Confidential opinions

“The latest-generation GT-R Nismo is a wonderful halo product”

Confidential

Autocar confidential: Lamborghini, Nismo, Seat, Jaguar

Our reporters empty their notebooks to round up this week's gossip from across the automotive industry

Autocar

15 August 2017

Autocar confidential: Lamborghini, Nismo, Seat, Jaguar

Confidential

Could Aston's new boss also be a good move for Mercedes?

Andy Palmer already has a close relationship with Merc thanks to Nissan's alliance. So the new CEO could be perfect for a closer Merc and Aston relationship

Chas Hallett

3 September 2014

Could Aston's new boss also be a good move for Mercedes?

By the time the Mercedes SLR McLaren came out, carbonfibre was less expensive

Confidential

The slow rise of carbonfibre

Three decades after McLaren pioneered the use of carbonfibre in F1, it is at the forefront of the material's use in road cars

Mark Tisshaw

12 July 2012

The slow rise of carbonfibre

Confidential

Why we can't lose Lotus

Shrugged shoulders, exchanged glances, and what I believe is the honest answer: we just don't know. I'm at Lotus HQ and have asked the inevitable question. What news?

Matt Prior

11 April 2012

Why we can't lose Lotus

Confidential

Nissan's return to the mainstream

Back in 2004, we flew up to Nissan’s Sunderland plant to be given a briefing on the company’s brave new world. After years of selling mainstream hatchbacks, Nissan’s European arm decided to concentrate on superminis and SUVs

Hilton Holloway

10 April 2012

Nissan's return to the mainstream

Confidential

New boots have transformed my Civic Type R

Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together? Two weeks ago we (the Sutcliffes, not the magazine) bought a 2007 Honda Civic Type R, with a mere 35,000 miles on the clock but almost nothing left in the way of front tyres

Steve Sutcliffe

30 March 2012

New boots have transformed my Civic Type R

Confidential

Even more people buy the people's car

The weighty and expensively produced tome pictured below is the VW Group annual report. The 361 pages are packed with information. How many vehicles did VW Group sell in 2011? 8,361,294, up 14.9 per cent over 2010.

Hilton Holloway

15 March 2012

Even more people buy the people's car

Confidential

Modularity: good for the bottom line. Less so for cars?

You would have thought the VW Group's board members could have raised a smile at today's announcement of their record sales and profits - but then perhaps they are used to taking such good news in their stride.

Jim Holder

12 March 2012

Modularity: good for the bottom line. Less so for cars?

Confidential

How it works - GM/PSA Alliance

It is early days for the purchasing and platform sharing agreement between GM and PSA, but work has already started to integrate the companies' engineering and buying operations. Where it will all lead to is a $2b a year saving - $1b a year each - in costs.

Julian Rendell

7 March 2012

How it works - GM/PSA Alliance

Confidential

All change for Merc (and its buyers)

I took a phone call the other day from a long-time Mercedes A-class owner. He wanted to know why the brand was deserting just about every value that made his car so ideal for his lifestyle.

Jim Holder

6 March 2012

All change for Merc (and its buyers)