My week in cars

Is software the engine of automotive's future? Autocar has gathered a selection of the industry's most influential software engineers to find out.As its role in vehicle development and functionality becomes ever-more important, there are huge questions over what software means for the automotive industry. We hear from Red Bull Racing's Daniel Watkins, Volvo's Rickard Arvidsson and Siemens' Uday Senapati about its impact on the automotive industry, the next car you buy - and the next Formula 1 race you watch!

This week Steve Cropley and Matt Prior meet to talk Luca de Meo's exit from Renault, an unusually pleasurable slow driving experience in London, how Volkswagen could use in-wheel motors to create a 4wd ID2 R hot hatchback, the Triumph Spitfire, and much more besides including your correspondence.  You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too.

Julian Thomson is one of the world's best car designers and if you don't know the name, you'll know his cars. As Lotus's chief designer he designed the Elise and at Jaguar Land Rover created the LRX concept, which went on to become the Range Rover Evoque.But most of Thomson's career has been spent in advanced design and that's where he finds himself now, at General Motors' new advanced design centre Europe. Why does GM need a European design centre and what will it do? Join Steve Cropley and Matt Prior as they put these questions and many more to one of the world's most eminent car designers.

This week Steve Cropley and Matt Prior talk about Cropley's latest travels, to Norfolk to visit Lotus, a trip he makes in the Dacia Jogger, making much more expensive cars look silly. Prior spots a Cozy Coupe headed for the scrapheap in the sky, and the pair talk about a new 1.6-litre Caterham, American EV trucks, Steve's 10th Lotus, and much more besides, including your correspondence.

Karim Habib has overseen a dramatic restyle of not just Kia's range of cars but also the company's branding and logo.Kia has achieved double digit growth over the past five years in all major markets, and to date is the third best-selling brand in the UK in 2025 behind only Volkswagen and Ford.Habib shares the secrets of Kia's design success with Autocar editor Mark Tisshaw from his office at the Kia global design centre in Korea.

This week Steve Cropley and Matt Prior head to the Autocar store room to talk classic Mini tours, the new Bovensiepen Zagato - the latest car from the family behind Alpinas - and the GWM Haval Jolion Pro, a forgettably-named car from the maker of the Ora Funky Cat, a name you wouldn't ignore. There's much more besides too, including your correspondence.   You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too.

With the Le Mans 24 Hours approaching, for this week's bonus podcast associate editor James Attwood chats to works Peugeot racer Paul di Resta. The Scot talks about the competition in Le Mans's hypercar class, the challenge of driving at night, and why he won't let his team-mates drive him around.

This week Steve Cropley and Matt Prior meet in a top designer's office to talk about some secret Rovers, why the upcoming death of the Ford Focus ST means to much, Steve's newly shiny Alpine A110, the Audi A3 PHEV, and much more besides, including your correspondence.You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too.

In this week's bonus 'Autocar Meets' podcast associate editor James Attwood speaks to Renault Brand CEO Fabrice Cambolive on the challenges of running the French firm, retro design, electrification and why he's got more to worry about than tariffs.