By Martin Gurdon.

When you read ‘Grand Touring’, do you think of a Cortina with a little red badge on the back wing?

A class-winning Nurburgring lap time of 8 minutes 16.9 seconds made RenaultSport’s stripped out Megane R26.R hottest of the hot hatchbacks. Quicker than any other front wheel drive car ever.

Niche marketing is all about finding needs people didn’t know they had, then fulfilling them.

By Martin Gurdon.

Small hatchbacks make such a crowded sector of the market that no manufacturer can expect to come up with just another one and expect it to sell.

Who would have thought that a car that looks like a box on wheels could be more fun to drive than some sports cars?

Make no mistake, the new Vauxhall Astra is a very important car.

By Martin Gurdon.