This week’s selection of snippets from the automotive sphere brings news of Seat’s continuing rise towards premium status, a bright future for McLaren and Nissan’s worries that governments could be doing more for autonomy. London longing for electric Jaguars UK sales of the Jaguar I-Pace will double to around 3000 units in the next 12 months, according to UK boss Rawdon Glover, though he predicted that five-digit sales of the EV would be at least five years away. More than 40% of I-Pace sales are within the M25. Seat not so simple any more The Seat Tarraco and stand-alone Cupra brand are pushing buyers into higher, hitherto unseen price points for the firm, much to boss Luca de Meo’s delight. “We’ve been on a journey, first to get people to consider our cars for more than £20,000 and now more than £30,000. It is working. There was no future in selling our cars for 15% less than similar ones,” he says. McLaren gives customers what they want McLaren’s Special Operations department has tripled its business in the past two years, and CEO Mike Flewitt sees no reason why that trajectory won’t continue. “We’re seeing it again with Speedtail that people who buy exclusive cars want to make them individual,” he said. “Our bespoke content offering is hitting new heights.” Governments make autonomy a no-go? Peter Bedrosian, Nissan Europe’s product planning chief, says it’s government legislation, and not technology, that is slowing the advancement of autonomous vehicles. “It’s not the know-how holding us back – a lot of policy needs to change before we introduce level-three autonomy and above,” he said. “It requires a big change in legislation and infrastructure, because it profoundly changes cars. We’ll be ready for level three by 2019 and, depending on policies, 2020 for level four and above.”
Origin: Autocar confidential: five-digit EV sales still a way off for Jaguar, Seat finds a more premium audience and more
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Nebraska State Patrol still uses a beautifully preserved 1993 Ford Mustang
Every now and then, it’s great to haul out an old piece of hardware to get the job done. If it’s got a bit of a cool factor, all the better. Nebraska’s finest have a weapon in their arsenal which checks both of those boxes. Remember the Ford Mustang SSP? Most gearheads do. SSP stood for Special Service Package, a trim which appeared in the early 1980s, imbuing the Fox-body’ Mustang with a goosed 5.0L V8, heavy-duty suspension parts, and a growly dual-exhaust. Ford’s no stranger to building machines to make the Blues Brothers drool — cop engine, cop shocks, cop brakes, and so forth — but the Mustang SSP holds a special place in the hearts of most car fanatics. Unless it’s sitting behind them roadside with the reds and blues flashing, of course. Sure, this 1993 Mustang might not have the snazzy tech of a modern Dodge Charger or Ford Explorer cruiser, but it has an undeniable road presence that can’t be replicated by either of those present-day machines. Remember, the ‘trunk-style’ Fox-body notch was the Mustang of choice for those in the know, thanks to its light(er) curb weight and slightly-under-the-radar appearance. While the Nebraska force does deploy its sole remaining Mustang SSP — it was once part of a fleet of Mustangs — in road duty from time to time, PR reps for the force say it generally spends its semi-retirement years travelling to public service events, like fundraisers or school-day presentations to kids. In a profession where most cars are ridden hard and put away wet, it’s great to see one of these survivors make it through years of service and still be allowed to stretch its legs from time to time. It has even retained its OE-style wheels, fer chrissakes. As cool as it is, though, I don’t want to spy one in my rear-view
Origin: Nebraska State Patrol still uses a beautifully preserved 1993 Ford Mustang
Lexus will replace the entry-level CT 200h, but we still won’t get it
The 2019 Lexus UX.Handout Lexus has confirmed that it is developing a new subcompact vehicle to slot in under the UX subcompact crossover in size and under the CT 200h in price. Entry-level, in other words. Autocar spoke with Head of Lexus Europe Pascal Ruch at the 2019 Geneva motor show, confirming that the company is planning an all-new vehicle to replace the CT 200h as the entry-level model for the brand. Sorry, let me clarify: to replace the CT 200h as the entry-level model for markets outside North America. Because Lexus pulled the CT 200h from its North American distribution a couple years ago, meaning the 2017 model year was the last that was sold new in Canada and the U.S. In other markets, the CT 200h will likely remain available through 2021, a full ten years after its 2011 introduction. Which is also when its replacement will probably arrive, in 2021, probably riding on Toyota’s TNGA platform. It’s yet unknown if the new Lexus will retain the hatchback shape of the CT 200h, or go with something more crossover-inspired. Either way, we’re jealous, because, again, we’re not getting it. At least, Lexus hasn’t said we’re getting it, and last we checked we were off the list. Lexus, if you’re listening, we’d love to be proved wrong.
Origin: Lexus will replace the entry-level CT 200h, but we still won’t get it
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