+++ FIAT Fiat has almost finalised the design of the Multiplina, its 4-seat microcar, but it must shed weight before it can go on sale. The new urban runabout made a surprise appearance at the Paris motor show, having previously been previewed in a single picture earlier this year. Its styling has evolved since that image was first published, and Fiat’s head of design, François Leboine, told that it’s now “close to production”. Due on sale in 2028, the Multiplina is not a traditional car but instead a quadricycle, meaning it follows a different ruleset to be homologated for road use. It’s based on the Citroën Ami and Fiat Topolino, which sit in the L6e class so are restricted to 8 hp and a 45 kph top speed. The Multiplina is being developed for L7e, which raises those limits to 20 hp and 90 kph. The L7e regulations allow a maximum weight “in running order” of just 450 kg, which is an increase of only 25 kg compared with L6e. The Multiplina is essentially a stretched Ami, which already weighs a claimed 417 kg. The addition of 2 more seats, more metal in its structure and a larger battery (for a longer range than the Ami’s 74 km) tips it over the allowed 450 kg. Leboine said: “The problem is the weight. L7 is still 450 kg maximum. If you start from a Topolino, you add 2 people and you extend the chassis, you immediately increase the weight in every dimension. You quickly pass the limit. “The exercise is to reduce weight: to find tricks and ideas to get rid of weight everywhere. It’s a bit like in a race car and that’s funny, because it’s got nothing to do with racing. It’s the same approach. If you can make a hole in a piece, you make a hole. It’s really about reducing, reducing, reducing”. Former Fiat boss Olivier François said recently that the Multiplina would “be super-important for us, because it’s really the missing link between Topolino and the traditional city car”. To that end, it will slot into the Italian brand’s line-up between the Topolino and the 500. That would make it just under 3 metres in length, compared with 2.53 metres for the Topolino. The styling of the new concept makes clear callbacks to the classic 600 Multipla, including the overall silhouette, vertical nose and round headlights. François said it would “play a lot on our DNA and be rooted in our style”, adding that it shows that “Fiat will be the brand within Stellantis that will really go all in on micromobility”. +++
+++ The HONDA CIVIC has gained the Prelude’s simulated engine and gearbox technology in a bid to ramp up the family hatchback’s driver engagement. The Civic is a hybrid and its internal combustion engine is used primarily to generate electricity for its 184 hp electric motor, which drives the wheels. The engine is used for forward motion only under higher loads, such as at motorway speeds. The addition of the ‘S+ Shift’ system from the Prelude means the electric motor can now give the impression of behaving similarly to a traditional combustion engine and automatic gearbox, should an owner desire. It simulates the change in sound and performance as ‘revs’ build, as well as the interruption of power as it changes through its eight virtual ‘gears’. It is activated by pressing a new S+ button on the centre console. When the S+ system is engaged, the paddles mounted on the back of the steering wheel (normally used for adjusting the strength of the electric motor’s regenerative braking) can be used to change up or down a gear. Downchanges automatically blip the throttle to match revs for a smoother transition. The system will be fitted as standard on the middle-rung Sport trim (€40.540 in The Netherlands), which has gained an uprated Bose sound system to better deliver the simulated engine noise. The kit is also included in the range-topping Advance grade (€44.250). The first EV to offer a simulated combustion powertrain was the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, but Honda has since followed the Korean company’s lead and installed it in the Prelude hybrid and the Super-N city car. Although such technology is not yet a perfect match for a physical combustion engine and gearbox, it is pitched as a way of offering a traditional driving experience during the transition to more energy-efficient and lower-polluting hybrid and electric powertrains. Other manufacturers using such technology include Porsche, which will employ it in the next-generation Porsche 718 Boxster EV, Kia and Mercedes-AMG. +++
+++ KIA ’s range of all-electric models now spans all the important market segments, but it’s the petrol and hybrid-powered Sportage that remains the firm’s most popular car, and the next one has been spotted testing. The new Sportage will be the 6th generation of Kia’s mediumsize SUV and it will have massive shoes to fill, as the current model is still very popular, despite arriving back in 2021. The overall character of the Sportage is likely to mimic that of the similarly sized, all-electric EV5. Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy took on a new approach with the likes of the EV4 and EV3, and the facelifted Sportage, which arrived in 2024, aligned more closely to the electric cars, with its new ‘Star Map’ headlights and more angular shape. The new car is set to go even further in that direction, bringing the designs of Kia’s combustion and pure-EV models even closer. I expect the new Sportage will be bigger than the current car, as it’ll almost certainly continue to share its underpinnings with sister outfit Hyundai’s new Tucson, revealed this summer. The outgoing Tucson and Sportage have the same width, height and wheelbase, but the new Tucson is 35 mm wider, 20 mm taller and 35 mm longer than its predecessor. Expect the same for the Sportage to increase passenger space, while it will also compete with the Hyundai’s massive 695-litre boot. The interior of the Sportage will be centered around Hyundai’s all-new Pleos infotainment software, which arrived this year on the Ioniq 3 and Tucson, and will be rolled out to Kia and a claimed 20 million cars within the group up to 2030. The system, which on the latest Tucson makes use of a 12.9 inch or 17 inch touchscreen, comes with the latest AI-enhanced voice recognition, plus access to third-party apps and connected services such as YouTube and Spotify. The Sportage’s powertrain options will also likely mirror those of the new Tucson. I expect the usual mix of full-hybrid and plug-in hybrid units, with front and four-wheel drive. The full hybrid will boast around 240 hp and a 6-speed automatic. The new plug-in hybrid version will get a 17.1 kWh battery allowing for up to 85 km. The current Sportage PHEV maxes out at 70 km thanks to a 13.8 kWh battery. I don’t expect a full reveal until 2027. +++
+++ The all-new, feverishly anticipated LAND ROVER DEFENDER SPORT has been spotted being put through its paces once again, but rather than fording a river or climbing a mountain as we might expect, it’s been captured lapping the Nürburgring. Land Rover has been toying with the idea of a ‘mini Defender’ for 7 years now, and it feels like it’s been testing near-production prototypes for almost as long. Hopefully, this blast on Germany’s ‘Green Hell’ means that it is approaching the final stages of testing. We could see the Defender Sport make its world premiere next year. It will feature the same boxy, upright shape that people know and love from the full-size Defender. Minimal overhangs at the front and rear will help deliver the necessary approach and departure angles when off-road, as is the case with its big brother. However, there will be a more rounded, sleeker angle to the nose and an ever-so slightly sloped rear windscreen, endowing the newcomer with a unique style that means it doesn’t simply resemble a shorter version of the regular Defender with some length chopped out from the middle. I’m sure it was no easy task for Land Rover’s designers to transfer the Defender’s iconic design and charming personality into a new, more compact package. Black-coloured lower bumpers and wheelarches will give it an off-roader look, as will rugged-looking wheels and off-road tyres. However, just as with the full-sized Defender, buyers will also be able to choose a more road-biased appearance, with smaller wheels and body-coloured panels. The tailgate will be side-opening and there’s a good chance a spare wheel will be attached. Land Rover knows its customers love customising their cars, so contrasting roof colours, decal packs, wheel arch extensions and off-road gear such as chunky roof racks will all be part of the offering. Originally the plan was for the new SUV to be all-electric. However, earlier this year JLR announced that models based on its groundbreaking EMA platform, including the Defender Sport, will also be offered with hybrid power in response to “demand for increased choice in global markets”. The British marque has confirmed that the next addition to the Defender family is going to feature its first-ever full-hybrid powertrain. JLR still hasn’t revealed any technical information about this new petrol-electric set-up, though, or whether it’ll be arriving at the same time or after the EV version. Another likely reason for the change of heart is that the United States is the priority for JLR at the moment, and demand for EVs over there has cooled significantly. CEO P.B Balaji said: “Apart from accelerating our existing offerings, we are also exploring new high potential segments for our Defender brand, which will allow us to offer tailored luxury products and experiences for even more of our US clients. Our aspiration, in the coming years, is to grow our US business to the size of the entire JLR business as it exists today”. While the new Defender Sport will offer the same sort of chunky styling and off-road capability as the iconic original, prices are set to be lower, and when it does arrive it will effectively replace the ageing Discovery Sport. The electric Defender Sport will feature dual motors and a new battery pack, which I expect will sit somewhere around the 80 kWh mark. It could eventually be available in various sizes across different models in the JLR group, including the new Range Rover Velar, but the baby Defender will likely stick with just 1 battery size to start. With such an upright body, efficiency is not expected to be the new car’s strongest asset. It should have a range around the 500 km mark, given the battery size and latest e-motor technology. Despite mainly running on electricity, the baby Defender will still be four-wheel drive, and come with most of the off-road capability expected from the brand. Its overall proportions will limit elements such as the approach and departure angles, but I do expect a full Terrain Response system to be available. Land Rover will also take full advantage of the electric powertrain for off-roading, with the ability to distribute power more precisely to the front and rear wheels than is possible with a combustion engine. Elements including locking differentials could be fitted at the axles, but with no mechanical connection between them, a centre-differential is no longer required. +++
+++ PEUGEOT wants to make the dramatic e-T16 concept a production reality and it could be ready as soon as “next year”, according to CEO Alain Favey. The e-T16 was unveiled at the Paris motor show as a first look at the next generation of the e-208, hinting at that supermini’s general shape and lighting signatures. But with an 815 hp dual-motor powertrain and striking wide-arched bodywork inspired by the 1980s homologation-special 205 T16, it seemed unlikely to be up for production consideration. Yet Favey told that “it is technically feasible”, pointing to the concept being underpinned by Stellantis’s new STLA One platform as proof of its viability. Favey said: “We can make it. The car is based on STLA One. We have a lot of elements from the new e-208. We can make it as it is, as you see it here. We can make this car next year. Let’s see. That’s an easier exercise in a way, to say ‘let’s make a car that makes you dream but at the same time a car that we can make’. It’s at least a car we can make. It’s technically feasible”. Favey pointed to the involvement of motorsport arm Peugeot Sport in the e-T16’s development as proof of its feasibility, adding that its technical specification wasn’t just dreamed up for the sake of grabbing headlines. “815 hp, this and that and the other, they are real facts”, he said. “If we make this car, we can make it. That’s the performance we can get to”. A production version of the e-T16 would likely be a low-volume, high-cost halo product for Peugeot, in the same sense as the similarly conceived Renault 5 Turbo 3E. Favey didn’t discuss pricing, but the €160.000 figure of the 5 Turbo 3E indicate what Peugeot could charge for the four-wheel-drive “hyper-hatch”. It would spearhead Peugeot’s push further upmarket with “sporty”, design-led cars that are crucial to its wider growth aspirations. Favey said the brand is looking to increase its annual sales volumes from 1.1 million to 1.5 million cars, targeting “profitable growth”. +++
+++ POLESTAR line-up consisted of only one model at the start of the decade with the Polestar 2. But the all-electric Chinese-owned Swedish company is rapidly expanding its portfolio, and could be looking to enter the compact car segment in the future. The Polestar 3 launched in 2024 as a large SUV to tackle the BMW iX and Audi e-Tron, while the Polestar 4 arrived that same year as a sleeker 4-door SUV-coupé, becoming the brand’s most popular model this year. The 4 became the 4 Coupé with the arrival of the more spacious, but technologically identical 4 SUV, plus there’s also the new Porsche Taycan-rivalling Polestar 5 as the brand’s flagship offering. Next year we’ll see the second-generation Polestar 2 arrive to take on the BMW i3 (in the process killing off the strategy to date of naming every new car with a higher number) while the Polestar 7 is scheduled for 2028, introducing the firm to the all-important and potentially lucrative C-segment SUV market. Polestar’s plan, as laid out by design boss Philipp Römers in 2025, is coming to fruition, but another market might be in the sights of the ex-Audi designer. Asked whether Polestar could expand into the compact electric car sector to rival the A2 e-Tron recently unveiled by his previous employer, Römers said: “I would love to have a compact Polestar in that market. However, the priority right now is Polestar 2 and 7, but who knows in the future?” He also stated that while Polestar is committed to the premium car market, a compact model would not dilute the brand. This isn’t the first time that Römers has expressed his interest in a compact Polestar. Back in 2025, just a year into the job, he told us: “To become more profitable we need more compact cars as well. But when you buy this smaller car, you also buy a piece of the brand, a piece of the Polestar 5”. While there are no clues yet as to the potential make-up of a compact Polestar, offering “a piece of the Polestar 5” suggests that big-car tech could be available. +++
+++ PORSCHE ’s replacement for the combustion-engined Macan is beginning to shape up and it’s set to look significantly more aggressive than the related Audi Q5. As part of its new ‘Sportswagenschmeide 35’ strategy, Porsche confirmed last week that the new SUV will arrive in 2028 and be sold “in parallel” with the Macan Electric. It will be based on the same Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) as the Audi Q5. The Macan will sit significantly lower and wider than the Q5, which should endow it with greater dynamic capabilities. Although the car’s final look remains a secret, new Porsche design chief Tobias Suhlmann recently suggested that it would be distinct from that of the Macan Electric. He said: “First of all, it should look like a Porsche. That is for me the overall target. We’ve talked about torpedo fenders; you should see them also in an SUV. There are technical needs that are different in an EV and ICE (Internal Combustion Engined, so you always need to design it in comparison to the technical bits that sit underneath the shape”. CEO Michael Leiters recently described the new ICE Macan as one the German company’s “immediate priorities”. Production of the previous ICE Macan ended in July, yet it still outsold the EV during the third quarter of this year, at 27.996 and 23.029 examples respectively. The total of 51.025 Macan sales represented a 21% reduction compared with the third quarter of 2025. As part of its strategic overhaul, Porsche is targeting value over volume; to make a larger profit from a smaller number of cars. Key to this is greater customisation, which will increase the average transaction price of each car the brand sells; a tactic that has proven bountiful for Bentley and Rolls-Royce, among other luxury brands. +++