The 10 things you need to know about new cars this week

When do we get it: First deliveries will arrive in early 2016. Prices start at £160,000 and rise quickly north.

What we say: “If the Veyron was the VW Group at the top of its performance game, and the XL1 its eco-masterpiece, this is Europe’s great automotive empire doing luxury better than anyone else.”

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When do we get it: The roduction version will hit UK showrooms next year.

What we say: “Yes, it’s turbo. Where the MX-5 bucks the current trend towards forced induction by offering two flavours of high-revving natural aspiration – a 129bhp 1.5-litre and 158bhp 2.0-litre – Fiat has embraced the turbo era by shoving the 1.4-litre MultiAir from the Alfa Giulietta under the 124’s humpy hood.

“Kicking out 140bhp, power sits in between the two Mazda options. But torque, at 178lb ft, trumps both.”

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When do we get it: Um, hopefully at some point in the near future. Because neither of them exist. Yet.

What we say: “Bentley is exploring a 500bhp, all-electric two-seat sports car. According to CEO Wolfgang Durheimer, it’s one of two options on the table for the Crewe firm’s next offering, following the imminent launch of the big Bentayga SUV.

“The first option, said Durheimer, is “one taking the very best of Bentayga, and making an even more performance-enhanced version”. That’s the X6-style SUV-coupe we’ve told you about before, a Bentayga with a lower roof and, most likely, even more power and a sharper chassis. Sheesh.

“The other option? A production version of the lovely Speed 6 sports car, revealed in concept form at Geneva earlier this year.”

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When do we get it: Next year, for the princely sum of €110,000 plus tax.

What we say: “The new Clubsport features the same Carrera S-derived 3.8-litre flat-six, just like the road-going GT4 – which is a sublime, sublime thing don’t forget – producing the same 380bhp and 310lb ft of torque.

“Except here it’s not fed through a manual gearbox, but a six-speed double-clutcher (with paddles on the steering wheel, naturally). The front axle is lifted from the 911 GT3 Cup, as is the lightweight rear strut suspension setup. Throw in a mechanical, locking rear diff and you’ve got yourself something Serious.”

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When do we get it: 2016, with prices starting at €150,000 (plus tax)

What we say: “The 5.2-litre V10 has been slightly detuned to produce 572bhp and 398lb ft of torque - hello, McLaren 570S - though Lamborghini assures us that 75 per cent of that 398lb ft is available from as little as 1,000rpm. Punchy.

“It’s managed through a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox with launch control, and is capable of accelerating from 0-62mph in 3.4s, just two tenths slower than the four-wheel-drive, 602bhp Huracan. Top speed? 199mph – again, just a fraction off the more powerful Huracan’s Vmax.”

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When do we get it: Some time in 2016.

What we say: “That Bugatti is readying a Son Of Veyron comes as no surprise. That it’ll attempt to outgun its hypercar predecessor in every regard is rather punchier. After all, it had been considered the Chiron – if that is indeed its name – might sacrifice ultimate v-max aspirations in favour of more accessible day-to-day performance.

“Not so, says Durheimer. The next Bugatti will be Veyron, only more so.

“’The new car delivers everything much better than the previous one,’ says Durheimer. ‘It will be the best super-sports car on the planet.’”

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When do we get it: Next year of course.

What we say: “Highlights? Non-AMG versions get a nine-speed automatic gearbox, you can hook your Apple phone up to Carplay and use Siri on the move, the roof will fold up or down at speeds below 25mph, and there’s a display of all your nerdy G-force and acceleration numbers on screen, too.

“Perhaps more interesting is the introduction of Active Body Control, which we’ve seen elsewhere in the Merc range. It effectively leans the SL into corners to make the handling feel that bit sharper, while it also automatically lowers the car by 13mm as your speed rises to aid the aerodynamics.”

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When do we get it: Erm, next year. Are you sensing a theme here?

What we say: “InControl Touch Pro is Jag’s new infotainment system. We had a bit of a play with it in the new XJ earlier this month, and then again in the Evoque Cabrio, and it’s a mighty improvement. Slick and responsive, with few quirks and a broadly attractive interface. The screen’s bigger, too, and there’s a welcome raft of new, clever and mostly handy features. We like, and so will you.

“What else is new? Besides the Nav, the big news is that the XE is getting all-wheel drive. Or rather, an XE is getting all-wheel drive, because you can only have it with the 178bhp, 2.0-litre diesel and the auto ‘box.”

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When do we get it: Now, if you've got a whole lot of spare cash.When 

What we say: “Weighing in at a mere 997kg – thanks to the removal of the rear seats, carbon buckets up front, and a host of other weight-reduction measures – the Biposto Record will get from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds, and on to a top speed of 142mph.

“For something with the footprint of, um, an actual shoe, that’s mighty respectable pace.

“However. Such respectable pace comes at a cost. And that cost is £36,610. That is, you’ll notice, a lot of money for a hopped-up Fiat 500.”

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When do we get it: Now, if you've a contract to race for the WTCC's dominant outfit. For the rest of us, never.

What we say: "It's like the best hot hatch you’ve ever driven, triple distilled, all the fluffy road bits filtered out. The Citroen’s steering tingles with under your fingers, the accelerator all but wired into the nerve endings of your right foot. Gearshifts are without a hiccup, a deluge of glorious, shimmering power. This is feel, this is feedback..."

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