New Jaguar XJ kicks off with best sales in class

The new Jaguar XJ tops the sales charts in June It’s taken a while; that’s for sure. We expected to see the new Jaguar XJ in showrooms before the end of 2009. Except for the XJ Supersports which was going to be March 2010.

Volkswagen e-Golf goes on sale – price from £30,845

The Volkswagen e-Golf (pictured) is now on sale in the UK The Nissan LEAF has almost had the market place for proper family EVs to itself until recently, but the arrival of the impressive BMW i3 -especially when specced with a range extending motor – threatens to make a dent in LEAF sales, and another dent could come courtesy of the new Volkswagen e-Golf, which goes on sale today in the UK priced from £30,845 (£25,845 after taxpayer bribe). In most of the ways that matters, the e-Golf is a regular Golf MK 7, but lurking under the familiar exterior lies a thumping great bank of batteries weighing 318kg (about the same as a car full of passengers) and an electric motor driving the front wheels and good for 113bhp. Range for the e-Golf is up to 118 miles from a full charge, a charge that will take 13 hours from a regular 3-pin socket, a more acceptable 8 hours if you use the optional 3.6 kW wallbox you can spec (for free from British Gas) and a quick charge of up to 80 per cent in 35 minutes.

Volvo Concept Coupe (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

The Swedes have done emotional coupes before – like the C70 and the legendary P1800 – but the Volvo Concept Coupe is the first from its new designer, Thomas Ingenlath. Recruited from VW, Ingenlath says that the concept, which is underpinned by the new SPA platform (which stands for Scalable Platform Architecture) that will be used on the 2014 XC90, is both a nod to the past and a signal of intent for the future. You’ll be able to see it at the Frankfurt motor show in September.