New BMW X5 gets diesel, hybrid, electric and hydrogen versions Motoring BMW’s new X5 offers more powertrain choices than ever, combining diesel, plug-in hybrid, electric and future hydrogen technology. BMW’s fifth-generation X5 arrives with more powertrain choices than any version before it, including a hydrogen model due in 2028 built with Toyota. Rather than picking a side in the electric transition, BMW is selling all sides [...]
New BMW M3: why the next one arrives as both a 1,000bhp EV and a petrol straight-six Sponsored BMW has confirmed the next M3 will come in electric and petrol versions. It looks like a simple product decision, but it says far more about an industry still unsure what a performance car should be in the electric age. For years the industry told a tidy story about all this. Electrification would arrive, petrol [...]
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026 Preview Sponsored The Goodwood Festival of Speed will return to Goodwood House this month. Here’s everything you need to know. West Sussex in summer is usually a study in tranquillity, defined by the gentle rustle of leaves in the South Downs and the quiet allure of hidden public gardens. It is a landscape designed for long, languid [...]
Motor finance compensation scheme hanging by a thread amid legal row May 8, 2026 The City watchdog has told lenders to prepare for the “alternative scenario of no scheme” in the long-running motor finance scandal as another legal showdown brews. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has received four legal challenges including from lenders Volkswagen Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and Crédit Agricole Auto Finance. On the consumer side, the [...]
Motor finance trade body gears up for legal challenge to £9bn redress April 24, 2026 The motor finance industry’s trade body is mulling lodging a legal battle against the UK financial watchdog‘s £9bn redress scheme. The Finance and Leasing Association (FLA), which counts Santander and the financial arms of BMW and Volkswagen among its members, is reported to be leaning towards challenging the City regulator’s scheme. Members of the body [...]
Carmakers to skirt a crash in £11bn motor finance redress February 18, 2026 UK carmakers are set to curb a hefty hit in the City regulator’s forthcoming redress scheme for the motor finance scandal. Captive lenders, in-house lenders of manufacturers, are to be granted some reprieve by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) after relentless lobbying that the scheme could hamper investment in the UK. The FCA was forced [...]
BMW M3 CS Touring review: A case of sense and sensibility December 1, 2025 Powerful estate cars have traditionally been Audi’s territory, but BMW is fighting back. The first ever M3 Touring was launched in 2022, followed by the larger M5 Touring last year. Now there is a faster, more focused ‘CS’ evolution of the M3 wagon. If you want to outpace Porsches on a circuit, then lug an [...]
BMW i7 review: Flagship luxury saloon suits being electric November 14, 2025 Let’s just gloss over how it looks. Style is subjective, after all. And without wanting to inflame international tensions, I suspect this BMW wasn’t designed with European tastes in mind. Besides, you can’t see that gigantic fake grille when you recline in one of the i7’s heated rear armchairs. Instead, your field of vision is [...]
Motor finance: BMW sets aside over £200m for car mis-selling September 22, 2025 BMW’s UK car finance arm has set aside over £200m to cover a potential hit from the motor finance scandal. The firm joins a batch of British lenders and motor companies, which have been forced to prepare provisions with millions of drivers eligible for compensation. In July, the Supreme Court handed City banks a lukewarm [...]
Rolls-Royce banking on bespoke cars to attract super-rich July 23, 2025 Wealthy buyers seeking to personalise their new Rolls-Royce helped boost the luxury car brand’s profit in 2024 despite falling sales. The Hampshire-based business, which is owned by BMW, said its bespoke service reached a record level last year with a 10 per cent increase on average per car year-on-year. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars added the rise [...]