News Bites: This week’s automotive headlines, all in one place

Here’s our roundup of the top news stories which have caught our attention this week.

Headlines at a glance

• The Alpine A290, Renault 4, Mini Countryman and some versions of the Renault 5 will now receive the maximum £3,750 government Electric Car Grant • Gerry McGovern left his role as Chief Creative Officer at Jaguar Land Rover • Chinese brand Aion to arrive in the UK next year • WhatVan? 2026 award winners announced

• Kia unveiled the Vision Meta Turismo concept car at ceremony celebrating its 80th Birthday. The concept promises a digital and full-immersive driving experience and gives a glimpse of what we can expect to see in Kia’s future.

We've been off driving the all-new Alpine A390, which aims to channel the brand’s sports car heritage into an electric crossover. During the launch event Alpine’s UK boss Nicola Burnside announced the A290 hatchback would receive the full £3,750 government electric car grant. The A290 had previously been eligible for the lesser £1,500 grant, but its sustainability credentials have now been deemed worthy of the higher tier. Already one of our favourite cars of 2025, this makes the A290 even more appealing! The closely-related Renault 4 and the longer-range version of the Renault 5 will also receive the highest-level grant from going forward, as will Mini’s electric Countryman. Click here to see all the cars eligible for the scheme.

Jaguar Land Rover’s Chief Creative Officer Gerry McGovern has seemingly left his role in circumstances yet to be explained but, seemingly, not of his choosing. A sometimes divisive figure, McGovern’s fingerprints were all over the House of Brands restructure that saw the Land Rover name dropped and Jaguar production halted ahead of the latter’s controversial relaunch as a luxury electric carmaker with the wild-looking Type 00. Some are speculating delays to this eagerly anticipated car are linked to McGovern’s unexpected departure but there’s yet to be any official statement. Certainly, his legacy endures, his reinvention of Range Rover characterised by initiatives like hiring Victoria Beckam as a ‘Creative Design Executive’ for the then-new Evoque back in 2010. Seen by some as little more than a publicity stunt, lifestyle collabs of this sort helped attract a new female audience to Land Rover’s products and have played a big part in its recent successes. More recently he’s been linked with the rebirth of Norton motorcycles as it goes through its own Jaguar-style reinvention . These latest developments suggest he may be spending more time on two wheels than four in the not too distant. - Dan Trent.

Aion Auto has revealed details of its first all-electric compact SUV – the Aion V – launching in the UK in March 2026. We were told the V will offer drivers 317 miles of range (WLTP), 10-80 per cent charging in as little as 24 minutes, and a high standard spec with good levels of space, quality and refinement. It will be priced in line with similar vehicles (we reckon somewhere between £30-40K) and has already been rated five stars by Euro NCAP for its safety. The car will be covered by an impressive eight-year manufacturer’s warranty, with the batteries also covered for eight years, and bundled with eight years of breakdown cover! This ‘8x8x8’ promise is clearly going to be one of the V’s unique selling points, and deservedly so. Formed as a joint venture between GAC and Jameel Motors, Aion Auto UK says it has taken time to do things right, such as building up a good stock of replacement parts and working to have 25 dealers in place by the end of 2026. PS – we discovered ‘Aion’ is pronounced ‘ion’, which has left us feeling positively charged (tee hee). - Tom Roberts.

Van news now, and it’s hard to argue with the results of the WhatVan? 2026 awards… in fact they closely match our own recommendations for the vans and pick-up trucks drivers should put at the top of their own consideration lists. Winner of the Compact Van of the Year award was the Kia PV5 electric van, a seismic new entry in the small van category priced so competitively it even undercuts some small diesel vans! The Ford Transit Custom and Volkswagen Transporter won Medium Van of the Year, which should only help sales of the two vans remain strong through 2026 and beyond. And the former International Van of the Year winners, the Renault Master and Nissan Interstar, took the gong for Large Van of the Year. Another new electric entry into the van market got its moment in the sun with the Farizon SV named Zero-Emission Van of the Year… we’ve got one in for evaluation over the festive break and it will be our first van review of 2026! Finally, the excellent Ford Ranger PHEV scooped Pick-up Truck of the Year, it’s a deserving winner with a high level of kit and off-road capabilities, although we can’t help feeling the new Toyota Hilux BEV will give it a run for its money when it launches next year. - Tom Roberts.