Latest automotive analysis

Comprehensive coverage of the automotive industry's latest, breaking news brought to you by just-auto's leading network of international journalists.

8 Jul 2020 | Glenn Brooks

The company which forged its reputation long ago with the first generation 3 Series shows no sign of phasing out cars. BMW knows that sedans reinvented for the 2020s is what customers want in China and Europe. And even though buyers in North America prefer a bias towards SUVs, last year BMW USA's cars still outsold its light trucks.

Just how good is the new Volkswagen Golf?

7 Jul 2020 | Glenn Brooks

Far from outdated even now, will we remember the seventh generation with fondness as the last 'analogue' Golf? Due to some digital gremlins and then COVID-19 wreaking havoc with the production ramp-up, the successor got off to a bumpy start. By year end though, the new Golf 8 could be Europe's best selling vehicle.

Interior design and technology – Volvo S60 Polestar Engineered

6 Jul 2020 | Matthew Beecham

The Volvo S60 Polestar Engineered looks like any other workaday variant, yet the posh adjustable dampers set it apart, amongst other things. As the name suggests, its chassis has been engineered by Polestar, Volvo’s performance arm. But what of its interior? Continuing just-auto/AIC’s review of interior design and technology trends, we take a closer look inside this stunning piece of engineering.

Daimler future models - Mercedes EQ [now with Hambach update]

3 Jul 2020 | Glenn Brooks

BMW has i and Audi has e-tron: these are reserved for electric vehicles. Mercedes-Benz instead has one name for both electric and electrified vehicles: EQ.

China introduces measures to support struggling NEV segment

1 Jul 2020 | just-auto.com editorial team

The Chinese government over the last few months has introduced a number of measures to help the country’s struggling new energy vehicle (NEV) sector recover from the sharp economic downturn caused by outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis.

Daimler future models - Mercedes-AMG

1 Jul 2020 | Glenn Brooks

Soon to lose its CEO to Aston Martin Lagonda, Mercedes-AMG is a major money maker for Daimler AG. Under Tobias Moers, the division has shifted from being a name for fast cars into a brand in itself, stretching from high-priced accessories and trim levels for Mercedes-Benz hatchbacks to supercars, super-SUVs, and in 2021, a hypercar with a Formula 1 engine.

JLR - Too far, too soon? Is it all doom and gloom?

30 Jun 2020 | Calum MacRae

Tata Motors is reportedly close to making a decision on the strategic direction of its British premium vehicle manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).

Daimler future models - smart, Maybach and Denza

30 Jun 2020 | Glenn Brooks

Mercedes-Maybach has just gained a giant SUV powered by a thundering, gas-guzzling V8. By contrast, another Big-In-China division - Denza - has an EV-only future, as does smart.

RESEARCH SNAPSHOT: Vegan car interiors and other trends

29 Jun 2020 | Matthew Beecham

Do fragrant car interiors make scents? Is it time to wave goodbye to gesture control? Are vegan car interiors really the new cool? Until recently, most cars were designed from the outside-in, but increasingly, designers say the whole car is being planned around the interior. Continuing just-auto/AIC’s series of research snapshots, Matthew Beecham reviews some trends and recent innovations in the interiors department. Are you sitting comfortably?

Daimler future models - Mercedes-Benz SUVs

25 Jun 2020 | Glenn Brooks

Will Mercedes-Benz ever cease expanding its range of SUVs? Or rather, why would Daimler stop launching ever more plus replacement models when there seems to be seemingly limitless demand in many markets? What IS changing is the fuel efficiency of such vehicles, and there is much innovation yet to come as China and Europe's fuel consumption and emissions legislation grows ever more stringent.

ANALYSIS - Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet

24 Jun 2020 | Glenn Brooks

The press launch had to be cancelled due to you-know-what and now, just as the first examples of the T-Roc Cabriolet are turning up at Volkswagen's UK dealerships, journalists are at last able to try the car. A two-door, fabric-top SUV with no four-wheel drive capability sounds like a strange thing yet in practice, it has quite a lot of appeal.

Daimler future models - Mercedes-Benz cars

23 Jun 2020 | Glenn Brooks

The success of the W177 A-Class demonstrates that there is a lot of life and a lot of profit in cars. Daimler is wise to continue investing globally in such vehicles, with certain models doing especially well in Europe and China. Soon we'll see a new S-Class, to be followed by BR206, the next C-Class.

RESEARCH SNAPSHOT - When will autonomous vehicles go beyond Level 3?

22 Jun 2020 | Matthew Beecham

Despite some bold predictions for autonomous vehicles (AVs) over the past few years, enthusiasm and investment for further development has stalled lately. While we are seeing an acceleration of level 1 and 2 driving automation, there are delays in higher levels due to the lack of an established regulatory framework and the Herculean challenge of providing safety in all driving situations. Matthew Beecham assesses the state of play of the driver-free utopia.

May’s global sales a hopeful signal that the market’s past the worst

18 Jun 2020 | Calum MacRae

Data compiled by GlobalData shows that global light vehicle sales fell 33.8% in May to 4.9 million from 7.5 million a year ago. This is an improvement on April’s showing when sales fell 47.5% bringing a record low SAAR for the global market.

Groupe PSA future models - Opel and Vauxhall

18 Jun 2020 | Glenn Brooks

With both brands stuck in a terrible slide after the loss of multiple GM architecture models such as the Mokka X, Karl/Viva, Adam and Zafira, COVID-19 couldn't have happened at a worse time for Opel and Vauxhall.

Groupe PSA future models - Citroen and DS

17 Jun 2020 | Glenn Brooks

Groupe PSA sees Citroën as a mere brand and one which must not challenge Peugeot. The lion logo marque is in turn supposed to be near-luxury in the style of how Volkswagen is perceived in most parts of the world. The double chevron symbol make is also sub-DS, a name still battling to gain any traction outside France six years since it was invented.

Groupe PSA future models - Peugeot

16 Jun 2020 | Glenn Brooks

Groupe PSA has for decades tended to put Peugeot first and there is ample evidence for that continuing. Citroen and more recently DS plus Opel-Vauxhall all need to be funded with fresh models and technology with none of them allowed to challenge prescient Peugeot.

RESEARCH SNAPSHOT: Demand for contactless deliveries is soaring but for how long?

15 Jun 2020 | Matthew Beecham

It is hardly surprising that, in a climate of social distancing, demand for contactless deliveries is proving popular. While development work on autonomous vehicles may have paused for the time being, interest in autonomous delivery robots are having a moment. Regulators have also shown a willingness to cut red tape and allow robot fleets to help those stricken with COVID-19. Continuing just-auto/AIC’s series of research snapshots, Matthew Beecham looks at who is offering what with road-legal delivery robots and whether their usefulness will continue as we creep out of lockdown and into the ‘new normal’.

Taking on Tesla - will Polestar prosper?

11 Jun 2020 | Glenn Brooks

Sales volume remains miniscule; still, Polestar believes it has everything in place to thrive as a seller of high priced cars and crossovers. Production of the first two models is underway, market launches in many countries will happen soon and additional models are coming into view. Will Volvo and Geely's fully charged sports EV division fly or falter?

Volvo Cars plots a path towards 2030

9 Jun 2020 | Glenn Brooks

A balanced spread of sales around the globe is helping Volvo Cars weather the ongoing storm. After China began to fall apart last year, the Swedish brand looked exposed yet that market's comeback is greatly helping Volvo to offset downturns in Europe and North America.

Geely and Geometry future models [updated]

5 Jun 2020 | Glenn Brooks

A sales plunge at home in the second half of 2019 was a shock to Geely and its namesake brand. Efforts have since been redoubled to fight off not just Haval, Changan and Wuling but even the big foreign marques are in Geely's cross hairs. Lots of new models are on the way so Nissan, Honda and Toyota need to watch their backs again.

Geely and Volvo readying Lynk & Co for expansion [updated]

5 Jun 2020 | Glenn Brooks

Geely and Volvo's experiment with the creation of Lynk & Co has bounced between convincing and worrying, sales currently falling somewhere between the two. April deliveries shot up by a third compared to the same month in 2019 and fresh vehicles aren't too far away either.

Geely fortifies Proton and Lotus for growth

4 Jun 2020 | Glenn Brooks

Many were the sceptics when Li Shufu became the latest owner and part owner of Lotus Cars and Proton respectively. So far, and that includes the COVID-19 crisis, progress could be rated OK and excellent. Geely's boss continues to invest in both, tasking the CEOs of these car makers to show him a pathway to sustainable profits.

RESEARCH SNAPSHOT - Sterilising cars in a post-COVID-19 market

1 Jun 2020 | Matthew Beecham

COVID-19 has brought car sterilisation into sharp focus. Continuing just-auto/AIC’s series of research snapshots, Matthew Beecham reviews some auto industry innovations to help decontaminate car cabins using UV light, antimicrobial materials, foggers that spray disinfectant and elaborate filtration systems.

New Peugeot 208 - lockdown leads to lion love

29 May 2020 | Glenn Brooks

Before their main markets collapsed, the Renault Clio and Peugeot 208 were neck and neck in Europe. One of them should end 2020 as top dog of the 4m long hatchback segment. Whatever the result, the little Peugeot matters more as its CMP architecture will likely form the basis of future Fiats and Jeeps.

Nissan future models and platforms

28 May 2020 | Glenn Brooks

Nissan Motor has told us what needs to be done, and how it intends to get back to being a car maker which makes money. Today's announcement of its first annual loss in eleven years also means a big shake up for the future models portfolio.

2020 New York auto show cancelled

22 May 2020 | Glenn Brooks

This year's New York International Auto Show had been due to take place in April but in March it was delayed until August. Now it is being cancelled.

Next for Nissan - dead Datsun, vigorous Venucia?

21 May 2020 | Glenn Brooks

Has Nissan Motor Corporation's experiment with the revival of one make and the creation of another worked?

ANALYSIS - Global light vehicle sales hit record low SAAR of 48.1m

20 May 2020 | Calum MacRae

Data compiled by GlobalData shows that global light vehicle sales fell 47.5% in April to 3.8 million from 7.2 million a year ago, providing confirmation of everyone's worst fears for markets in April.