News

Kia is poised to take on the Volkswagen Golf with a striking new petrol-powered hatchback aimed at global markets – and an eventual European launch could be on the cards.

The new Kia K4 - shown in the metal for the first time at the New York motor show – will be offered in North America, Asia and the Middle East as a Skoda Octavia-style liftback as well as a traditional five-door hatch. Compared to the saloon, the hatch is 279mm shorter.

Power comes from either an atmospheric 147bhp 2.0-litre or turbocharged 190bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine. The hatchback is offered with GT-Line and GT-Line Turbo variants which receive sport-tuned suspension that, Kia says, improved handling.

While the K4 hatch will arrive in the US in late 2025, it is expected to also make its way to Europe in the near future. 

Test mules have been spotted by our spy photographers near Kia’s engineering centre in Russelsheim, Germany. Although a spokesperson for Kia UK told Autocar that this does not mean the car is poised to go on sale in Europe – and that there are no such plans at present – there are signs of its viability in this market.

The similarly positioned Ceed continues to sell well in Europe despite being an older car than many of its rivals, having been launched in 2018. 

This suggests the Ceed remains a viable product despite the market’s broader shift toward SUVs. The larger Kia Sportage achieved 87,164 sales over the same period.

Assuming a typical product cycle of eight years, the Ceed is due for replacement around 2026. However, Kia has yet to announce any plans for a next generation, which suggests it could look to other models in its portfolio to fill that gap.

The new EV4 is in effect an electric successor to the Ceed, with similar proportions – 4.4m long and 1.8m wide – and a five-door body.

But given that the growth of EV sales in Europe has fallen short of many manufacturers’ expectations, it is possible that Kia would need a combustion-engined model to plug a Ceed-sized hole in its line-up until demand for EVs catches up with previous forecasts. That could provide the business case for importing the K4, which is built in Mexico.

Kia has already committed to adding more hybrid cars to its line-ups across the globe “to manage fluctuation in EV demand”, reinforcing the case for a combustion-engined Ceed successor. Although the K4 does not yet offer a hybrid powertrain, it could be among the nine new cars set to gain one by 2028 "across most major model lines globally".

The Subaru Trailseeker has been revealed as an electric counterpart to the Outback estate that prioritises off-road capabilities.

Subaru's first electric car to be developed in-house, it offers four-wheel drive and the same 8.3in (211mm) of ground clearance as the Solterra electric SUV.

The machine will launch first in the USA in early 2026, but will be a key part of Subaru's plans to expand its EV line-up in Europe – although it has yet to be confirmed if the Trailseeker name will be used.

The Solterra is twinned with the Toyota bZ4X, and while the Trailseeker shares the same platform as those machines it has been conveiced purely as a Subaru. Inoue Masahiko, Subaru's EV product manager, said it featured about 70% Subaru parts and would be built at one of the firm's factories, while the Solterra is manufactured by Toyota.

The Trailseeker packs a pair of 201bhp motors (one per axle) that offer a maximum system output of 375bhp, enabling a 0-60mph sprint time of 4.4sec. The Solterra features a smaller motor on the rear axle, and Inoue-san said the decision to offer two identical motors was made by Subaru to optimise its all-wheel-drive performance.

The machine's 74.kWh lithium lithium ion battery yields a range of 260 miles (on the US's EPA test cycle, rather than Europe's more lenient WLTP standard) and can be charged at rates of up to 150kW, so a 10-80% fill can take less than 35 minutes. 

It can tow loads of up to 1588kg and offers several drive models for surfaces including snow and deep mud, as well as a hill descent control system.

Inside, it's said to offer slightly more cargo space than the Solterra, putting it on a par with the Outback.

There's a 14.0in infotainment touchscreen (the biggest fittest in a Subaru yet) and a high-set digital instrument panel too.

Subaru has yet to announce pricing, but the Trailseeker is likely to be positioned above the Solterra.

Deliveries will begin early next year in the US, with the UK and other European markets close behind. 

As well as revealing the Trailseeker and a heavily revised Solterra at the New York motor show, Subaru has confirmed it will launch two more EVs this year – although only one of those will come to Europe.

While Subaru has yet to reveal details it's possible that - as the Solterra is twinned with the Toyota bZ4X – this will be a restyled version of the new Toyota C-HR+. The two firms have an extended partnership to develop more joint EV models, although Subaru is working on its own purely developed in-house EVs for 2028 onwards.

Looking for a practical SUV that balances power, efficiency and eco-conscious driving? If so, a hybrid is the smart choice.

In a market divided between petrol and electric, hybrid SUVs deliver a winning mix of both.

At their best, they offer some of the fuel savings associated with an electric car teamed with the steadfastness of a combustion engine.

They're also a hit with company car drivers, thanks to lower benefit-in-kind tax rates, making them a savvy financial pick too.

This list comprises of regular hybrid and plug-in hybrid SUVs.

PHEV tech works especially well in SUVs, where there's space to fit batteries and motors without sacrificing too much practicality or comfort. Regular hybrid SUVs are less economical but are typically cheaper to buy and don’t need to be plugged in.

Topping our list is the Skoda Kodiaq PHEV. Our testers were impressed with its comfort, practicality and its 71 miles of electric-only range.

Keep reading to dive into our top picks and we will help find the right hybrid SUV for you.

Subaru is planning to offer performance models in its future full electric line-up – which could include new sports cars in the vein of the Impreza STI and BRZ.

The brand gained a huge cult following for its rally-honed performance machines in the early 1990s, and also enjoyed success with the BRZ sports car that was launched in 2012 as a twin to the Toyota GT86. 

In recent years the firm has focused its efforts on rugged SUVs, and has withdrawn all of its performance models from Europe due to emissions regulations. 

But speaking at the unveiling of the new Trailseeker EV at the New York Auto Show, Subaru Europe boss David Dello Stritto said that “there are plans to bring back the sportiness in Subaru”. 

While he declined to elaborate on specifics, he added: “If you ask me to sum up what Subaru means for customers in Europe right now, it’s three letters: SFT - safe, fun and tough. Those values are why our customers in Europe are loyal and keep coming back to us. 

“But there’s a fourth pillar I’ve been missing to sell in Europe for the last 10 years and that’s P, for power and performance. Ask the average person what Subaru means and they’ll say STI. You can’t disassociate this from Subaru.

“So we need to bring sportiness back to Subaru. Right now, we couldn’t do it: Europe says you can’t, because you have a GPF [gasoline particulate filter] that can literally choke your engine.”

That issue won’t be a problem for electric cars, and Subaru is already looking at what it can do in the electric performance sphere having shown off the radical, 1073bhp STI E-RA in 2022.

Dello Stritto said: “With an EV you’ve got the power and performance, and you’ve got an all-wheel drive system. We’re working on more sporty models, and electrification allows us to do this.

“Let's face it, it's nice to have that prospect of a future WRC STI – super-fast, gold wheels, blue colour. This is what we want, at the end of the day.”

Subaru currently has a partnership with Toyota to jointly develop electric cars: its first EV, the Solterra - which was recently updated – is based on the bZ4X and the new Trailseeker EV uses the same jointly developed platform. 

While Subaru is due to start producing its new EVs from 2028 onwards, the partnership with Toyota is set to continue, raising the prospect that the two firms could share a platform for a future sports car, as they did with the BRZ and GT86. 

Toyota has already shown off a future electric sports car concept in the form of the FT-SE. The Japanese brand is also developing a new 2.0-litre engine that would help hybridised GR sports cars so they can be sold in greater numbers in markets such as Europe where emission regulations limit sales.

Asked by Autocar if this relationship could help with the development of a future Subaru performance car, Dello Stritto said “of course, yes”, although he declined to comment if that would be with technological development or a full model.