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MG sibling brand Maxus has revealed a four-wheel-drive electric pick-up truck – the first of its kind available in the UK.

Named the eTerron 9, it succeeds the Maxus T90EV, which was the UK's first electric pick-up but rear-driven only.

It's slightly larger than the Ford Ranger, having been designed for maximal load space, with its rear bed measuring 2.4m long.

The rear bulkhead of the cab can be dropped to allow for especially long loads, plus there's a 236-litre compartment under the bonnet for stowing small items, such as soft bags.

However, the eTerron 9’s payload capacity is 620kg – well short of the tonne required to qualify for the lower commercial vehicle tax rates that have helped to popularise the likes of the Ranger and Toyota Hilux in the UK. 

Towing capacity is pegged at a competitive 3500kg.

The eTerron 9 has a 102kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery, which yields a range of up to 267 miles. It can be charged at up to 115kW, so a 20-80% top-up should take 40 minutes, and has vehicle-to-load functionality, meaning it can supply power to external devices.

Drive is supplied by two permanent magnet synchronous motors (one per axle), which together produce 435bhp.

The truck's air suspension system automatically adjusts its ride height according to speed, boosting range on fast A-roads and motorways.

This functionality can also be used to drop the cargo bay by 60mm when stationary, making it easier to load and unload heavy items.

Maxus will begin taking UK customer orders for the eTerron 9 in October, before deliveries commence in January 2025. 

Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but it's likely to be positioned above the T90EV, which costs from £49,950 before VAT.

The Alpine A390 will arrive next year as the spearhead of the French brand’s ambitious plan to rival the likes of Porsche with a range of luxurious electric cars.

It will be shown in A390 Beta concept form at next month’s Paris motor show, but the production version has now been spotted testing on public roads.

New images of a camouflaged test car reveal it to be a high-sided coupé-crossover similar in silhouette to the Nissan Ariya – with which it's expected to share a platform.

The A390 will be comprehensively upgraded compared with that car, however, with Alpine targeting the likes of the Audi SQ6 E-tron and Porsche Macan Electric.

Agility is being prioritised in the car’s development, as Alpine design chief Antony Villain told Autocar: “The idea is to use the driving experience of the A110 [sports car] and duplicate it in different segments.

“We want something high-performance, sporty and energised. We don’t want something that just goes in straight lines super-quickly.”

Villain added that Alpine is considering “various technical solutions” to make a chunky electric SUV handle like its petrol-engined sports car, such as torque vectoring and four-wheel steering.

It's therefore likely that range-topping versions of the A390 will feature a dual-motor powertrain, which would enable torque vectoring across both the front and rear axles.

Nonetheless, it will make concessions to daily usability: Alpines are now designated based on their positioning, with the ‘10’ or ‘90’ denoting whether it’s focused on outright performance or practicality. The A390 falls into the latter camp.

The A390 is the second of seven EVs in Alpine’s ‘dream garage’, which are intended to transform the Renault-owned brand from a niche sports car maker to a global premium contender.

The first was the A290, the Renault 5-based hot hatch, and the next-generation A110 sports car is due in the next few years. It will be joined by the A310 (a larger Porsche 911 rival) and a number of SUVs focused on the American market.

Toyota looks to be readying its GR Corolla hot hatchback for a European launch as prototypes begin testing at the Nürburgring.

Hot hatch fans have long called for Toyota to bring the Gazoo Racing variant of the Corolla to Europe. The standard car is the Japanese brand’s third biggest seller in the region, behind the Yaris and Yaris Cross.

Toyota's performance division performs strongly already in the region with its three current models, the GR Yaris, GR Supra and GR 86. However, the latter is being killed off soon by the EU's new GSR2 safety regulations, which could make space for the Corolla to finally go on sale in Europe. 

The standard Corolla is built in Bernaston, Derbyshire, but the all-wheel-drive hot version is built at the same Motomachi facility in Japan as the GR Yaris. It has already been engineered in both left-hand drive (for North America) and right-hand drive (for Japan).

The latest version, unveiled this summer and spotted testing at the Nürburgring in right-hand drive guise, is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine that makes 300bhp. That’s 42bhp more than the GR Yaris, which uses the same three-pot powertrain and four-wheel drive system. It can, like the Yaris, also be optioned with either a eight-speed automatic or six-speed manual gearbox.

With those power figures it is a natural rival for the likes of the BMW M135i (296bhp), Honda Civic Type R (315bhp), and Volkswagen Golf R (328bp).

A more powerful GRMN (Gazoo Racing Meisters of the Nürburgring) variant has also been spotted lapping the Nordschleife (pictured below). Not yet revealed, the track-honed GR Corolla sits lower to the road and sports a chunkier rear wing.

Toyota already sells a special-edition GRMN Yaris in its home market in very limited numbers, which is a stiffer, lighter and more powerful version of the GR Yaris.

Asked about the prototypes, a Toyota spokesperson told Autocar that “all major car manufacturers test their biggest global products at the Nürburgring”, but did not deny the possibility of the car being destined for European dealerships. 

Even if it is confirmed to be sold on this side of the Atlantic, the GR Corolla would no doubt be a highly exclusive proposition. It's currently sold in North America from $36,500 (£27,636), but if it follows a similar costing structure to its sibling in the UK (which commands a £21,500 premium over the standard Yaris), it would cost north of £50,000.