The new preview shows that its styling is familiar from the existing Yaris, but with the addition of far wider rear wheel arches and an aggressive bodykit to fit the car’s likely high performance brief. In a further nod to the car’s intent, it sports the camouflage livery used by most recent hot Toyota models of recent years, including the recently revived Supra. At the launch of the revamped Yaris recently, Toyota’s executive vice-president, Matt Harrison, told Autocar that a performance version of the model would likely be launched to strengthen the link between Toyota’s road cars and its Gazoo Racing motorsport arm. Toyota has applied various levels of branding under the Gazoo Racing theme in order to develop a model structure for its high-performance models. These include the hardcore limited-run GRMN versions that are positioned above models that carry the GR badge, which represents an ‘authentic sports model’. The firm also offers a GR Sport trim level that offers a more aggressive look while retaining an unchanged mechanical package. Toyota secured the 2018 World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title with the Yaris WRC, with Ott Tanak claiming this year’s driver’s
Origin: Hot Toyota Yaris GR-4 shown on video ahead of imminent reveal
imminent
Jaguar F-Type 2020 facelift seen again ahead of imminent reveal
Jaguar is getting ready to reveal an updated F-Type, and the latest spyshots give us our best look yet at the redesigned sports car ahead of an anticipated reveal in the coming weeks. The photographs, taken near Jaguar Land Rover’s Gaydon technical HQ, show a number of prototypes are shedding camouflage as testing ramps up. We can now see the restyled front end more clearly, with a new clamshell bonnet, slim, angular LED headlights mounted lower down the nose and a more prominent grille. A look at the rear shows it retains the same vertical bootlid, but with new wraparound tail-lights and a reshaped bumper. A quick glimpse at the cabin doesn’t reveal much, but it looks like the infotainment has moved on a generation, while the rotary dial climate display remains. It’s expected that much of the more advanced technology and infotainment features from the I-Pace and the 2019 XE will make its way into the F-Type. That means new digital dials, a larger and more feature-laden touchscreen, and substantial upgrades to the materials. Jaguar Land Rover is now phasing out its long-running supercharged V6 in favour of a new turbocharged and hybridised straight six, and the F-Type will benefit from this more efficient powertrain. The turbocharged four-cylinder and supercharged V8 engines should be carried over to the new car with limited changes, however. Indeed, this prototype registers as a 5.0-litre V8, putting paid to rumours JLR would bring in a BMW-sourced 4.4-litre unit. What remains unclear is whether the new F-Type will retain a manual gearbox option. The current V6 is still offered with one in the UK, although it has reportedly been removed from sale in the US. Regardless, manuals account for a tiny fraction of overall F-Type
Origin: Jaguar F-Type 2020 facelift seen again ahead of imminent reveal
Mazda previews imminent rotary engine revival
Mazda has confirmed it will reveal its next generation of rotary engines later this week via its Chinese branch’s Weibo social media account. Chang’an Mazda posted an image of the brand’s first rotary-engined model, the 1967 Cosmo coupé, accompanied by a new logo for the brand’s “7th Gen Product Cluster” and the phrase “rotor engines make the world more beautiful”. At the 2017 Tokyo motor show, Mazda boss Mitsuo Hitomi voiced plans for the firm to bring back its famed rotary engine as a range extender because it is “much, much quieter” than the alternatives. The Japanese firm’s range hasn’t featured a rotary-engined road car since the RX-8 went out of production in 2012 but it did produce a prototype Mazda 2 featuring the tech back in 2013, which Autocar drove. It has remained interested in reintroducing the technology to production since. Mazda’s RX-Vision Concept, which was shown at the Tokyo motor show in 2015, used such a powertrain. Hitomui later confirmed that, rather than being used in its purest form, a rotary engine will appear in a range extender version of its first electric vehicle due in 2019. When asked if Mazda was developing a standalone rotary engine, he said: “Even if there isn’t a plan to have it in an actual product, of course we are developing a rotary engine alone.” He strongly hinted that a rotary engine-powered model is likely to exist alongside the range extender in the future. Asked why Mazda will use a rotary engine as a range extender, Hitomi said “the rotary engine isn’t particularly efficient to use as a range extender but when we turn on a rotary, it is much, much quieter compared to other manufacturers’ range-extenders”, which is seemingly suited to the near silence of electric cars. Mazda’s recent engine focus has been on the development of compression ignition Skyactiv-X petrol engines, which now feature in the new 3 hatchback and CX-30 crossover. For the original Cosmo, the company developed a Wankel rotary engine with the help of a German firm called NSU. Rotary engines, which use rotors instead of pistons, are generally smaller and lighter than traditional petrol engines, without any loss of power. Since the RX-8 ended production, the firm’s only machines to feature a rotary engine have been the race cars in the American Pro Mazda junior single-seater series. Recently, a patent filed by Mazda looked to preview a lightweight, front-mid-engined sports car with an engine bay just big enough for a compact rotary
Origin: Mazda previews imminent rotary engine revival
New Vauxhall Corsa leaks online ahead of imminent debut
Vauxhall is getting ready for one of its biggest launches in years, the all-new Corsa, but the unveiling appears to have been spoiled in advance. The fifth-generation Ford Fiesta rival isn’t due to be officially revealed for a couple of weeks, but what look to be official press images have reportedly been leaked online by French automotive forum Worldscoop and promptly taken down. The images show the new Corsa will have a distinctly different design from the new Peugeot 208, with which it shares its platform and underpinnings. The proportions will be similar between both cars, however, with the new Corsa being lower and wider than its predecessor. The front end takes several cues from the Grandland X SUV, while the rear is clearly related to the Astra. The shots are of the electric variant, which was expected to be revealed before the petrol and diesel variants. After an official launch next month, sales of the new Corsa in all three variations are expected to begin by the autumn. Autocar understands that the EV will be sold as the Vauxhall eCorsa in the UK, but the images appear to show that the Opel version sold elsewhere will be named the Corsae. Camouflaged prototypes were previously shown being subjected to temperatures of -30deg celsius in Sweden, carrying out chassis tuning at a test circuit and being analysed by electrical engineers in a laboratory. Vauxhall recently confirmed that the fifth-generation Corsa weighs up to 108kg less than the its predecessor. According to Vauxhall, depending on specification, the new supermini can weigh as little as 980kg – roughly 130kg less than the lightest Ford Fiesta. The weight loss comes courtesy of new high-strength steel bodywork, lightweight interior insulation materials and a range of all-aluminium powertrains. Like the range-topping variant of the current Insignia, the new Corsa will have an aluminium bonnet weighing 2.4kg less than the steel unit fitted to the current model, as shown in a breakdown of weight savings published by the manufacturer (below). The new Corsa is the first mainstream Vauxhall produced entirely under the brand’s new owner, the PSA Group, and is crucial to Vauxhall and Opel’s success, given the model’s historic popularity. It will also be both brands’ first model to be sold with a purely battery-electric variant. A preview image, released earlier this year, showed the Corsa’s headlights will feature adaptive-beam full LED technology – claimed to be a segment first. Usually the preserve of premium models, the LEDs are able to continuously adapt the full beam pattern to stop it from causing glare to oncoming traffic. The Corsa will set the tone for a new wave of Vauxhall-Opel models, each of which will be overhauled thanks to access to new platforms, engines and hardware that are also used across the group’s other car brands: Peugeot, Citroën and DS. The new Corsa has been developed in an unusually fast time. Less than two years will have elapsed since work began, just as the deal to buy Vauxhall-Opel was being agreed between PSA and General Motors. The quick turnaround is due to PSA reversing the original decision for the next Corsa to be based on GM’s architecture. Once PSA had taken over Vauxhall-Opel, it would have been required to pay a licensing fee to GM to use the platform, something boss Carlos Tavares is keen to avoid. Vauxhall-Opel boss Michael Lohscheller has previously told Autocar that the new Corsa will not be compromised in any way. “It’s true that we had a version ready to go, and you can’t just stretch a design to fit a new platform,” he said, “but the teams have done a fantastic job in record time to ensure that the car is on schedule.” The new Corsa is based on PSA’s Common Modular Platform (CMP), a front-wheel-drive architecture. The Corsa will also dip into PSA’s engine line-up and is likely to adopt the turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol unit in a variety of power outputs. Despite the switch to a new platform, the Mk6 Corsa’s dimensions are understood to closely match the outgoing model’s. Vauxhall chose to launch the current Corsa in 2014 with near-identical dimensions to its predecessor, because the company felt it was the ideal size for customers. This strategy is expected to continue. The current Corsa is 4021mm long, 1736mm wide and 1479mm tall, dimensions that make it slightly longer and taller, but narrower, than the existing 208. The design of the Corsa was set to be evolutionary before the plan for a GM-derived model was axed. Now, to mark a new era for the model under PSA ownership, it has been radically changed. The three-door Corsa will be axed, reflecting an industry trend to discontinue such bodystyles, which are less popular with buyers. Producing only a five-door Corsa will also help Vauxhall-Opel’s drive for greater efficiency and increased profitability. Inside, the Corsa looks set to receive PSA’s familiar touchscreen infotainment
Origin: New Vauxhall Corsa leaks online ahead of imminent debut
New Vauxhall Corsa leaks online ahead of imminent reveal
Vauxhall is getting ready for one of its biggest launches in years – the all-new Corsa – but the unveiling appears to have been spoiled in advance. The fifth-generation Ford Fiesta rival isn’t due to be unveiled for a couple of weeks, but what looks to be official press images have reportedly been leaked online by French automotive forum Worldscoop, and promptly taken down. The images show the new Corsa will have a distinctly different design than the new Peugeot 208, with which the Corsa shares its platform and underpinnings. The proportions will be similar between both cars, with the new Vauxhall being lower and wider than its predecessor. The front end takes several cues from the Grandland X, while the rear is clearly related to the Astra. The shots are also of the electric variant, dubbed eCorsa, which was expected to be revealed before the petrol and diesel variants. After an official launch next month, sales of the new car in all three powertrains are expected to begin by the autumn. Camouflaged prototypes were previously shown being subjected to temperatures of -30 deg celsius in Sweden, carrying out chassis tuning at a test circuit and being analysed by electrical engineers in a laboratory. Vauxhall recently confirmed that the fifth-generation Corsa weighs up to 108kg less than the outgoing model. According to the manufacturer, depending on specification, the new supermini can weigh as little as 980kg – roughly 130kg less than the lightest Ford Fiesta. The weight loss comes courtesy of new high-strength steel bodywork, lightweight interior insulation materials and a range of all-aluminium powertrains. Like the range-topping variant of the current Insignia, the new Corsa will feature an aluminium bonnet weighing 2.4kg less than the steel unit fitted to the current model, as shown in a breakdown of weight savings published by the manufacturer (below). Previous spy shots of the upcoming Volkswagen Polo rival show a design that shares cues with the recently revealed Peugeot 208, which uses the same underpinnings. It’s the first mainstream Vauxhall produced entirely under the brand’s new owner, the PSA Group, and is crucial to Vauxhall and Opel’s success given the car’s historic popularity. It will also be both brands’ first model to be sold with a battery-electric variant. A preview image, released earlier this year, showed the Corsa’s headlights will feature adaptive-beam full LED technology – claimed to be a segment first. Usually the preserve of premium models, the LEDs are able to continuously adapt the full beam pattern to stop it from causing glare to oncoming traffic. The Corsa will set the tone for a new wave of Vauxhall/Opel models, each of which will be overhauled thanks to access to new platforms, engines and hardware that are also used across the group’s other car brands: Peugeot, Citroën and DS. The new Corsa has been developed in an unusually fast time. When it is unveiled, less than two years will have elapsed since work began, just as the deal to buy Vauxhall/Opel was being agreed between PSA and General Motors. The quick turnaround is due to PSA reversing the original decision for the next Corsa to be based on GM’s architecture. Once PSA had taken over Vauxhall/Opel, it would have been required to pay a licensing fee to GM to use the platform, something boss Carlos Tavares is keen to avoid. Vauxhall/Opel boss Michael Lohscheller has previously told Autocar that the new Corsa will not be compromised in any way. “It’s true that we had a version ready to go, and you can’t just stretch a design to fit a new platform,” he said, “but the teams have done a fantastic job in record time to ensure that the car is on schedule.” The new Corsa will be based on PSA’s Common Modular Platform (CMP), a front-wheel-drive architecture. The Corsa will also dip into PSA’s engine line-up and is likely to adopt the turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol unit in a variety of power outputs. Despite the switch to a new platform, the Mk6 Corsa’s dimensions are understood to closely match the outgoing model’s. Vauxhall chose to launch the current Corsa in 2014 with near-identical dimensions to its predecessor, because the company felt it was the ideal size for customers. This strategy is expected to continue. The current Corsa is 4021mm long, 1736mm wide and 1479mm tall, dimensions that make it slightly longer and taller, but narrower, than the existing 208. The design of the Corsa was set to be evolutionary before the plan for a GM-derived model was axed. Now, to mark a new era for the model under PSA ownership, the styling promises to mark a departure from its traditional look. However, if the Grandland X SUV is anything to go by, its relationship with PSA will result in a design less radical than the new 208. The three-door Corsa will be axed, reflecting an industry trend to discontinue such bodystyles, which are less popular with buyers. Producing only a
Origin: New Vauxhall Corsa leaks online ahead of imminent reveal
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