The next-generation Peugeot 208 GTi is set to be revealed next year, and it could offer the option of petrol or electric power – according to a new report out of the UK. Auto Express quotes Peugeot's CEO, Jean-Pierre Imparato, indicating that customers will be able to "choose their powertrain"...
The Renault Megane RS280 has only just been priced for Australia, but the RS range is already doing the rounds on European roads. That means any hotshot with a few cameras and access to an autobahn can test out the claimed top speed. That's exactly what AutoTopNL has done, taking advantage of a quiet stretch of derestricted motorway to put the new French hot hatch through its paces...
Renault Australia has announced pricing and specifications for the incoming Megane RS, ahead of its September arrival Down Under. Pricing will kick off with the RS280 manual at $44,990 before on-road costs, jumping to $47,490 for the RS280 dual-clutch. In standard 'RS280' trim, you'll get a 1...
Honda has continued its record run in the Civic Type R, beating its own lap record around the UK's Silverstone GP Circuit. The new Type R lapped the famous British circuit in just 2:31.32. That's well off the 1:26.60 set by Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1 qualifying last year, but we're willing to forgive the road-going hot hatch for that...
The new Worldwide harmonised Light vehicle Testing Procedure (WLTP) testing regime has forced Seat to detune its Leon Cupra 300 and create the Cupra 290. First reported by the UK's Auto Express, the company has confirmed the front-wheel drive versions of the Leon Cupra will lose 10 horsepower (7kW) to comply with new WLTP regulations (now 290bhp/216kW), though the all-wheel drive Leon Cupra ST wagon will maintain its 300hp (224kW) power output...
Loud. Outrageous. Utterly illogical. Usually these aren’t flattering terms, but apply them to the Audi RS3 Sportback and they become an ode to automotive hooliganism in one of its finest forms.
The Volkswagen Golf R is hardly what you'd call slow, but imagine doubling the amount of power it produces. Well, a 75-year-old man in the UK has done just that. His Mk7 Golf R has been tuned to deliver just under 600bhp (447kW), not that you'd be able to tell by looking at it...
Good news for fans of hot hatches and fast-fours. And good news for fans of motorsport. The worldwide motorsport category, TCR Touring Car, is coming to Australia. The category was conceived in 2014 and has since become one of the fastest growing forms of motorsport in the world. In 2018, TCR regulations became the umbrella rules for the new FIA World Touring Car Cup...
The Peugeot 308 looks set to be replaced by an all-new car at the turn of the decade, according to a new report out of France. Caradisiac claims the new-gen 308 will be launched in 2020, boasting hatchback and wagon body styles, and a design inspired by the brand's newer models like the 3008 SUV and the 508 sedan and Touring wagon...
The 2018 Honda Civic Type R has claimed another lap record as part of its 'Type R Challenge 2018', setting a new standard for front-wheel drive vehicles around Spa Francorchamps. Having last month toppled the front-drive record at the Magny-Cours GP circuit, Honda inserted Bertrand Baguette – ex-LMP2 and current NSX GT driver – into the Type R for a tilt at Spa...
The Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR has been confirmed for the Australian market, scheduled to arrive in local showrooms in the first half of 2019. Previewed by the TCR concept at this year's Lake Worthersee meet, the most powerful production Golf GTI ever gets an uprated 2.0-litre turbo four with 213kW of power and 370Nm of torque, sent to the front wheels via a seven-speed DSG automatic...
Suzuki has announced a limited-edition Swift Sport Red Devil, set to arrive in July from $29,156 drive-away. Just 100 examples of the red-and-black hatchback will be offered Down Under, all finished in Burning Red with carbon-black decals on the bonnet, front bumper and doors, along with the front and rear quarter panels...
Remember last month when we wrote about the MY19 Volkswagen Golf GTI losing the manual option? The three-pedal casualties have continued elsewhere in the Volkswagen Group, with the Skoda Octavia RS also losing its stick-shift variants for 2019...
A stickered-up prototype believed to be the upcoming Kia Ceed GT has been spied during development testing in Austria, towing a trailer of all things. While the vehicle depicted is wearing fake body panels and a partial black-and-white wrap, it doesn't look drastically different to the standard Ceed hatchback revealed at this year's Geneva motor show...
Ford has shut down recent rumours it's working on a more powerful Fiesta RS, with the company's European design boss ruling out such a model in a new report out of Europe. Speaking with Dutch publication AutoRAI, Amko Leenarts, design director for Ford of Europe, said: "The performance of the new Fiesta ST is already such a high level that a more powerful model is not necessary"...
Update (28/5/18): FCA Australia has indicated the regular Fiat 500 will be getting the upgraded infotainment system as well. See bottom of article for details. The Abarth 595 line-up has been upgraded for the 2018 model year, bringing an upgraded infotainment display and smartphone mirroring technology. Now measuring 7.0 inches (up from 5...
Honda UK has taken the wraps off the Civic Type R Pickup Truck concept as part of the annual Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) Test Day. Dubbed as "potentially one of the fastest pickup trucks on UK roads", the wild utility concept is the product of a specialist team from the Product Engineering department at the company's Swindon factory...
Peugeot has halted production of the 308 GTi for four months, as it works to revise the car's 1.6-litre engine to pass incoming World harmonised Light vehicle Testing Procedure (WLTP) standards. Local supply of the turbo tearaway, which finished fifth in our recent hot hatch mega test, shouldn't be affected by the break in production at Peugeot's factory in Sochaux, France...
Volkswagen Australia is sparking enthusiast conversation by only offering the Golf GTI in dual-clutch performance package guise from October this year. Meanwhile, Volkswagen USA is trying to get car-lovers talking in a different way, rolling out four hotted-up concepts at SOWO: The European Experience in Savannah, Georgia...
Volkswagen Australia has announced the Golf GTI Performance will return in October, becoming standard fitment across the GTI range as part of a forthcoming 2019 model-year update. After hinting at plans to release a Performance Edition 2 in the third quarter of this year, a global move to discontinue the 169kW engine tune in the current Golf GTI led the local arm to specify the 'Performance' package for all MY19 Golf GTIs in Australia – meaning the 'standard' car will get more than just a power bump...
