Toyota unveils PHEV versions of Corolla and Levin to be sold only in China

China is considered as the largest auto market in the world, and Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corporation isn't letting go of title. Aside from its conventionally powered products, Toyota is accelerating its China-based vehicle electrification efforts by launching 10 new electrified vehicles in the country by the end of the decade.

Leading the charge for Toyota are the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) versions of the Corolla and Levin passenger cars in 2019. To show its commitment, Toyota unveiled the Corolla PHEV and the Levin PHEV at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show. According to the carmaker, both the Corolla PHEV and the Levin PHEV expected to achieve an electric driving range of 50 km or farther. Production of these two new PHEV models is seen to commence in China in 2019.

Toyota launched the conventional hybrid variants of the Corolla and Levin in 2017, with production done domestically. The carmaker – through its local partners – intends to do same with the Corolla PHEV and the Levin PHEV, as it aims to achieve locally based vehicle electrification.

In fact, the company has been cooperating with members of the Toyota Group as well as domestic partners to ensure that there is a local production base for key components. In 2015, transaxles for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) have been produced at Toyota Motor (Changshu) Auto Parts Co., Ltd., which was established in 2012 to develop and manufacture automotive powertrain components.

Moreover, since it is expecting a surge in demand in electrified vehicles in China, it has decided to increase the annual production capacity for nickel-metal hydride battery modules at Sinogy Toyota Automotive Energy System Co., Ltd. and Corun PEVE Automotive Battery Co., Ltd. to around 220,000 units in 2020.

R&D and production strengths are considered crucial to the success of Toyota’s vehicle electrification program in China. To achieve this, Toyota is planning to open by 2020 a new battery testing site at Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (China) Co., Ltd. TMEC serves as Toyota's R&D center in the country and is in charge of assessing battery packs for its electrified vehicle offerings.

Aside from the new Toyota Corolla PHEV and Levin PHEV, the carmaker is also planning to introduce all-electric compact SUVs. The battery electric vehicles or BEVs will be derived from the Toyota C-HR or Toyota IZOA. To note, the C-HR and the IZOA are the same compact SUVs but are sold and marketed by different entities. The C-HR is sold by GAC Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. while the IZOA is marketed by FAW Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd.

Furthermore, Toyota is already exploring possible applications for its fuel cell technology in China. In fact, Toyota already commenced in 2017 a three-year verification-test program in China, employing the Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV).

PRESS RELEASE

Toyota to Introduce 10 New Electrified Vehicles in China by 2020

“Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announced today that it plans to introduce to the Chinese market plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) versions of its “Corolla” and “Levin” passenger cars in 2019 and a battery electric vehicle (BEV) model based on its “C-HR” / “IZOA”* compact SUV in 2020. Including these, Toyota plans to introduce 10 new electrified vehicles in China by the end of 2020. And, by further promoting its local production of electric motors (powertrain components), batteries, inverters, and other electrified-vehicle core technologies, Toyota aims to further accelerate its China-based vehicle electrification efforts.

The PHEV versions of the Corolla and Levin were unveiled today during the opening day of the Beijing Motor Show. Both models are expected to have a BEV driving range of 50 kilometers or greater, and in 2019, Toyota will begin producing them in China, marking Toyota’s first overseas production of PHEVs.”

“With an aim to achieve locally based vehicle electrification, Toyota has been working with its Chinese partners and members of the Toyota Group to build a local production base for key components. Efforts have included the launch in 2015 of production of transaxles for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) at Toyota Motor (Changshu) Auto Parts Co., Ltd. (TMCAP). Going forward, Toyota intends to respond to further expected growth in demand for electrified vehicles through such measures as increasing the annual production capacity for nickel-metal hydride battery modules at Sinogy Toyota Automotive Energy System Co., Ltd. (STAES) and Corun PEVE Automotive Battery Co., Ltd. (CPAB) to 220,000 units in 2020.

To accelerate its vehicle electrification in China, Toyota is also strengthening its local R&D and production bases. In 2020, it plans to open a new battery testing facility at Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (China) Co., Ltd. (TMEC), which is Toyota’s R&D center in China, for evaluating battery packs for electrified vehicles. And, with its sights set on introducing BEVs in 2020, Toyota is steadily enhancing its local production structures.

In 2017, including sales of the “Corolla Hybrid” and “Levin Hybrid” installed with locally produced hybrid units, Toyota sold approximately 140,000 electrified vehicles in China. That brought its cumulative total of electrified vehicles sold in the country to approximately 350,000 units, and Toyota plans to continue enhancing its electrified-vehicle lineup.

As for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), Toyota is exploring potential applications for its fuel cell technology in China. Last year, it began a three-year verification-test program in China that uses Toyota’s “Mirai” FCEV, and it has expanded the scope of feasibility studies to include commercial vehicles such as buses.

Toyota Senior Managing Officer and Chief Executive Officer, China Region, Kazuhiro Kobayashi said today at the Beijing Motor Show, “We are steadily and confidently advancing all aspects of our environmental strategy in China, the world’s most-advanced country in electrification.”

*To be sold in China as a “C-HR” (by GAC Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.) and as an “IZOA” (by FAW Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd.)

Don't Expect The New Toyota Supra To Be "A Cheap Car"

From the sounds of it, Toyota's new sports car won't be a bargain, but we probably shouldn't be surprised

With the next Toyota Supra not arriving in production form until early 2019, we’re left guessing how exactly it’ll shape up for a little while longer. We know it’ll have BMW-sourced engines and that a manual gearbox is unlikely, but how about price?

In an interview with Dutch publication AutoRai, Toyota’s European R&D vice president Gerald Killmann had the following to say (kindly translated by Google): “It will not be a cheap car. There will be a clear difference between the GT86 and Supra. The GT86 remains the affordable sports car, the Supra becomes the performance model.” He wouldn’t confirm or deny if production will be limited, meanwhile.

‘Not cheap’ could be read in a number of ways, but we certainly can’t expect this to be a performance bargain with a hot hatch-like price. But that shouldn’t be a surprise - the last Supra (pictured above) was a pricey so-and-so too. Even when Toyota slashed the price of the twin-turbo version of the MkIV in 1997, it was still being flogged for $39,900 - the equivalent of $65,000 in today’s money. And its most expensive, it was over $80,000, adjusted for inflation.

As for our best guess, we can see the pricing for the new Supra - previewed by a ‘Racing Concept‘ at the Geneva show last month - ending up being quite similar to the Z4 it’ll share a platform and engines with.

Until there’s confirmation though, you might as well get speculating in the comments…

You Can Now Buy A Supercharged V6 Jaguar XE S For Under £25k

Jaguar may not be making an XE SVR, but the V6 version is particularly tempting on the used market

As we explained a few weeks back, thanks to the desires of luxury performance car buyers, SVR versions of the Jaguar XE and XF just aren’t going to happen.

Jaguar is a much smaller company than its German rivals (to put things in context, the Mercedes A-Class on its own outsold the entire Jaguar brand in the UK last year), and it can’t make a hot version of everything. People love fast SUVs right now, so an F-Pace SVR it is.

But for those sad about the lack of V8-powered XE, it’s not all bad news: the XE S - which will be the fastest version for the foreseeable future - is still a fine car, and a quick one. We ran one as a longtermer a while back, and found it to be the most convincing car in the range. What’s more, the earliest examples have been thoroughly thumped with the depreciation stick, meaning you can now buy a used one for well under £25k.

This 2015 example is a little over that figure at £26,888, but it has the perfect exterior spec: Italian Racing Red paint, 20-inch ‘Propeller’ alloy wheels, and the ‘black pack’. It’s a good look, no?

The two-tone red/black leather interior won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but I’m sure we can all approve of what’s under the bonnet: a 3.0-litre supercharged V6. Since this is a pre-update car it makes do with 335bhp as opposed to 375bhp, but it’s still quick: 0-62mph happens in just 5.1 seconds.

Would you have one of these over a used BMW 335i or 340i?

Fredric Aasbo's New Ride Is A 1000bhp Toyota Auris Drift Machine

The Toyota Auris isn't exactly a car to get your pulse racing, but this one is a little different...

The new Auris may be much more interesting to look at than the last one, but without Toyota producing a hot GRMN version, it’s unlikely to entice the average petrolhead.

But what we have here is not your average Auris. Well, technically it’s a Corolla - as the car is referred to in some markets - but that’s not we mean. This one’s been converted to rear-wheel drive and given 1000bhp, so Fredric Aasbo can go very sideways in it while competing in the Formula Drift championship.

Built by Papadakis Racing racing, it packs a 2.7-litre 2AR-FE inline-four, hooked up to a four-speed manual gearbox. Thanks to the fitting of a Borg Warner EFR 9174, bigger injectors, new fuel pumps and much more besides, it makes that magic 1000bhp figure.

If you’re feeling a sense of deja vu, there’s a good reason why: Papadakis built something very similar using the previous-generation Corolla/Auris last year. But the team didn’t just take that car and slap on the new hatchback’s more expressiveface. Nope: they were given a pre-production shell in secret, into which the engine and rear-drive powertrain of the old car were transplanted. A whole new wide-body conversion kit had to be fabricated for the vehicle too.

Incredibly, all of this was done in just three months. And how about this as a reward for all that hard work: at the opening round of the 2018 series in Long Beach, Fredric Aasbo drifted the car to victory.

Is It Okay To Start In Second Gear?

This Unique 1967 Corvette L88 Is The US Legend You Can’t Drive

Restored over a decade using authentic parts, this is the only Sunfire Yellow Corvette L88 in existence – but you can’t legally drive it on the road

 Among collectors and followers of car history there are always specific cars that become the unicorns of their time. Individual cars that, because of ownership history, competition pedigree or a unique spec combination, stand had and shoulders above the rest. This is one of those cars, and it wants a new owner.

This stunning 1967 Chevrolet Corvette is one of 216 fitted with the legendary 560bhp competition-spec 427 V8 known as the L88. It’s also one of just 20 1967 Corvettes to gain the engine and the only L88 car ever built in Sunfire Yellow. All this is certified by the relevant historical authorities in the US, including the NCRS Historic Document Service.

Originally bought and drag-raced by a young, California-based US navy man called Robert E Baker after he read a positive review in Hot Rod magazine, it spent its life being towed between strips and running quarter-mile times in the 11-second range. In the late 1960s. He retired it in the early 1970s and stored it for about 15 years.

One Steve Hendrickson of Long Lake, Minnesota, bought it and spent 10 years restoring it, only using the original components where possible, including the L88 engine, M22 transmission, brakes suspension and trim. The rest came as restored original parts or ‘new’ stock built to period specification, with new bodywork, which was presumably beyond saving, coming from another 1967 Corvette.

Very few L88s actually retain that block, according to auctioneers Mecum Auctions, let alone the authentic documentation, concours condition and fuel tank sticker that help make this one so special.

It has been part of a collection since 1999, on a historic title. That means it can’t legally be driven on the road, and while a new title could be sourced in the buyer’s name, it could punch a big hole in the car’s value. Either way, it doesn’t get much lovelier.

The Mecum auction, of which this is one of the principal highlights, is taking place at Indiana’s Indiana State Fairgrounds over 15-19 May. It’s the same sale as that featuring the Sebastian Vettel-signed Ferrari F12tdf…

Vladimir Putin's New Limo Is 592bhp Of Armoured Russian Excess

Presidential limousines are usually a bit excessive by their very nature, but Russia's latest are completely custom-built with Porsche and Bosch

It’s part of Presidential privilege that you can be a bit silly when it comes to specifying your car, but it looks like Vladimir Putin has won this round: check out the entirely bespoke creation that will soon be the primary transport for the most important man in Russia.

This isn’t an existing car. It uses a 4.6-litre turbocharged Porsche engine with 592bhp and 650lb ft of torque, but otherwise it’s apparently an entirely bespoke project designed and specified by the Russian government in tandem with Porsche and Bosch. Stick that in your Cadillac truck-based pipe and smoke it, President Trump.

The whole thing is rumoured to have cost around £85 million to develop, although that cost covers the price of building other body styles, too. There’s said to be a range incoming, from a saloon to an MPV and even an SUV.

Details on how it’s kitted out are naturally a little thin on the ground. It’s called the Cortege project and uses as few non-Russian parts as possible. Even the heavy-duty automatic gearbox attached to the German engine is a Russian-made nine-speeder.

The vaguely Mercedes-ish, vaguely Rolls-Royce-ish limo is certain to have inches of armour plate, most likely a closed, purified air supply and various means of communication designed to function even in an Armageddon scenario. it’s also likely to weigh about as much as Moscow.

But does it have a coffee machine, or a shagpile topper for the dashboard? If not, we’re just not interested.

US Car Makers Want To Make Premium Petrol The New Minimum

Citing instant increases in fuel economy, decreases in emissions and extra engine tuning potential, car makers in the US want the country to ditch basic unleaded

American car makers are pushing for a national switch from three petrol octane ratings to just one, in an attempt to gain extra fuel economy and lower their overall emissions.

General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler are ‘working with’ the US Council for Automotive Research to try to standardise 95 RON unleaded – the same standard used across Europe. Under the American system it’s currently known as 91-octane, because the US adds the Research Octane Number (RON) to the Motor Octane Number (MON) and divides the result by two.

The move would most likely involve shifting to the RON-only system used elsewhere in the world, standardising to 95-octane with different suppliers offering various grades of super-unleaded, from 97-99 RON.

Eliminating the lower grades of fuel would give consumers a three per cent fuel economy boost across the board, the car makers say, with a lower-than-three per cent increase in cost to the consumer. Fewer types of fuel to refine means cost savings for refineries, and engine makers could squeeze extra efficiency (and power) out of their motors with finer tuning, purely because they’d no longer need to be capable of running on the low-grade fuel.

Dan Nicholson, General Motors’ vice president of global propulsion systems, said:

“We have an opportunity to play a large role in offering consumers the most affordable option for fuel economy improvement and greenhouse gas reduction.

“We believe a higher efficiency gasoline solution with a higher Research Octane Number is very important to achieving this. USCAR research shows that 95 RON makes sense from the viewpoints of both refiners and fuel retailers.”

At present, 95 RON fuel in the US is at least 50 cents per gallon more expensive than the basic stuff. As such, there’s likely to be a fair amount of resistance among the public. American CTzens: would you be happy to make the switch, or do you already run your cars on the good stuff anyway?

Jaguar Has Killed Off The Supercharged V6 XE And XF

JLR has confirmed that poor sales and new emissions regulations have forced the company to take the XE S and XF S off sale throughout Europe

 You know how yesterday we were pitching the V6-powered Jaguar XE S as a sort of sporty-ish consolation prize for the lack of XE SVR? Well, about that: the model has just been deleted from the range in Europe. Oh, and the XF S too.

We checked the status of the XE-range topper with Jaguar Land Rover after noticing it had disappeared from the UK configurator. And the news isn’t good. A company spokesperson told Car Throttle the following:

“380PS accounted for less than 2% of XE and XF sales in the UK. Coupled with impending changes to emissions regulations, it makes sense from a business perspective to remove these variants from sale in the UK and Europe.”

Although not name-checked directly by JLR, this is all to do with the new, more realistic ‘WLTP’ emissions tests. All other petrol-powered Jaguars now have particulate filters, but it simply doesn’t make sense to develop one for the supercharged V6 engine when it’s such a niche option. Presumably, this means the V6 petrol F-Pace will eventually be dropped in Europe too.

The news coincides with the release of the XE 300 Sport (below), which uses a much lighter 2.0-litre inline-four. The turbocharged engine produces 296bhp, and is hooked up to Jaguar’s all-wheel drive system.

It’ll do 0-60mph in 5.4 seconds, which makes it damn near as quick as the outgoing XE S. Albeit with a much less interesting soundtrack. It’s been spruced up with Dark Satin Grey details, Satin Technical Grey 19- or 20-inch wheels depending on what you spec, a bunch of 300 Sport badges and some nice yellow stitching in the cabin.

It’s yours for £45,160, around the same as the departing V6.

Watch An Aventador SV Go On A Painful Unplanned Off-Road Excursion

Footage from the 2018 Targa Tasmania Rally shows the moment a Lamborghini Aventador SV driver inadvertently tested the supercar's off-road ability...

Now in its 27th year, the Targa Florio-inspired Targa Tasmania sees around 300 cars hammering around the Australian island state’s trickiest roads. As such, sometimes drivers get it wrong.

Want an example? Here’s a Lamborghini Aventador SV bouncing off the road during the 2018 running of the rally earlier this week. The driver, passenger and amazingly even the car are said to be fine, although the supercar does look to have lost a large piece of underbody trim during the incident.

The rally concludes on Saturday.

New Golf Clubsport And VR6-Powered VW Arteon R Due Later This Year

We can expect three new R models to join the VW ranks this year, plus a new Golf Clubsport, according to this report

The VW line-up is set to get considerably more exciting this year. According to Auto Bild, three new R models will be launched in 2018, inflating a range which currently only contains one vehicle - the Golf R.

Those who are after a fast crossover will have two to choose from: the T-Roc R and Tiguan R. Both are expected to be powered by VW’s EA888 inline-four turbo, presumably with a more powerful version fitted in Tiguan R. We had previously seen what appeared to be a Tiguan R prototype undergoing testing with Audi’s 2.5-litre inline-five under the bonnet, but in light of more recent spy footage, we’re thinking that might have been a cunningly disguised test mule for the next RS Q3.

But don’t be too disappointed, as the third new R model will be powered by something much more interesting than a turbocharged four-banger. We’re talking about the Arteon R, which is in line to receive an all-new 3.0-litre turbocharged VR6. Late last year, VW told Car Throttle that a prototype Areton R had been built, which at the time was running over 400bhp.

Our favourite piece of news though? That concerns a new Golf Clubsport. We ran one as a long-term test car last year and adored it, so a version based on the new ‘Mk7.5’ Golf is an enticing prospect. It’s not something we’d expected, either - the last Clubsport, after all, was a special-edition car made to celebrate the Golf GTI’s 40th anniversary. Auto Bild expects a power figure of around 300bhp, up from the 286bhp the last one made when its ‘overboost’ function was engaged.

Which of these incoming fast VWs do you like the sound of most?

You Can Now Buy A 'Brand New' Boss 302, 429 Or Mach 1 Mustang

Classic Recreations will be able to build you an officially-licensed, modernised version of any of these 'Stangs using reproduction parts

 Like the idea of Singer Vehicle Design’s re-imagined 911s, but fancy something with more of an air of freedom? You may want to give Classic Recreations a call.

The Oklahoma-based firm has been officially licensed by Ford to build a range of ‘continuation’ Mustangs, mating the classic looks to modern mechanicals. On the menu will be the Boss 302, Boss 429 and Mach 1 Mustangs.

 The first project in the scheme - a Boss 429 - will be showcased at the 2018 SEMA show, and is set to be built from an original 1969 or 1970 Mustang body. But here’s where it gets interesting: a customer can have a car built around a brand new Ford-licensed bodyshell, should they wish.

Yep, in 2018 you can effectively buy a brand new version of a near-50-year-old Mustang. As classic cars become ever more valuable, expect schemes like this to become much more common.

Engine options vary from model to model. Modernised versions of the original units - complete with electronic fuel injection - are available, as are Ford Performance Coyote V8 crate engines. You can even spec an Ecoboost engine if you like that sort of thing.

“The Boss 429 is one of the coolest and rarest Mustangs ever produced, but they have gotten so valuable that most owners won’t drive them,” Classic Recreations owner Jason Engel says, adding, “This offers people the chance to own an incredibly rare car that they can actually drive, and with modern chassis and engine tech these cars will actually be faster and easier to drive than the original.” Sounds like quite a prospect, doesn’t it?

Ford's '8sec' Mustang Cobra Jet Wants To Cleanse The World Of The Demon

The next Ford Mustang Cobra Jet has been teased, and it'll be good for a "mid-8-second" quarter-mile

If the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon just isn’t as serious as you’d like, don’t worry: Ford has something far more extreme up its sleeve. It’s the 50th anniversary Mustang Cobra Jet, and it’s going to be rather brisk.

It’s lurking somewhere in the shadows of this teaser image, and Ford has already let slip a few tantalising details about the 2018 Mustang-based machine, ahead of full specs being revealed this summer. Most importantly, it’ll be capable of dispatching a standing quarter-mile in the “mid-8-second range,” crossing the line at over 150mph. Cripes.

This will be possible thanks to a supercharged version of Ford’s Coyote V8 5.2-litre V8, which will be fitted to the drag strip-ready Mustang along with new four-link suspension and a beefy solid rear axle. It’ll come with all the necessary safety gear too, including an NHRA-approved roll cage and FIA spec racing seats.

As with previous Cobra Jets, production will be limited: just 68 cars are set to be built.

Here's Everything That's Weird An Awesome About The SL65 Black Series

Doug DeMuro gets stuck into the quirks and features of the monstrous yet slightly bizarre Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series

The Mercedes SL65 AMG is known to be a weird car. Even though only 350 were made, AMG went to the effort of transforming the convertible-only SL into a fixed coupe, adding rigidity and lowering weight. It has some of the most ridiculous blistered arches ever fitted to a Mercedes, and it has a torque figuring beginning with the number 7.

But there are still plenty of odd touches you might not know about. And who better to sniff them out than Doug DeMuro?

From the weirdly-placed starter button to the surprisingly complicated storage bin and that adjustable spoiler which robs a huge chunk of the boot space, there’s plenty to go on here.

Why Driving A Mustang Slowly Is More Fun Than Driving A Porsche GT3 Fast

The reason ‘speed isn’t everything’ might not be the joy-killing mantra you’d think it is

Dangle the keys to a 911 GT3 before me and you’re in real danger of having your arm bitten off. Recent experience on road and track of the manual version of the latest 4.0-litre, second-gen 991 GT3 has left me with a wallet full of utterly terrifying fuel receipts and possibly permanent hearing loss from my addiction to revving it out to that frenzied 9000rpm redline as often as possible.

These two things are possibly connected.

But it’s also left me with nagging doubts that perhaps speed isn’t everything. Doubts highlighted by the revised Ford Mustang I drove shortly afterwards.

Put a GT3 on a track alongside a Mustang and the Porsche will probably do two laps to the Ford’s one. A theory I’ll happily test, if anyone’s offering. I can’t help wondering if I’d actually leave the circuit in the Mustang with a bigger grin on my face though. Because I’m coming to the realisation it may just be more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is a fast one slowly.

That sounds unfair to the Mustang, because it’s not a slow car. In definitive GT Fastback form it has a 5.0-litre V8, 446bhp and makes a helluva noise. It also does big burnouts and seems to attract near-unanimous thumbs up from everyone who sees it. A feel-good car.

In comparison the GT3 is a finely-honed piece of sporting equipment. It’s serious. It’s all geared to the final percentage point of its performance envelope and, in this sphere, it is utterly sublime. The only problem is that you spend nearly all of your time in the other 99 per cent. This isn’t all bad - in fact, it’s pretty bloody amazing. But it can also be rather frustrating.

Think about that first drink on a sunny Friday afternoon after a long week. It’s the Ice Cold In Alex moment of a perfectly chilled beer on the bar in front of you, condensation running down the outside of the glass. You lick your lips in anticipation. You lift it to your mouth and take your first sip. All is good with the world again. You put the glass down. And are then told that’s your lot and all you can now do is look at it. That’s a bit what driving a GT3 on the road is like. You’ve tasted a flat-six at 9000rpm and know it’s going to make you feel amazing. But you’ve also seen the numbers on the speedo, and realise it may well be the last time you drive a car for a very, very long time.

The Mustang is kind of the other way round. It won’t lap the Nurburgring in seven minutes whatever. It won’t see you a five-figure return when you trade it in at the dealership for the next version. But in the kind of driving you do most of the time, the burbling around town with an arm draped out of the window, the six-tenths cross-country speeds you can sensibly enjoy on an empty road - this is where the Mustang makes you realise you can have more fun in a slow car than you might in a fast one.

This isn’t about comparing power outputs, purchase price, pose value or anything like that. This is about looking at the way cars make you feel, the sensations you enjoy at the wheel and the way you can actually appreciate their talents. It’s why, just the other day, I enjoyed driving a 113bhp VW Up! GTI on its doorhandles more than lapping the same circuit at the exactly same speed in a Golf GTI Performance with 228bhp, active VAQ ‘diff’, multi-mode suspension and all the rest.

Money, talent, speed limits, good sense and track access no object, of course I’d take a GT3. And it’s entirely appropriate that Porsche and its ilk continue to push the boundaries. But I’m also glad there are new cars in the market who pitch their talents at a more accessible level.

A Load Of Cool British Cars Have Been Discovered In Forza 7's Files

A whole bunch of cars have been discovered in the files of Forza Motorsport 7 following the game's latest update

Forza 7’s latest DLC pack also came with a sizeable update to the game, which potentially hints at some upcoming content for the game. While looking through some of the files, GTPlanet user TheAdmiester discovered a few thumbnails of cars which might well be making an appearance in this (or possible future Forza titles) in the future, and it’s a fairly eclectic selection with a mostly British flavour.

As well as the fully-weaponised Aston Martin DB5 as driven by James Bond, there’s also the tiny Peel P50, star of one of the most famous Top Gear segments ever. Other British cars found include the Morris Minor, TVR Cerbera Speed 12, Morgan Aero SuperSports, and even a London Taxi.

Many of these have featured in past Forza titles so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them make an appearance in FM7.

Other juicy new additions include the McLaren Senna and the 80s-tastic Ford Escort RS Turbo. Here’s the full list of what’s been found:

• Ascari KZ1-R
• Aston Martin DB5 (James Bond-spec)
• Austin FX-4 Taxi
• Austin-Healey 3000
• Austin-Healey Sprite
• Bentley 8-litre
• Eagle Speedster
• Ford Escort RS Turbo
• Ford Fiesta Global Rallycross
• Ford Mustang GT
• McLaren Senna
• MG MGB GT
• Morgan Aero SuperSports
• Morris Minor
• Peel P50
• TVR Cerbera Speed 12

Other finds include some alternate liveries for Nascars, the VW Beetle GRC and Ken Block’s Hoonicorn Mustang. There are also some off-road modifications for the Bentley Bentayga and Range Rover.

Of course, just because these files are in the game doesn’t mean they’re going to be making an appearance in Forza 7. In fact, some seem to think it’s a bigger hint as to the content of the upcoming Forza Horizon 4, with the volume of British cars suggesting it could be set in the UK.

Whatever they’re for, we hope we don’t have to wait too long. The prospect of racing - and modifying - a Peel P50 is just too exciting. Why wouldn’t it be?!

Ken Block's Escort Cosworth Is Now Liveried Up And It Looks Amazing

Block will be competing in the American Rally Association series this year using a WRC-spec 1991 Ford Escort Cosworth

Remember Ken Block’s 1991 Ford Escort Cosworth rally car, which we looked at a few months ago? It’s now liveried up, and hot damn, does it look good.

Kenny B has released not just a video detailing the new finish, but also footage of the car undergoing testing on gravel. And yes, the 350bhp ex-WRC car does sound particularly special while being driven in anger.

The car has also been fully prepped for the American Rally Association. It’ll be entered in the Open 4WD class, and Block will be once again partnering with Alex Gelsomin, who’ll be on co-driver duties.

Fancy seeing the car and the Ken Block in action? Check out the schedule above to see the rounds the Escort Cossie will be taking on this year.