It seems fitting to kick off this week’s Car.co.uk news round-up with the announcement that Genesis will begin sales in the UK in the summer of this year. Hyundai’s luxury brand is going through a massive relaunch with new models, an electrification strategy, a totally different design direction and more technology. The G80 electric saloon and GV80 SUV will be first in the country, followed by the G70 and GV70 as well as another two electric models. It will be interesting to see if the brand is a true rival to BMW and Mercedes, or more of a thorn in the side of Lexus and Tesla.
Sticking with Korean brands, Kia has revealed pricing for its new EV6 which arrives in the UK in October. Its sporty new electric model will start from £40,895 for the rear-wheel drive models with the 576hp all-wheel drive GT versions starting at £43,895. All will feature a 77.4kWh and 800V ultra-fast charging capability the same as the Porsche Taycan.
Big news for many will be the long-awaited reveal of the new Skoda Fabia. Sharing a platform with the recently revealed facelifted Volkswagen Polo, the Fabia has been popular throughout its 22 years. The new model has a much more upmarket look together with more space due to a slight increase in size. There are no electrification plans for the model so it’s all traditional petrol engines. It also gets lots more tech, from the option of a digital instrument display to gesture control and a voice controlled digital assistant called Laura. It’s certainly come a very long way from the original.
Still within the Volkswagen Group, Seat has launched the cheapest version of its Cupra Leon. Featuring 242hp the hot hatch will start at £31,460 and it’s 2.0 litre motor will allow it to sprint to 62mph in 6.4 seconds and its top speed is limited to 155mph. It boasts all the usual Cupra styling with sports bumpers, 18 or 19-inch wheels, black brakes and bits of copper detailing.
If the Cupra is a bit too tame and too cheap for you, then Bentley has launched its new Continental GT Speed, claiming it is the most dynamic Bentley ever made. It’ll launch to 60mph in just 3.5 seconds and back up its dynamic claims with systems like three-chamber air suspension, adaptive damping, variable electronic stability control, an electronic limited slip differential and optional massive carbon ceramic brakes to rein everything in. And if you want all this plus the wind in your hair, there’s a convertible too.
If you really want to blow your hair back though, then after Ferrari announced a new supercar a couple of weeks ago, it’s now given it a name, the 812 Competizione and revealed a topless targa version, the Competizione A or Aperta. Maranello has also confirmed some numbers, such as 818hp at 9,250rpm, 692Nm of torque at 7,000rpm, 0-62mph in 2.85 seconds and the all-important number for Ferrari fans, a Fiorano lap time of 1 minute 20 seconds. These are all for the coupe though, we don’t know numbers for the Aperta yet.
Written by Mark Smyth
