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    I am not sure there’s a bigger automotive cliché than the hackneyed ‘you’re not a true petrolhead until you’ve owned an   Alfa Romeo ’ line. Nor a less accurate one. Perhaps I was simply born into the wrong era, taking my first breath just at the point when the Latin giant’s last truly great cars were drawing their last, and the modern era of front-wheel drive, poor steel and unreliability was getting under way. As I grew up, the name made great by the likes of the Le Mans-winning 8C, the groundbreaking Giulietta and the jewel-like Giulia was hitting rock bottom with a badge-engineered Datsun Cherry, so it’s maybe not surprising that I’ve never felt the need to justify my passion for cars by rehoming a posh Fiat. Until now, that is. Because Alfa Romeo is going through a renaissance. Spearheaded by the fabulous Giulia saloon and its Stelvio SUV wingman, it will soon be reinforced by the compact hybrid Tonale, the firm's first full EV and more. The Alfa Romeo Giuli...

    A regular   Ford Mustang   is a relaxed, amiable, gently burbling companion, even in 5.0-litre V8 form. This CS800, from British importer and tuner Sutton Bespoke, takes such a regular Mustang and introduces the noise and aggression of a slasher movie to it. We’ve driven Sutton’s Mustangs before, but this one builds on the latest-generation Mustang that was recently facelifted. You can pick and choose from the bits you like and, cleverly, Sutton even offers a configurator to make life as easy as when choosing any other new car. Our test car had a lot of options fitted to it. The most important is a large Whipple supercharger that's mounted high in the engine’s vee and necessitates a taller bonnet; combined with throttle bodies and high flow injectors, the headline number is ‘up to 825hp’, which we’ll call a round 800bhp for these purposes to match the CS800 name. A few here and there won’t matter. There is a full active exhaust with Bluetooth ...

    Lexus is developing an electric supercar to serve as a spiritual successor to  the LFA , due for launch by 2030, and will show off the concept version in public for the first time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Originally shown as part of the shock unveiling of 15 new Toyota and Lexus EV concepts, the supercar will be one of the EVs launched by Lexus as it ramps up to phasing out combustion. It will make its public debut in Sussex from 23-26 June alongside the all-new Lexus RZ450e electric SUV and the updated version of the Lexus UX 300e crossover.  Lexus will offer an EV in all segments by 2030, by which point it will sell only electric cars in China, Europe and North America, and in 2035 it will end ICE car sales altogether. 

    Peugeot has confirmed a new model called the Peugeot 408 will be revealed on 22 June, which is expected to sit between the   Peugeot 308   hatchback and   Peugeot 3008   SUV. The French maker said the model “combines the characteristic codes of SUVs with a dynamic fastback silhouette”. Previously thought to be called the Peugeot 4008 and a coupe-SUV sibling to the 3008, the 408 name announced today suggests it will instead be more focused on fastback saloon design while still being high-riding. Alongside the 408 name confirmation, Peugeot has released an image of the car’s front, which shows an evolution of the Peugeot’s current grille. Horizontal lines are body-coloured and become thicker as the grille extends towards the side of the car. Commenting on the model, Peugeot said: “In terms of design and engineering, the search for high efficiency and the desire to offer new experiences were at the heart of the development of the new Peugeot...

    Among the crucial models in development as part of Volvo’s EV onslaught is the all-new, all-electric and all-important successor to the   Volvo XC60 . The SUV has been the Swedish brand’s best-selling car for the past four years running.  Due in 2024 to fill the gap between the XC40 Recharge electric SUV and the long-awaited electric replacement for the XC90 SUV coming later this year, the XC60 successor (which will have a name rather than a numerical designation) will play a core role in taking Volvo to its goal of all-out electrification by 2030.  EVs accounted for just 6.5% of  Volvo ’s global sales last year (its best on record), but the Swedish company aims to boost that figure to 50% by 2025 on the way to ditching combustion entirely by 2030. A swiftly expanding line-up of EVs, heavy investment in production facilities and new car construction processes will be key to achieving this goal, as Volvo looks to emerge as a front runner among the ‘...