Confirmation that 2008...

Confirmation that 2008 was the year of the supermini arrived when we revealed exclusive first images of Volkswagenò€™s next Polo.

Following the unveiling of the new Ford Fiesta, Honda Jazz and SEAT Ibiza, our scoop images showed that VWò€™s designers were preparing to turn up the heat on the opposition. We revealed that the newcomer, scheduled for a UK launch late next year, will have a Scirocco-inspired front end, and a much more distinctive look than its dowdy predecessor.

Our sources at Volkswagen also told us that the next- generation Polo will make use of the firmò€™s hyper-economical 1.4-litre TSI supercharged engine, and will eventually be offered with a petrol/electric hybrid powerplant dubbed TwinDrive. We also revealed that, for the first time, VW was planning to build a coupé-cabrio, after a Karmann-built concept version received a positive reaction at the 2007 Frankfurt motor show.

A replacement for the Dune is also understood to be part of VWò€™s plans, although this is unlikely to appear until 2010.

New 2+2 sports car (Issue 1,022)

There was a reminder of the good old days in July when Lotus chose the British Motor Show to unveil its new sports coupé. Four years after the much loved ò€“ but deeply flawed ò€“ Esprit went off the radar, Lotus wowed crowds with the all-new Evora ò€“ a medium-sized coupé designed to take on the likes of the Porsche Cayman and Nissanò€™s forthcoming 370Z. We revealed that the 3.5-litre V6-engined newcomer would hit showrooms next spring with a price tag of Ò£45,000.

Council con (Issue 1,021)

Figures unearthed by Auto Express in July confirmed that councils are squeezing the number of parking spaces so they can make even more out of fines! Our hard-hitting report revealed local authorities had received more than Ò£1.25billion in fine revenue in the 12 months to July, with Westminster Council in London accounting for a staggering Ò£93m of the total. At the same time, our story confirmed that finding a space is officially harder than ever, with 35 million cars competing for a mere 2.2 million berths.

Citroen MPV (Issue 1,020)

NEWS from Citroen was that it was readying a C3 Picasso. The French giant revealed that buyers would be in for a technological treat when delivery starts early next year. Our story reported it will be based on the Peugeot 207 platform ò€“ which then will be used for the next-generation C3 supermini. Prices are expected to start around the Ò£9,500 mark.

Hyperion Roller (Issue 1,018)

Money was no object for one very wealthy Rolls-Royce fanatic, who commissioned Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina to build a one-off Phantom convertible ò€“ for a cool Ò£1million. The mystery customer planned to name the car Hyperion ò€“ an ancient Greek word meaning ò€˜god of the sunò€™ ò€“ and had briefed Pininfarinaò€™s design team to better the cabin found in the standard Phantom Drophead Coupé.

MINIò€™s power boost and chassis tweaks (Issue 1,021)

Following BMWò€™s decision to take the John Cooper Works brand in house at the end of 2006, much was expected of the second-generation Cooper S JCW models when they hit showrooms in July. We reported back from the new carò€™s launch, where bosses were keen to talk up the performance of the 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, which had been boosted from 175bhp to an impressive 211bhp. Our drive confirmed that the power hike gave the John Cooper Works version a significant improvement in acceleration, while tweaks to the chassis had made it even sharper through corners.

Space-age looks for hi-tech track star (Issue 1,019)

The future for back-to-basics sports cars looked bright this month, when we finally grabbed the keys to the amazing X-Bow, made by Austrian bike maker, KTM. Auto Expressò€™s very own racing car driver ò€“ road tester Owen Mildenhall ò€“ took a plane to Spain to secure a drive in one of the most exciting and dramatically styled sports cars in the world. Owen gave the newcomer a big thumbs-up, loving the X-Bowò€™s attention to detail and build quality. Just as impressive was its performance and handling, helped by its lightweight carbon fibre chassis. The X-Bow certainly looked set to take on the likes of the Lotus 2-Eleven and Caterham Superlight R500.

Hybrid sports coupé (Issue 1,022)

The Japanese firm sprung a surprise on the worldò€™s press in July when it unveiled a new Open Study Model concept at the British Motor Show. The dramatically styled roadster will form the basis of the next-generation S2000 and could make it into production as early as 2010, if bosses give the project the green light. It also hints at the design of the next Civic. But as our story pointed out, Honda is already committed to bringing the CR-Z hybrid sports coupé to the market in the next few years, and will only proceed with the S2000 if the market is big enough.