Car News

Production of the BMW i8 will reportedly end in April this year as the company looks to focus on more mainstream electrified models, including the all-electric iX3 crossover, i4 fastback and iNext crossover. A company spokesperson has confirmed the impending demise of the i8 with Autocar. Reports indicate the i8 will be replaced within the next five or so years by a production version of the M Next concept.

Skoda is one brand that always seems to generate more interest among our readers than its modest sales would suggest, so it's worth jotting down the company's 2019 deliveries for the record. The Czech-based brand chalked up 1,242,800 sales, the sixth year in a row where it's clocked over a million sales. Skoda's figure is actually 0.9 per cent lower than 2018's tally of 1,253,700 sales, a consequence of Skoda's reliance on the declining Chinese market.

In a post on its official WeChat account, Tesla has started looking for candidates to work in its planned research and development (R&D) outpost in China. The company put the call out for applicants, stating: "In order to achieve a shift from 'Made in China' to 'Designed in China,' [Elon Musk] has proposed a very cool thing: set up a R&D centre in China."

Join Mandy Turner, Mike Costello, and Kez Casey for the first podcast back for 2020! We chat with Mike Duff about his drive in the Aston Martin DBX prototype and discuss if it feels like an Aston Martin. Mike compares the 2020 Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 sedans. We talk to CarAdvice reader Tim about his owner review of the 2017 Holden Astra RS, which he bought new.

Automobili Lamborghini sold a record 8205 cars in 2019, up 43 per cent. It's the ninth year of growth in succession for the Italy-based, Volkswagen Group-owned super-luxury brand. A release from the company this week said that all regions - it sells cars in 51 countries via 165 dealers - set new sales peaks, with the most rapid growth coming from the Asia Pacific region (up 66 per cent).