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There appear to be several reasons for consumers being put off making the electric switch including the cost of living, the Government removing incentives to buy an EV, falling residual values, the cost of electricity and concern about the charging infrastructure and battery range of EVs.
One useful but not obvious aspect of the Atto is its over-the-air software updates, which means any electronic issues can quickly be resolved much as they are on smartphones. This could address for example one potential issue that has been reported but which we weren’t able to explore during our brief test, poor smartphone integration. The car does accept both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but apparently not as intuitively as some.
With the 2024 model Polestar claims to have made changes that its customers have been asking for. Visually there is not a great deal to differentiate the newcomer – there are new 20-inch forged alloy wheels which are created using patented laser-etching process rather than diamond cutting, and the adoption of the ‘smart zone’ front end that debuted on the Polestar 3 SUV which will launch towards the end of 2023.
Speaking to Business Car Manager at the launch of the 2024 version of the Polestar 2, UK head of sales Matt Hawkins put part of the brand’s success down to its unique approach to the sales process. “We have a distinct advantage as a brand operating the way we do,” he said.
Modular, scaleable SOA will be produced in two versions, dubbed Premium and Commercial, and accommodate vehicles between 4.9 and six metres in length and wheelbases from three to 3.8 metres. The more compact battery packs are placed under the floor with capacities from 73kWh to 120kWh, taking range between charges up to 500km.
The Soul retains its slightly quirky, different from the norm visuals but it is also a highly practical vehicle. The largest Soul yet, it still has a small car footprint but thanks to its boxy design lots of space within – the term crossover could have been invented for this car.
The Suzuki’s figures are better than rival full hybrids such as the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, and enough to put the S-Cross in a 2% lower company car tax bracket, being cheaper to buy and with more equipment as standard. At £26,749 for the 2WD Motion, and £31,549 for the AWD Ultra variants, the Suzuki S-Cross Full Hybrid is still a good value-for-money option.
