CHOP AND CHANGE

From hypercar to hyper-small Volvo SUV, here’s the latest news from the industry

#1 LAFERRARI REPLACEMENT DUE IN FOUR YEARS

Ferrari’s chief technology officer, Michael Leiters, has hinted that a hypercar replacing the Laferrari will appear in around four years time. The company will reassess its powertrain technology and innovation roadmap by the end of this year, with an F1-based engine off the cards. The company’s naturally aspirated V12 allied with hybrid tech is a possibility.

#2 VOLVO XC20 ON THE CARDS

The compact-crossover craze shows no sign of abating and it looks as though Volvo is likely to join the fray with an entry-level offering to take on the likes of Audi’s Q2. Volvo’s R&D head, Henrik Green, claims that, owing to the scalability of the firm’s CMA global platform, developing an XC20 is a viable option.

#3 EV ONSLAUGHT TO SPELL END OF BEETLE AND SCIROCCO?

A recent legal mandate forcing VW to release three new EVS in California by 2019 will speed up the global development of Volkswagen’s I.D. electric vehicle, potentially at the cost of the slow-selling Scirocco and Beetle. VW officials claim that the “emotional void” left in their wake will be filled by the likes of the Arteon sedan and boldly styled I.D. models.

#4 SEARING HOT JAGUAR XE ON THE HORIZON

Touted as Jaguar’s most powerful roadgoing car to date, the XE SV Project 8 will mount a supercharged 5,0-litre V8 sending 440 kw to all corners via a performance AWD system. With this Svo-fettled firepower, a 0-100 km/h time of less than 3,5 seconds means that Jaguar is targeting the likes of Mercedes-amg’s C63 S and BMW’S special-edition M3s.