The Genesis Mint concept is a premium city car that promises to be “highly manoeuvrable and exhilarating to drive,” according to the Hyundai-owned luxury car brand.

The two-door electric Mint, revealed at the New York motor show, is claimed to offer 200 miles of range and is capable of 350kW fast-charging.

If it were to make production, an intention not yet confirmed, it would be an unusual move for a premium car maker. The majority of makers are opting to produce larger electric vehicles, which answer the ongoing demand for SUVs, better suit the requirements of a battery pack and can justify a more expensive price tag.

The Mint’s closest rival is the upcoming Honda E, which the Japanese manufacturer says will become its flagship model, thanks to innovative technology and a high specification. Launching next year and expected to cost around £35,000, it will be more practical than the Mint, with four seats and a boot.

The Mint ditches a traditional boot in favour of a parcel shelf accessed by scissor-style side openings, which have been built with a low load-in point for easy access.

The concept's three-box design features short front and rear overhangs, wrap-around light bands and a 'crest' grille with a slight opening to cool the battery pack. 

The G-Matrix pattern is also used for efficient cooling and airflow around the lower half of the vehicle and forms the basis for the aerodynamic wheel design, says Genesis.

Inside, the Mint is simplistic, inspired by the Korean tradition of embracing empty space. The centre console, which features a control knob, can be folded turning the front bench into a settee. There is also automatic swivelling of the instrument panel and bench seat for easy ingress and egress.

The oblong steering wheel is surrounded by six small screens, while a seventh is flush in the steering wheel and displays key information.

A Genesis spokesman said: “The Mint concept introduces the all-electric luxury car for the city, a new vehicle typology, featuring organic design and an innovative interior user experience.”

Genesis currently focuses on US and Asian markets, but the brand intends to launch in Europe, including the UK, next year. Brand boss Manfred Fitzgerald told Autocar last year that the maker will “focus on the UK” and build right-hand drive models. 

He added that it will launch its entire line-up, including saloons and SUVs. “To launch the brand, you come with an entire product portfolio. It’s not about volume. If it were, then you would go for a specific body type. Instead, it’s a brand-building exercise.”

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Leasing can be an affordable, practical route into having your own private car, but it's not always easy to tell the good deals from the duds. 

The experts at our sister magazine What Car? work hard to find you the best pay-monthly schemes, taking into account mileage allowance, montly outlay, contract length and initial deposit. We'll be bringing you the best deals they find from a different segment each week.

This week, it's hot hatchbacks: 

1. VW Golf GTI 245 Performance

£285 per month, £1709 deposit, 24 months, 8000 miles per year 

It may be in its twilight years, but the Mk7 Golf GTI remains the consummate hot hatch all-rounder. In this 245 Performance spec, it gets bigger brakes and a limited-slip differential to sharpen up its handling.

More Volkswagen lease deals

2. Seat Leon Cupra 290

£244 per month, £1464 deposit, 24 months, 8000 miles per year​​

Closely related to the Golf GTI but with far more power, the Leon Cupra 290 is as usable every day as it is blisteringly quick along a B-road. It lacks the VW’s classy cabin and badge appeal, however.

More Seat lease deals

3. Honda Civic Type R

£436 per month, £2616 deposit, 24 months, 8000 miles per year

What’s so clever about the latest Civic Type R is that it can be as wild and as outrageously fast as any other hot hatch one moment, then remarkably civilised and comfy the next. Its styling remains divisive, though.

More Honda lease deals

4. Renault Sport Megane 280 

£305 per month, £1830 deposit, 24 months, 8000 miles per year​

For a long time, RS Méganes were among the best-to-drive hot hatches on sale. This newest version is more usable than ever but still rewarding on the right road. Optional Cup chassis gives a very firm ride.

More Renault lease deals

5. Mercedes-AMG A35

£450 per month, £2698 deposit, 24 months, 8000 miles per year​

It might not be the hot hatch of choice for someone who lives at one end of a B-road and works at the other but, as an everyday proposition, the A35 is hard to beat. It also has a first-rate cabin.

More Mercedes lease deals

6. BMW M140i

£370 per month, £3326 deposit, 24 months, 8000 miles per year

When the current 1 Series is replaced later this year by a new model with front- or four-wheel drive, you’ll no longer be able to buy a new rear-driven hot hatch. Catch the M140i while you still can.

More Range Rover lease deals

For more great personal & business lease deals visit What Car? leasing. 

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Porsche has officially revealed the production version of the 911 Speedster as a final send-off for the 991-generation 911.

On display at this week's New York motor show, the soft-top Speedster is the first to be developed by Porsche's motorsport division. It arrives with the same 4.0-litre flat-six as the current 911 GT3 and GT3 RS, and receives individual throttle bodies similar to the 911 GT3 R race car for improved response under acceleration. 

The naturally-aspirated engine revs to 9000rpm, develops 495bhp and 346lb ft of torque, and is paired exclusively with a six-speed manual gearbox. The Speedster promises a 192mph top speed and can crack 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds. 

The performance-focused Speedster uses a chassis based on the current GT3, with which it shares the same rear axle steering, dynamic engine mounts and 20in centre-lock alloy wheels. It has a low-cut front windscreen and twin streamliners behind the cabin that have become emblematic of the Speedster range.

Weight saving measures include manual operation for the fabric roof, and ceramic brakes are standard. Body panels, including the front luggage lid, are made from carbon fiber composite, and air conditioning is omitted as standard (though it can be added back in as a no-cost option). Lightened door panels inside the cabin help reduce weight further, with fabric door pulls and cargo nets helping the Speedster to weigh in at 1465kg.

Originally teased last year in concept form for Porsche's 70th anniversary, this latest model now becomes the ninth 911 to bear the Speedster name. It becomes the final form of the 991-generation 911, the 992-generation model having launched at the end of 2018.

The Speedster will be available to order in May in the US from $275,750 (roughly £211,000) and will be limited to just 1948 examples, in a nod to the year the Porsche 356 first went on sale. That number is significantly higher than for the 997-generation car that was the last to carry the Speedster name; just 356 were produced, using an engine shared with the 3.8-litre Carrera GTS.

First deliveries are due before the end of 2019. UK pricing and allocation has yet to be confirmed.

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Pininfarina designed two dramatic concept cars for the Shanghai motor show. In days gone by, that would have been front page news, because it would have likely meant a new Ferrari and the other perhaps an established car maker looking to get out of a design rut by turning to the iconic design house for a nudge in the right direction.

But in Shanghai, it meant a concept car for electrified vehicle maker Karma (born out of the old Fisker Karma) that, while striking, is never likely to reach production. It also meant a new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle maker called Grove aiming at (and succeeding in) getting a few more column inches for its first concept car, the Granite, rather than the scrutiny being applied to the aspirations of yet another start-up Chinese car maker.

This is the reality of a design house nowadays, even one as great and with as many icons in its back catalogue as Pininfarina.

“To be frank, traditional design houses have now built their own design centres; we cannot hide this,” says company chairman Paolo Pininfarina. “They have big design centres. Some always had one, like BMW or Mercedes, but some used to partner and collaborate – especially the Italian brands.

“Now they build their own more and more. It's not for me to say if it’s right or wrong. For me, innovation also comes through contamination. Through collaboration, partnerships. Then you see it from both sides’ point of view, you discuss, see this, and you create more innovation.

“If you have one design point of view, the design studio, the inspiration is the history. And you’re afraid to go out of the tradition, and you lack innovation. You can’t deny that in traditional brands building up design centres, the traditional design houses are not as important as in the past.”

They’re quite sad words to hear when you can consider the illustrious history of Pininfarina, but this is the reality of the modern car industry. So, how is Pininfarina fighting back?

“Now there is a revolution on connected, shared, electrified, autonomous vehicles," says Paolo. "New systems, new mobility, new interfaces and human-machine interface. There is a lot of space for Pininfarina.”

There is also a rather convenient new client through the arrival of Automobili Pininfarina. That’s both good and bad news for the Italian company that lends its name to the upstart. Both are part of the giant Indian conglomerate Mahindra, so the work will be in-house, yet in giving its names to cars of its own for the first time, Pininfarina must fear declining business (as Italdesign found when bought by the Volkswagen Group), because everyone simply fears you’re working for the opposition.

It also brings up the very thing Paolo bemoaned in the diminishing amount of third-party work, because it's now effectively designing cars with its own badge on them, even if the companies are managed separately and have autonomy.

“Automobili Pininfarina is a client that, like all others, we give 100% to,” says Paolo. “But it’s a special one, as it uses our name as a standalone. We need to be careful, as it has all of our designs on it. Our personal presence is quite strong, and I want to check the design works with Pininfarina history and heritage. It’s special.”

Automobili Pininfarina revealed its first model, the Battista electric hypercar, at the recent Geneva motor show. More are planned, but they're not to be rushed. “We don’t need to hurry too much,” says Paolo. “It took us 90 years to do the first model, so taking 91 to do two models is okay.”

Despite the new work from elsewhere in the group, Pininfarina is smaller than before. However, it's also more profitable. Its design studio in China is just as busy as its one in Italy, with both having around 3-4 projects ongoing at a time.

There seems a tinge of regret and sadness when Paolo speaks about what Pininfarina has evolved into, but he remains optimistic that the great company can put its name to cars from major manufacturers once more.

“With traditional brands, maybe limited editions and celebrations are a way to go," he moots. "With BMW, we did the Gran Lusso six years ago. It was a nice experience, why could we not do it again?”

And with Ferrari: “Why not?”

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Mercedes-AMG has extended its range of four-cylinder performance models with the introduction of the CLA 35 4Matic four-door coupé.

The recently revealed CLA is the third of Mercedes-Benz's latest generation of compact models to receive the AMG treatment, following the A35 4Matic hatchback and the recently announced A35 4Matic Saloon.

Pricing has yet to be announced, though the CLA 35 is planned to be positioned beneath the six-cylinder C43 and has been conceived to compete against the 2020 BMW M230i Gran Coupé and the Audi S3 Saloon. UK deliveries are expected to get underway in August.

Despite being close in conception to the four-door A35 Saloon, AMG is banking on the more expressive design of the CLA 35 to find favour among particular customers.

"The CLA 35 4Matic is an attractive offer for a young, active lifestyle target group," said Mercedes-AMG CEO Tobias Moers. "These customers define their requirements very clearly: they expect exciting design alongside superior performance and inspiring handling.”

The new AMG model receives the same transversely mounted turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder as the A35 variants. Based around the M254-designated unit used by the CLA 250, it produces 302bhp at 5800rpm and 295lb ft of torque at 3000rpm.

Drive is sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and multi-plate-clutch four-wheel drive system - a combination Mercedes-AMG says can vary the drive split from 100% to the front wheels to 50:50 front and rear depending on prevailing traction.

The German car maker quotes an official 0-62mph time of 4.9sec, or 0.1sec slower than the A35 4Matic Saloon, as well as an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. By comparison, the Audi S3 Saloon runs a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 306bhp and 280lb ft. It's claimed to accelerate from 0-62mph in 5.2sec and reach the same 155mph top speed.

Combined fuel consumption and average CO2 emissions for the CLA 35 are put at 39.2mpg and 164g/km respectively - slightly better than the A35 hatchback. 

Underpinning the CLA 35 4Matic is a retuned version of the CLA 250’s MacPherson strut (front) and multi-link (rear) suspension, which can be optioned with adaptive dampers offering three levels of stiffness. It also uses a variable-ratio steering system and features a strengthened body shell with an additional aluminium member incorporated beneath the engine to increase torsional rigidity.

Mirroring the visual changes already incorporated on the A35 Saloon, the CLA 35 receives a heavily restyled front bumper featuring a front splitter element, larger air ducts and a revised grille. Further back, there are AMG door mirrors and more prominent sills beneath the doors. At the rear, it adopts a similarly sporting treatment with a new rear bumper with a multi-channel diffuser and twin chromed tailpipes as well as a small lip spoiler atop its short boot lid. The car gets 18in alloy wheels as standard, and 19in rims will be available as an option.

Inside, AMG’s latest model comes equipped with Mercedes-Benz’s MBUX operating system, which works in combination with standard digital instruments and an infotainment display within a common panel atop the dashboard. The instruments can be customised with different modes, including a so-called Supersport mode that introduces AMG-specific data. Further upgrades over the CLA 250 include front sport seats and AMG-specific trim applications.

As with the original CLA, AMG plans an even more potent version of its new style led four-door compact model in the form of a new 400-bhp plus CLA 45 4Matic. This is planned for launch in early 2020. 

Read more:

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Honda has revealed the X-NV electric crossover concept at the Shanghai motor show.

The concept is based on the HR-V, which is sold in China by the Dongfeng Honda joint venture as the XR-V. It previews an upcoming EV that's being jointly developed by Dongfeng and Honda China and set to arrive in production form before the end of 2019 as Dongfeng's first mainstream electric model.

The X-NV Concept has revised front and rear bumpers to differentiate it from the XR-V, along with blue trim accents and two-tone alloy wheels.

The production model is set to be exclusively offered in China, as one of 25 electric models that Honda aims to have on sale there by 2025.

Few technical details of the concept are available, but the production version is likely to arrive with a similar electric powertrain to the Everus VE-1, an existing China-only EV based on the HR-V that's sold by the Guangqi Honda joint venture.

The VE-1 uses a 53.6kWh lithium ion battery pack to power a single 159bhp motor.

The X-NV will arrive at a similar time to the E city car, originally known as the Urban EV, which is set to make its global debut in production form before the end of this year.

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The new Mercedes-Benz GLS has been revealed at the New York motor show. The luxury SUV has been completely re-engineered in an attempt to better the refinement and efficiency of rivals such as the new BMW X7 and Range Rover.

Following the standard seven-seater, an uber-luxurious Maybach version will arrive, aimed directly at the Bentley Bentayga.

Styled along similar lines to the new GLE, alongside which it will be produced at Mercedes' plant in Alabama, US, the new GLS is of an evolutionary appearance, retaining its prdecessor's upright stance but omitting its prominent sharp lines.

Aerodynamic refinements are said to yield a drag coefficient of 0.32Cd, along with “dramatically reduced wind noise at speed”, according to design boss Gorden Wagener. This compares to the previous GLS’s 0.35Cd. 

At 5207mm long and 1956mm wide, the new GLS is 77mm longer and 22mm wider than its predecessor and a considerable 277mm longer and 6mm wider than the GLE. In comparison, the long-wheelbase Range Rover stretches to 5200mm long and 1990mm wide. 

The new GLS is based on Mercedes' Modular High Architecture (MHA) platform, as is the GLE. This is heavily related to the Modular Rear Architecture (MRA) that underpins the C-Class, E-Class and S-Class.

The GLS's interior has also been thoroughly redesigned. Like the new GLE, it features a 12.3in digital instrument display, a 12.3in infotainment screen, touchpads within the upper spokes of the steering wheel and a touchpad on the centre console in place of the old rotary controller. Mercedes' MBUX interface supports touchscreen control as well as a voice control in conjunction with the Mercedes Me smartphone app.

The GLS also comes with Mercedes' latest driver assistance systems, including Active Tailback Assist, which recognises tailbacks via real-time traffic updates and reduces speed to 60mph as a precaution. Once in the tailback, the car can autonomously stay within its lane and maintain a safe distance to the vehicle ahead at speeds up to 37mph.

The new GLS is said to be considerably more spacious than its predecessor, which saw close to 800 units sold in the UK last year, making up around one percent of Mercedes' total sales. The wheelbase has increased by 60mm to 3135mm, giving second-row passengers up to 87mm more leg room, while the third row is also roomier than before. All seven seats are electronically adjustable, and the rearmost pair fold away to leave a flat extended boot floor. 

Nominal luggage capacity is yet to be revealed, but Mercedes says the maximum load space is up to 2400 litres.

The new GLS is will be produced with four engines - two petrols and two diesels - from the outset, but just one, the top-shelf diesel in the GLS 400d, is planned to be offered in the UK.

This is a turbocharged 2.9-litre in-line six-cylinder unit with an output of 325bhp and 516lb ft of torque. Official (WLTP) fuel economy and CO2 emissions are 37.2mpg and 201g/km. Pricing is set to start from around £72,000, with deliveries beginning this autumn.

In other markets, a lower-tuned version of this engine will be offered in the GLS 350d, making 282bhp and 442lb ft.

Both of these models use a 31.6-litre AdBlue tank and a secondary ammonia filter, enabling them to comply with 6d-Temp regulations on the Real Driving Emissions Stage 2 test, which will become mandatory from 1 January 2020.

The petrol line-up is headed by a new 48V mild hybrid engine in the range-topping GLS 580. This combines Mercedes-Benz’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 with an electric integrated starter motor, delivering 482bhp and 516lb ft of torque, with a further 22bhp and 147lb ft for available for a brief period under acceleration.

The GLS 450 is also a 48V mild hybrid, using a turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder engine and an integrated starter motor for 362bhp and 369lb ft, with an additional 22bhp and 184lb ft available under acceleration.

According to Mercedes, the 400d's engine is "perfectly suited to the vehicle’s size and weight, and the performance expectations of our customers."

All engines are combined with a nine-speed torque converter automatic gearbox and the latest version of Mercedes' 4Matic four-wheel drive system, which provides fully variable apportioning of power between the front and rear axles. Also available as part of an Off-Road Package is a transfer case with low-range gearing. 

Two AMG performance versions of the new GLS will arrive in 2020, with the GLS 53 using a mild hybrid petrol engine and the GLS 63 a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre petrol V8.

Mercedes is also preparing to offer the SUV with an updated version of the petrol-electric plug-in hybrid powertrain used by the S560e with a significantly greater electric-only driving range.

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Mercedes-Benz has revealed a special edition of its first electric vehicle, the EQC SUV, at the New York motor show. 

Available exclusively in metallic silver, the special edition is marked out from the standard EQC, revealed in October last year, by a gloss black front grille surround, 20in lightweight alloy wheels with white accents and Edition 1886 branding on the mudguards. 

Inside, the Edition 1886 receives a unique blue-black colour scheme, seats finished in Artico man-made leather and microfibre suede, 1886 embroidering on the backrests and bespoke silver trim elements. 

Buyers of the Edition 1886 receive extra equipment as standard, including a Burmester surround sound system, electrically adjustable front seats with memory function and Mercedes’ Energizing driver assistance system.

Vehicles equipped with the Energizing package feature interior mood lighting and fragrancing, live traffic and weather updates, plus driver wellness monitoring software that can be connected to the driver’s smartwatch. 

As an addition, the Edition 1886 is covered for six years under Mercedes’ extended vehicle maintenance service and warranty, meaning the vehicle will be picked up from the owner’s home for any scheduled workshop visits and protected in the event of unexpected repair costs. 

Mercedes-Benz will also allow buyers of the Edition 1886 discounted access to the Ionity European rapid charging network, in which it owns a stake. With DC charging, the EQC’s battery can be charged from 10% to 80% at up to 110kW in around 40 minutes.

The Edition 1886 shares its 402bhp dual-motor electric powertrain with the standard model, which sprints from 0-62mph in 5.1sec and on to a top speed of 112mph. 

According to company board member Britta Seeger, the EQC Edition 1886 “serves as a reminder of the invention of the first automobile”, with its name a reference to the year German engineer Karl Benz obtained a patent for the first production automobile. 

“Back then, we were the ones to first revolutionise individual mobility. The EQC now once again marks the departure into a new era. An era in which electric mobility is reliable, simple and at the same time exciting,” said Seeger. 

Pricing for the Edition 1886 has yet to be revealed, but more details will be available soon, when it becomes available to order in Germany. Expect a slight increase on the standard model's anticipated £67,500 starting price.

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The fourth-generation Toyota Highlander has been revealed at the New York motor show, updating the three-row SUV model for 2019 with bold new looks and uprated infotainment.

Built on Toyota's TNGA-K New Global Architecture platform, the new Highlander is 60mm longer than its predecessor and will offer a choice of petrol and hybrid powertrains. The 3.5-litre V6 model produces 291bhp and 263lb ft of torque and is capable of towing more than two tonnes.

The hybrid, which can be ordered with either front or four-wheel drive for the first time, combines a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors for a total output of 237bhp. Toyota claims it will be capable of 34mpg on the US-specific EPA fuel efficiency test, making it the most economical Highlander yet.

The US-bound Highlander's exterior now has much in common with the (smaller) new RAV4, which uses the same hybrid powertrain. 

Inside, the second-row bench can be exchanged for two individual seats, so the Highlander can carry either seven or eight people. 

With the second and third rows folded down, the Highlander has a total 2075 litres of cargo space in both petrol and hybrid forms.

Range-topping Platinum trim includes a new 12.3in touchscreen infotainment system, while other models get an 8.0in display. Both set-ups support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity. 

Active safety systems including pre-collision warning, adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance are now included as standard.

The petrol Highlander is set to go on sale in the US by the end of 2019, while hybrid models will arrive in early 2020. Pricing has yet to be confirmed, and there are currently no plans to bring the Highlander to the UK.

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The upcoming Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series will be the fastest accelerating AMG car yet, according to AMG boss Tobias Moers.

The future range-topping coupé will only be beaten by the limited-run AMG One hypercar when it arrives in mid-2020, the AMG chief confirmed to Autocar at the New York motor show.

First confirmed back in 2016 by Moers, the Black Series is now under development and mooted to receive AMG's turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine in a state of tune offering at least 630bhp.

This is the figure offered by the current most powerful AMG model with that unit, the GT 4-door Coupé. Any growth on that would ensure the Black Series dwarfs the peak output offered by the current GT champions, the 577bhp GT R and GT R Pro (pictured). It would also edge it towards one of the category's most radical supercars, the 690bhp Porsche 911 GT2 RS.

The GT Black Series' extra grunt will be accompanied by a more focused chassis and aerodynamic set-up, which may go even further than the track-focused GT R Pro launched at last year's Los Angeles motor show. That car was designed with uprated suspension and aero upgrades, but received no extra power over the regular GT R.

Such a setup should ensure the GT Black Series tips the scales at around 1575kg, in line or slightly less than the GT R Pro. 

The 2020 arrival of the GT Black Series will mark a return for AMG's most extreme moniker after a seven year hiatus. The last Black Series model was based on the SLS and entered production in 2013.

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