Renault unveils the new Espace

 The people carrier Espace, in its new guise - brightly lit, with a comfortable interior, an 'occupant-friendly cabin' and a centre console that appears to be floating

Just ahead of next week's Paris Motor Show, Renault has rejoined the space race. It will unveil a new generation of its people carrier the Espace — French for space — at the event.

It's astonishing to think that the Espace has been with us for 30 years. In its new guise, Renault is promising a brightly lit, comfortable interior, an 'occupant-friendly cabin' and a centre console that appears to be floating.

Both the five and seven-seat versions are designed in 'modules' for greater flexibility.

Renault says: 'This large, elegant and innovative crossover combines a strong design and seductive appeal. Meticulous attention has been paid to detail.'

The car is largely based on the concept car revealed a year ago at the Frankfurt Motor Show.'

The world premiere takes place at a press conference led by Renault group chairman and chief executive Carlos Ghosn next Thursday.

 

Arch-rival Peugeot, meanwhile, will show off its new sporty, high-performance Quartz prototype, which the French maker describes as having 'the body of an SUV with the cabin of a saloon'.

 

Nearly a quarter of adult consumers (23 per cent) are considering buying a car in the next six months, according to the latest figures from the Sainsbury's Bank car buying index.

This includes nearly 13 per cent who intend to buy a new car and almost 11 per cent who plan to go for a second-hand model. The average amount people expect to spend is £11,249.

On new vehicles, this rises to £15,921, while for second-hand makes the average is £6,636.

Four out of ten of those who say they are considering buying will choose a loan or other finance to pay for at least part of the vehicle. Around one in five will consider an unsecured personal loan, and 18 per cent intend to use hire purchase agreements.

Around one in five will opt for a personal contract purchase plan or put it on a credit card.

 

The Countess of Wessex is guest of honour at this year's London Press club ball sponsored by Jaguar

Jaguar Land Rover is the main automotive sponsor of this year's London Press Club ball at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand on October 9 — a highlight of which is a fundraising auction.

Under the hammer is the chance to beat the queues and drive two new models — the Jaguar XE Sports saloon and Land Rover Discovery Sport — long before they hit showrooms.

To add spice, the drives will be in Spain and Iceland respectively.

It's the third time Jaguar Land Rover has supported the event. Aptly named broadcaster Nick Ferrari will conduct the auction.

This year's ball, at which The Countess of Wessex, is guest of honour, combines two landmarks in style — the 10th anniversary of the event and the 150th anniversary of the Journalists' Charity, for which it raises funds.

Viscount Rothermere, chairman of DMGT, publisher of the Daily Mail, is president of the charity. The Queen is its patron.

The Earl of March and the Goodwood estate are also supporting the ball with the chance to bid for a year's worth of hospitality to events such as the Festival of Speed and racing at Goodwood.

There's also an opportunity to be a passenger in the new twin-turbocharged Ferrari California T up the legendary Hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, courtesy of UK-based Ferrari North Europe.

And for cycling fans, the lot to watch comes from Skoda, which has just completed a year's sponsorship of the ball. Its donation to the auction is a 'shotgun' ride in one of its support vehicles at next year's Tour de France.

 

The TT Roadster will be revealed to the world at the Paris Motor Show next week

Audi has published details of its new topless temptress, ahead of the Paris show. The TT Roadster, and TTS Roadster, will be revealed to the world at the event, which runs from October 4 to 14.

Order books open in mid-November for the TT Roadster — which will be priced between £31,955 and £37,555 on the road, ahead of first deliveries in March. The 310bhp TTS Roadster will be available to order next year for summer deliveries.

Launch engines will be a 2.0 TFSI 230bhp unit with front-wheel-drive or quattro all-wheeldrive, and a front-wheel-drive 2.0 diesel injection rated at 184bhp.

The TT Roadster 2.0 TDI ultra will manage more than 65mpg with CO2 output of just 114g/km, yet will still do 0 to 62mph in 7.3 seconds and reach a top speed of 147mph.

 

Sales of the £230,000 458 Speciale A , are limited to 499 'dedicated' Ferrari collectors 

Fancy owning the most powerful open-topped Ferrari ever? Sales of the £230,000 458 Speciale A , are limited to 499 'dedicated' Ferrari collectors. So if you're not on that exclusive list, don't even think about applying.

The new Ferrari makes its world debut in Paris. It sprints from 0 to 62 mph in three seconds, while its aluminium hard top takes just 14 seconds to deploy or retract.

Ferrari says: 'The 458 Speciale A is the most powerful spider in Prancing Horse history'.