, along with many other newly-created electric vehicle start-ups, several of which are based in and around the sprawling metropolis of Shanghai itself. With promises of ranges of up to 373 miles and charging times of less than 15 minutes, China’s latest electric cars have, it seems, now breached the point where they can compete head to head with those from Tesla and perhaps, more importantly, more traditional combustion engine rivals. From advanced 5G connectivity solutions to smart holographic augmented reality head-up displays, the latest in autonomous driving functions and new hydrogen-fuelled power units, this year’s Shanghai motor show proved without any doubt that China has once and for all arrived as an automotive force – and not only for domestic consumption but with truly global credentials. As one seasoned automotive industry official opined as BYD’s design boss, Wolfgang Egger, presented the stylish electric-powered e-SEED GT: “Shanghai, it’s the new Detroit”. One solid theme evident in Shanghai this year was a surprise swing away from SUVs towards contemporary new sedans, the most notable of which, the Nio ET, Enovate ME-S, Xpeng P7 and Qoros Mile II, all boasted newly developed platforms with pure electric drive systems in a direct Aware at the threat China’s electric vehicle start-ups pose to their business, many of the country’s established car makers have also begun to create their own electric vehicle sub-brands to attract new customers, as
Origin: 2019 Shanghai motor show: full report and all the new cars
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