Top 5 news stories of the week

Porsche Macan pricing

The long awaited reveal of the Porsche Macan is edging closer and (although not official) we get a good insight into what the new baby SUV will cost thanks to dealer information that leaked online. The images which surfaced, showed slides from a dealer presentation that indicated pricing would start at £32,000 for the standard model and £46,500 for the Turbo version. The Audi Q5-sized SUV will also be available with two 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo engines and a bigger 3.6-litre motor in the Macan Turbo. There is still no word on power outputs, however.

Read the full story here: Porsche Macan price and release date

Range Rover completes Silk Trail

The new Ranger Rover Hybrid has completed the world’s first hybrid expedition from the manufacturers UK plant in Solihull to Mumbai. The purpose of the trip was to fine-tune the hybrid powerplant and transmission to ensure flawless performance and power delivery. The journey covered 10,472 miles and took 53 days to complete, with the Ranger Rover Hybrid returning and average 36mpg in the process.

Read the full story here: Land Rover completes world's first hybrid expedition

Charles Morgan forced out of Morgan

The management team at Morgan Motor Company has announced that Charles Morgan no longer has a role at the British manufacturer. Since the announcement was made, Charles Morgan has revealed he is to fight the decision and made this announcement on his personal blog. "As has been widely reported, I have been asked to leave the Morgan Motor Company by the board. It is a sad decision that I am appealing; I remain a major shareholder in Morgan.”

Read the full story here: Charles Morgan leaves Morgan management team

Nissan VW Golf rival

We brought you spy shots this week revealing Nissan is planning a VW golf rival, which will cover all performance bases from Bluemotion to GTI. Details on the prototype are still scarce but Nissan has told Auto Express the new C-segment model will be one of four new models launched in the next 12 months. Nissan’s new vice president of sales and marketing, Guillaume Cartier told Auto Express, “We went out and did our research and we found that there were lots of customers who would never buy a crossover. So we knew that while we had the Juke and the Qashqai, we also needed a traditional B-segment model (the Nissan Note) and a C-segment hatchback.”

Read the full story here: Nissan Volkswagen Golf rival: new details

Volvo body panels serve as batteries

Volvo has long been a front-runner in developing automotive tech and the Swedish manufacturer has just announced it has developed carbon fibre body panels that act as batteries. Volvo has built two S80 prototypes to demonstrate the technology and it believes the new material recharges and stores energy quicker than a conventional lithium-ion battery.

Read the full story here: Volvo shows car body panels that serve as batteries