NEWS
8 APRIL 2 020 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 7
CONFIDENTIAL
FACELIFTED VOLVO S 90 NOW PLUG-IN HYBRID ONLY IN UK
Volvo has ditched all pure-petrol and diesel S90 models in
the UK for the saloon’s 2020 facelift, leaving only the T
plug-in hybrid variant. The changes don’t affect the V
estate, which is still available in petrol and diesel guises.
The brand has also deleted all Plus trim levels from its
range. This means the S90 now costs from £55,180 in
R-Design spec, rising to £56,030 for Inscription trim.
The S90 had minor styling and tech upgrades earlier this
year, but a planned range of mild-hybrid petrol and diesel
engines will now be reserved for mainland Europe only.
Volvo has also dropped the price of the S60 Polestar
Engineered by
a substantial
£5785 and has
reduced the
standard S
T8 by £4700.
ALFA GIULIETTA TO FINALLY BOW OUT
The Alfa Romeo Giulietta will be axed later this
year, with no direct replacement lined up, said
product marketing boss Fabio Migliavacca. The
To n a l e SU V, i t s i n d i r e c t su cce s s o r, i s cu r r e ntl y
expected to be officially revealed later this year.
GENESIS UPS ANTE WITH LATEST G 80
Hyundai’s luxury arm, Genesis, has launched a
new version of its G80 flagship. Claimed to offer
more performance, luxury and tech than ever
before, the saloon can be had with a 3.5-litre
turbo V6 offering 375bhp in top-spec form.
New style-led 308 will
take its design cues
from recent Peugeots
Polestar opens door on future
POLESTAR HAS RELEASED
new images of its Precept
electric saloon concept, which
CEO Thomas Ingenlath has
called a showcase for the
brand’s future.
The concept was first
unveiled in February, just
before the cancelled Geneva
motor show. Ingenlath has
stressed that this model has
real relevance to the brand’sforthcoming products, strongly
hinting that there’s production
intent for a Tesla Model S rival
inspired by the Precept within
the next few years.
He said: “Precept shows you
where we will be heading – our
design direction, our ambitions
about sustainability and the
great digital user experience
we will bring with those future
cars. Precept showcases our
future, not a fancy dream or
something out of a sci-fi movie.”
Po l e st a r i s ke e n to h i g h l i g ht
the use of sustainable material
in the Precept. The vegan
interior builds on that of the
Polestar 2 with “high levelsof recycled content”. Light,
strong flax-based
natural composites
developed by Bcomp
reduce typical plastic
usage by 80%.
Recycled plastic
bottles are used for
the headlining, the
carpets use nylon
from reclaimed
fishing nets and
recycled cork
from the wine industry is
employed for seat bolsters
and headrests.
The Precept also features
advanced autonomous
functions via a roof-mounted
lidar pod and marks the debutof a 15in infotainment screen
that uses the latest Android OS
and Google Assistant features.
Success will not be judged
on sales, either, but instead on
the reputation and acclaim the
PSE models receive. To that
end, the PSE project is as much
about “transforming electric
cars” and the perception of
them, because Imparato sees
“a big opportunity for a line-up
of s p o r t y c a r s” i n th i s m o u l d.
The GTi badge will not be
used on the 308 or any other
Peugeots apart from the 208.
Even then, it might be limited
to the UK only and be based
on the fully electric version as
part of the company’s plans
to switch Peugeot Sport’s
involvement in its models to
electrified powertrains only.
The next 308 range will
again include five-door
hatchback and estate versions,
with still no return for the
likes of the 308 CC coupé-
convertible seen in previous
generations, due to the lack of
profitability with such cars. “I
love these cars but today there
are three other topics first,”
said Imparato, naming 5G
connectivity and autonomous
vehicle development alongside
electrified models.
However, a crossover
version of the 308 is a strong
possibility for Peugeot. It
has noted the success of
the Mercedes-Benz GLA,effectively a raised version
of the A-Class hatchback. In
addition, fellow PSA brand DS
is planning both hatchback and
crossover versions of its own
new A-Class/GLA rival, which
is due later this year with a
shared body-in-white. There’s
enough of a gap between the
308 and larger 3008 SUV to
make such a car a reality.
Updated petrol and diesel
engines will continue to be
offered alongside the plug-in
hybrids. Peugeot is still
committed to diesel and is
even offering it in its new 208
supermini and 2008 crossover
models at a time when many
rivals are abandoning the fuel
at this end of the market.An electric version of the
308 may be on the cards too, as
Imparato hinted late last year
in an interview with Automotive
News Europe: “It [the 308]
will be a plug-in hybrid first
but could perhaps later have
a full-electric drivetrain. Our
compact and mid-size cars will
have plug-in hybrid drivetrains,
because it’s a smoother
way to sw i tch fr o m i nte r n a l
combustion to electric.”
Styling-wise, the 308 is
set to build on the bold look
of all other recent Peugeots.
“We put the design first,” said
Imparato when describing why
Peugeot’s comeback has
been so successful. “On top
of all the investment choices,I protected the design. Then
the brand image recovers.”
Inside, the style-led formula
will continue with an updated
version of Peugeot’s i-Cockpit
design, adapted from that of
the newer 3008 and 508.
Peugeot will be hoping for
much greater sales success
for the 308 in the UK, though,
where it has struggled. “This
car was Car of the Year in
2014 and has been a huge
sales success in Europe,” said
Imparato. “It’s not as strong in
the UK, where it deserves more
than a 2.5% market share.”
MARK TISSHAW
S90 T8: 0-62mph in
5.1sec, CO 2 40g/km
Concept previews
a possible TeslaModel S rival