Car News

Social media accounts for Lexus Taiwan and Lexus China have teased a new vehicle, which will debut at the 2019 Shanghai motor show taking place in the middle of the month. Lexus says the new car offers "the luxury of space" and gives its occupants a "personal private space". A report from Chubu Keizai indicates the company is planning to make a new Lexus model at the Toyota Auto Body factory in Inabe City.

Hyundai and Kia are working on a new electric car platform, set to underpin a range of small and medium-class cars when it launches in 2021. A report from Auto Express reveals the "platform dedicated to electric vehicles is about two years away", according to company insiders. "It will probably focus on B- and C-segment cars," the insider said, representing a move away from Hyundai and Kia's current strategy of adapting existing platforms for electric power.

Audi's US division has released the EPA-rated driving range for its e-tron quattro SUV ahead of a sales launch in the region next month, and it's not as good as you might expect. Official testing rates the e-tron as being capable of 204mi (328km) per charge, which is significantly behind its key rivals – namely the Jaguar I-Pace (234mi, 376.6km) and Tesla Model X Long Range (295mi, 474.7km).

Yet another variation of the new Ford Escape/Kuga has been revealed this week, in the form of the Chinese-market model. Debuting at an event in Shanghai this week, dubbed 'Ford China 2.0', the all-new Escape forms part of more than 30 Ford and Lincoln models that are scheduled to launch in the region over the next three years.

Spy photographers have snapped a development prototype believed to be the upcoming plug-in hybrid version of the Audi Q8 in Europe this week. We already know what the Q8 looks like, so there's no reason to apply heavy camouflage to the swoopy crossover's body. Photographers pointed out the additional flap for the charge port on the left rear quarter panel, along with yellow stickers indicating this is a hybrid test vehicle.