Car and Van News

Jaguar has unveiled the latest incarnation of its XJR, the fastest and most powerful version of the large saloon yet offered.

Shown to invited media ahead of this week’s New York Auto Show where it will make its public debut, the XJR has 541bhp from its 5-litre supercharged V8 engine.

Bentley’s head is dropping huge hints that the premium brand’s SUV will, as many have predicted, go into production.

Acoording to CEO Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, having an SUV in the range is crucial if Bentley is to achieve its goal of 15,000 sales a year by 2018.

Skoda’s latest Octavia family hatch is in the process of launching in the UK, and from June it will be joined by an estate version unveiled at Geneva.

Like its saloon sister the third-generation Estate is longer, wider and with a longer wheelbase than its predecessor.

Mercedes-Benz is planning a wider range of S-Class variants to compensate for the demise of its Maybach luxury brand.

While cars such as the A45 AMG and latest E-Class drop-top (pictured) are taking centre stage at Geneva, the immediate future focus is on the S-Class.

New Chinese brand Qoros is making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, promising cars made in China but with distinctly European roots and styling.

Qoros is a joint venture between China’s Chery Automobile and Israel Corporation, an industrial investment company founded in 1968 to attract foreign investors to help develop Israel.

Bentley describes the new version of its Continental four-door, the Flying Spur, as the Crewe brand’s most powerful car yet.

That power comes from a reworked version of the 6-litre 616bhp W12 engine, 64 horses up on the previous version, giving the car a 4.3-second 0-62mph time and a 200mph top speed.

Bentley will take the wraps from the brand new version of its Flying Spur at the Geneva Motor Show next month.

The second generation version of the four-door is the most powerful yet, its makers saying it establishes a new luxury performance saloon benchmark.