News

Great Wall Motor (GWM), maker of the Ora 03 hatchback and Haval Jolion Pro crossover, is bringing a pick-up truck to the UK - and it will be one of the country's cheapest.

The GWM Poer 300 is a diesel-powered double-cab with a towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes, a one-tonne payload and a starting price of £31,495 (excluding VAT) - making it cheaper than the equivalent versions of the Isuzu D-Max, Volkswagen Amarok and Maxus T60 Max - and only a few hundred pounds more than the cheapest Ford Ranger and KGM Musso.

The Poer 300 uses a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine that sends 181bhp and 354lb ft through a seven-speed auto gearbox to both axles - and while GWM has not given full performance details, it says it returns 32.7mpg on the WLTP cycle.

Headline off-roading specifications include an approach angle of 27deg, a departure angle of 25deg and 230mm of ground clearance, which, combined with the permanent 4x4 system and electronic locking rear differential, means the Poer 300 has "exceptional off-road capability", according to GWM.

Already on sale in Australia as the Cannon Ute, the Poer 300 is due on UK roads from September in a choice of three trims: entry-level Lux, mid-rung Ultra and range-topping Vanta.

Standard equipment includes a 12.3in touchscreen with wireless smartphone mirroring, a 7.0in digital driver's display, a wireless phone charger, keyless entry, faux leather seats and 18in alloy wheels.

Options fitted to higher-spec variants include heated and ventilated seats, ambient lighting, a 360deg camera and a sunroof.

GWM UK boss Toby Marshall said: “With the Poer 300, GWM UK is delivering unmatched utility, power and technology at a very competitive price point in the UK market. 

“We fully expect the GWM Poer 300’s combination of capability and value to resonate strongly with small business users and rural dwellers, who rely on vehicles such as this as a backbone of their businesses and lifestyles.”

Volkswagen has launched a £48,360 limited edition of the ID 3 GTX that reimagines the classic Golf Fire+Ice special from the 1990s.

Taking the same name as its forebear, the ID 3 GTX Fire+Ice was previewed last year by an eponymous concept and will be limited to just 1990 examples worldwide.

Its arrival marks the start of an effort by Volkswagen to release low-volume specials across its ID range in a bid to increase the appeal of its EVs, as it did with earlier ICE models.

The German brand says it wants to show how specials, like 1995’s Golf Rolling Stones and 1994’s Golf Pink Floyd, could work with today’s electric range of cars.

The ID 3 GTX Fire+Ice reinterprets many of the original design cues from the limited-edition Golf (pictured below).

It has been designed in collaboration with Bögner, the German sportswear company that helped design the original car.

Highlights include a unique ultra-violet metallic paint, 20in Locarno alloy wheels, red roof trim and a special embossed F+I pattern on the C-pillar. The original Fire+Ice logo can also be found on the roof. 

The interior also receives unique touches, most notable Flaming Red (for Fire) and Ice Blue (for Ice) elements within the special seats, which have been quilted in a design similar to Bögner’s Fire+Ice down jackets.

This new special uses the same powertrain as the ID 3 GTX Performance and so offers 322bhp and 402lb ft from a single, front-mounted electric motor. This gives the car the same 0-62mph time of 5.7sec and top speed of 124mph.

It also gets uprated stabilisers and adaptive dampers. Electricity is supplied by a 79 kWh lithium ion battery with a claimed range of 367 miles.

The ID3 GTX Fire+Ice will be on sale from 7 August.

Mercedes-Benz will introduce a bold new chrome grille design that will feature on its next-generation of electric vehicles, starting with the new electric GLC SUV that will be revealed at next month’s Munich motor show.

The new front-end design, which has been previewed with a teaser image, reinvents the classic radiator grille design that has featured on nearly every combustion-engined Mercedes model.

The new electric GLC, which is in effect a successor to the EQC, will sit alongside the existing combustion-engined version and is the first in a major product offensive by Mercedes-Benz as it abandons dedicated model names for its EVs.

The current design lineage dates to the 1900 Mercedes 35 PS, which featured an upright honeycomb grille to maximise cooling. Elements from that design, such as the distinct central kink on the angled grille, can be seen in current models, although aerodynamics has led the grilles to become far lower and wider.

Because the grille was developed purely for cooling that an EV doesn’t need, the first generation of electric Mercedes featured a different front-end design. But the next-generation electric models will introduce a more traditional grille that returns to a taller and more upright format. 

Mercedes-Benz boss Ola Källenius said the grille was originally “not a design choice, but form follows function”. He said the new design would ensure Mercedes could maintain its identity “in current times, with 100-plus Chinese firms” and others entering the market, and ensure it could carry “the calling card of Mercedes, the unmistakeable Mercedesness” into the future.

Without the need for a cooling function, the grille has been reinvented by Mercedes as an illuminated panel. The version that will appear on the new GLC EV will feature a chrome front – notably going against a wider industry trend to reduce the use of chrome styling elements – that is perforated with 942 small holes. Behind the panel are more than 100 LEDs, which enable the grille to light up in a variety of customisable ways. The central star logo is also illuminated, although the extent to which it is will be dependent on local regulations.

The illuminated grille will feature on all next-gen Mercedes models, although the design will vary slightly between them. The firm is also set to update its combustion models in the coming years, and given it has previously said their design language will 'merge', it is likely their radiator grille designs will change to match the new shape.