Autocar confidential: Honda Urban EV, Ford Focus RS, Volkswagen board members on Twitter & more

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

This week's snippets of automotive news include news on Alfa Romeo, Honda’s Urban EV, Ford Focus RS production and Volkswagen board members on Twitter. 

Alfa Romeo: 

The reaction to the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio “prove we’re not sitting in a technical space reserved for a few German brands”, said FCA Group boss Sergio Marchionne. He added that the investment in Alfa will also give Maserati a new lease of life as the two forge a future sharing platforms and powertrains.

Honda Urban EV:

The Honda Urban EV and Sports EV were designed as a “set of two”, said design boss Makoto Iwaki, who confirmed there are no other models planned with a similar design language. He said the styling wouldn’t translate to larger models: “This design is only really possible on smaller cars.”

Ford Focus RS:

The Ford Focus RS Orange Edition – the final 50 cars to come off the production line before Focus RS manufacturing ends later this year, all painted in a bright orange hue and featuring Mountune performance upgrades and styling modifications – sold out in 30 minutes, off the back of a single Facebook post, Ford UK boss Andy Barratt has revealed.

Volkswagen board members on Twitter: 

Volkswagen sales boss Jürgen Stackmann is the only member of the firm’s board on Twitter but he is aiming to change that. Stackmann (@jstackmann) said he has been pressuring CEO Herbert Diess (and new VW Group boss) to join the social media platform and Diess has agreed – if Stackmann can double his 15,000 followers.

Having initially had all his posts approved at multiple levels, Stackmann now does his own tweets, with help from his PA, and has said it’s a vital tool for keeping in touch with the brand’s customers.

Read more

Volkswagen Golf review 

Alfa Romeo Giulia review

Ford Focus RS review

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