News that shook the motoring world in 2024

Well, that’s pretty much a wrap, and what a year it’s been for automotive fans. Join us as we take a look through our top 5 biggest motoring stories of 2024.

It’s been a busy one. The last 12 months have brought so many motoring reboots and comebacks that you’d think the Gallagher brothers were at the helm, the continued spread of electrification across the motoring landscape, and finally, a look at one of the most anticipated van releases in recent memory. Oh, and who can forget the British brand which dropped an absolute bombshell to round the year out…  

So, as 2024 draws to a close, let’s look back on some of the year’s biggest stories.

Renault 5

A fresh EV so exciting, our partners over at the Late Brake Show covered it not once, but twice: the new Renault 5.

We caught up with the retro-styled hot hatch ourselves at this year’s Paris Motor Show, and can confirm first-hand that the French brand has seemingly found a sweet spot — and that’s not just judging by the crowds which surrounded it. It’s got elements of nostalgic design all over the place, backed up by modern day practicality, and all wrapped together to create a car that is unafraid to have a little bit of fun.

It's already scooping up awards to keep the hype train rolling, and perhaps best of all, the price tag may come as yet another pleasant surprise. And don’t get us started on the jaw-dropping — and unpredictably road legal — Renault 5 Turbo 3E. 

Ford Capri

Whether you’re on team Ford Capri, or team Ford Crappi, there’s no denying that the rebooting of this icon caused quite a stir.

Let’s be honest, the return of Britain’s favourite two-door coupe as a four-door electric crossover was bound to break the internet one way or another. But alongside the iconic Capri name, the rebooted cult classic does carry the head-turning essence of its predecessor, and even in this radically reshaped package, the roots remain.

Whether Ford’s mission to ‘celebrate the past while reinventing the future’ was a complete success, we’ll leave up to you, but it’s certainly earned its spot within our list of iconic car revivals. 

Volkswagen Transporter

After months of teasers followed by some smoke and mirrors style silhouette images, we were finally treated to the full reveal of the upcoming 2025 Volkswagen Transporter this year.

Promising more space, payload, towing capacity, efficiency, and ‘even more perfection’ than its predecessor, VW may have gathered the most hype surrounding a Transporter since Jason Statham was staging getaways on the big screen. That said, the mid-sized van isn’t without its own controversy, and some changes within the Transporter’s storied DNA have raised questions about how unique it actually is.

While we’re in this category, we’d also like to give a quick shoutout to VW’s new California. Although no longer using the Transporter base, the latest edition brings just about everything you can ask of a campervan, even if it did leave us asking one key question…

Porsche 911 (992.2)

The Porsche 911 may feel like an eternal feature in the motoring world — with the fanbase to match — but even the market’s most fundamental models aren’t immune to the passage of time, and in this case, electrification.

The inclusion of a hybrid powertrain for the first time in a 911 came as a bit of shock to the system, but the 64 bhp this brought with it, and sub-3-second 0-60 mph capabilities, went a long way to quell any concerns.

This may seem as though Porsche is just dipping a toe into the EV world, but in a landscape where the move from air to water cooling caused a scene among 911 aficionados, the 992.2 represents something of a seismic shift.

Jaguar Type 00

“It’s big, it’s bold, and it doesn’t care what you think.” What more is there to say?

Following the shock news that Jaguar won’t be selling any new cars until 2026, we don’t think anyone could’ve quite predicted what was coming next. We’ve seen all manner of radical rebrands in our time, but the Type 00’s cubic, brutalist, retro, yet somehow intensely modern exterior might represent the most outrageous.

So outrageous in fact, that it distracts from the equally wild features found inside. For example, the expansively proportioned interior is populated by wool textiles, an expansive brass dividing spine, and travertine stone. Yup, the same stone you might use for kitchen flooring or paving. Again, what more is there to say?

And that’ll do it. Our biggest motoring stories of the year are in the bag, and it’s time to turn our gaze to whatever 2025 has in store for us all. 

Hero image credit: Renault