Motoring News From Car Magazine
News watch May 2012: today's auto industry news
Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hourFriday 18 May 2012• China's car dealers are struggling to cope with the volume of...
Bentley set to enter Dakar rally with new SUV
Is Bentley planning to enter the 2013 Dakar rally with a race version of its new Range Rover-rivaling luxury SUV? CAR has uncovered early plans suggesting that Crewe is preparing to do exactly that, helping give its EXP 9F 4x4 a...
Win VIP tickets to the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed
We've driven the famous Jaguar XJR-8 Le Mans race car in the new June 2012 issue of CAR Magazine – and to mark the occasion we have three pairs of VIP tickets to the Goodwood Festival of Speed to give...
Chevrolet Trax (2013) first official picture
Chevrolet will show this new baby SUV called the Trax at the 2012 Paris motor show, before UK sales start in spring 2013. If that name sounds familiar, it's because Chevrolet showed a concept car called Trax at the New York auto...
BMW M135i (2012) first official pictures
This is the new BMW M135i, a 316bhp hot hatch and the fifth model to emerge from BMW's new M Performance Automobiles tuning arm. We've already seen the 5-series (in saloon and Touring guises) and the X5 and X6 with triple-turbo...
BMW 3-series Touring estate (2012) first official pictures
BMW has unveiled the new 3-series Touring estate. It goes on sale on 22 September 2012 in UK dealers, priced from ÂŁ26,180. Although not a big seller globally - it accounts for just 6% of 3-series sales globally - the Touring...
Mini John Cooper Works GP (2012) first official pictures
Mini has unveiled the new top-dog Mini John Cooper Works GP - a limited edition, very fast, very expensive Mini hot hatch. Just 2000 Mini GP editions will be built, with first sales due for late 2012. Yes, it's a...
Last of the Saab 9-3 convertibles land in the UK
Saab Parts UK has secured the sale of the last 26 right-hand drive Saab 9-3 convertibles for customers in the UK. The final batch of convertible Swedish metal will be sold through 87 Saab authorised repairers in lieu of a dealer network. Saab...
Peugeot 208 R2 (2012): first official pictures
Peugeot has released pictures of its first 208-derived rally car. Peugeot says the 208 R2 has been under development since the standard model was announced in 2011, and promises to reveal two more motorsport-bred 208s by the end of 2012. What...
Toyota RAV4 EV (2012) - a Toyota/Tesla electric SUV
The Toyota RAV4 has been turned into the only all-electric SUV on the market after a heart transplant from Tesla Motors. The RAV4 EV has been given batteries and drivetrain bits from the Silicon Valley start-up to turn Toyota's most popular SUV into an electric-only...
Vauxhall calls its new 2013 city car the Adam
Vauxhall has revealed the name for its new city car – the car previously dubbed Junior will in fact be called the Adam. It’s one of the more oddball car names we’ve heard recently. As well as announcing the Adam...
Vauxhall Junior (2013) - name announced on 8 May
Vauxhall and Opel will announce the name of its new city car - codenamed Junior and bound to replace the Agila - next week. It has issued an unusual comic strip announcing the fact that the Vauxhall Junior's name will...
Nissan Juke-R (2012) goes into production
Nissan has announced that its Juke-R prototype will enter limited production on a build-to-order basis. Yes, really. Nissan Juke-R (2012): why so serious? The Juke-R is the result of the Nissan Europe Technical Centre in Cranfield teaming-up with UK...
Dacia prepares for its UK market D-Day
Renault may have halved its UK product range and taken a profit tumble in 2011, but its budget car subsidiary Dacia has been growing strongly with its range of no-nonsense value-for-money cars. The Dacia Duster SUV has been winning plaudits...
Kia K9 (2012) first official pictures
Kia has launched its new K9 flagship saloon in Korea. The rear-drive V6-engined saloon, dubbed K9 in Kia's domestic market nomenclature, is a first move upmarket for Hyundai's erstwhile budget brand. CAR picked up word of the new Kia last...
Audi TT RS Plus (2012) UK pricing announced
Audi UK has announced prices and availability of the Audi TT RS Plus, the go-faster variant of the already-very-fast RS version of the Audi TT. Audi TT RS Plus: I killed the last guy who called me a 'hairdresser's car'...
Chrysler 300C (2012) returns to the UK
Chrysler UK has announced pricing and specification for the new-to-you Chrysler 300C saloon. Right-hand drive markets have had to wait for the new 300C, which first launched in 2011 at the Detroit Motor Show; it's on sale in North America as...
VW Golf GTI Cabriolet (2012) UK pricing announced
Volkswagen Group's march towards niche-smothering world domination continues with announcement of the VW Golf GTI Cabriolet's UK pricing and specifications. CAR brought you details of the Mk 7 Golf GTI our the April 2012 issue, but if you're looking for...
Subaru BRZ (2012) UK pricing announced
Enthusiasts who have wanted their Toyobaru with Subaru BRZ badges and bumpers can rejoice. Subaru UK have announced the official pricing and specifications for the new BRZ sports car. Subaru BRZ (2012) UK prices and specs Early-adopters will have a...
Motion Simulation TL1: Ariel builds an immersive simulator
Ariel Moto Company, makers of the mad-yet-minimalist Atom sportscar, have teamed up with new UK firm Motion Simulation to develop and manufacture the TL1 immersive motion simulator. Featuring a spherical immersive projection screen and adjustable driving position, the TL1's composite...
News watch April 2012: today's auto industry news
Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hourMonday 30 April 2012• Kia posted global first quarter 2012 profits up 26%, with sales...
VW Polo R Line (2012) first official pictures
Sportiness is not a word normally associated with the VW Polo. Even in GTI guise the current VW Polo is a rather sober driving experience compared to more exuberant rivals like the Renaulsport Clio or upcoming Ford Fiesta ST. There's...
Ferrari video of the next Enzo's HY-KERS hybrid
Ferrari has issued video of its new HY-KERS hybrid system bound for the new Enzo successor due later in 2012. It mates a V12 petrol engine with a brace of electric motors - one to drive the car's ancillary systems...
Citroen Numero 9 'will influence all future DS models'
Citroen's Numero 9 concept car previews the new face of all future DS cars from the French manufacturer, the design chief told CAR. Thierry Metroz, director of design in Paris, said the Numero 9 was an ideas car, but admitted...
Beijing motor show 2012 video review by CAR Magazine
CAR's journos on the ground at the 2012 Beijing motor show - Gavin Green and Tim Pollard - met at the end of the first press day to chew over the salient points of the Chinese auto show. Watch them...
Audi Q5 facelift (2012) first official pictures
Audi is upgrading its Q5 mid-sized SUV with a mid-life facelift for 2012. A facelift for the Q5? But it looks exactly the same! Look harder. The Q5 is buffed and polished here and there, although we grant you that...
Roewe 950 at 2012 Beijing motor show
Here's a car that our colleagues on CAR China have been getting excited about: the new Roewe 950. It's a 5-series rival spawned by Roewe and parent company SAIC's links with GM. So what is the Roewe 950 exactly? Have...
MG Icon concept car at 2012 Beijing motor show
MG's new Chinese owners showed a Nissan Juke-alike concept car called the Icon at the 2012 Beijing motor show. Its footprint is identical to that of the original MG BT. Although a pure concept car, a spokesman confirmed that the...
Aston Martin DBS, Virage, V8 Vantage Dragon 88 at Beijing
Aston Martin whipped the covers off a trio of Dragon 88 special editions at the 2012 Beijing motor show - with local-market China-aimed versions of the DBS Volante, Virage coupe and V8 Vantage S coupe. And if you're wondering why...
Ferrari shows next Enzo's HY-KERS V12 at Beijing
Ferrari stole a surprise march at the 2012 Beijing auto show when it announced a few details about its forthcoming Enzo successor. The powertrain you see here is essentially the hybrid supercar architecture which'll underpin the new hypercar being readied...
Toyota Yundong Shuangqing, Dear Qin concept cars at Beijing
If you want an idea of how important the Beijing motor show has become, get this: Toyota showed 38 production and concept cars in China this week. But two stood out: the Yundong Shuangqing and Dear Qin concept cars. Great...
Jaguar confirms F-type engines, XJ Ultimate at Beijing
Jaguar used the 2012 Beijing motor show to announce a raft of new engines - including details of the V6 which will power the F-type and news that a four-cylinder, Ford Ecoboost related petrol engine will be fitted to the...
Lamborghini Urus SUV concept at 2012 Beijing motor show
Lamborghini went official with the Urus concept car - the crossover from Sant'Agata - at the 2012 Beijing motor show. After the leaks last week, at last we can bring you the full official news and photos of the Urus...
Seat Ibiza Cupra Concept at 2012 Beijing motor show
Seat gave a clear indication that the hot hatch Cupra version of its Ibiza supermini isn't far away, with the Ibiza Cupra Concept at the 2012 Beijing auto show. The Spanish have a long history of producing go-faster versions of...
VW E-Bugster convertible concept car at 2012 Beijing motor show
Volkswagen, one of the biggest players in China's swelling car market, chose Beijing to unveil its latest E-Bugster - a good look at the forthcoming convertible version of the Beetle. We saw the E-Bugster in tin-top form at the 2012...
Lamborghini Urus SUV concept (2012) leaks early
Lamborghini's SUV show car, the Urus 4x4 concept, has leaked early ahead of its planned debut at the 2012 Beijing auto show this weekend. These leaked photos of the Lamborghini Urus reveal a swooping, coupe-alike crossover - marrying the style...
Lamborghini teases its SUV concept car ahead of Sunday
An official invitation to the Beijing motor show has served up a surprise sneak peek at the new Lamborghini crossover being planned for launch this weekend. The Lambo SUV invitation Hardly anything is given away in the invitation (pictured). It...
Hypermiling coast to coast - win six months' free fuel!
How hard can it be to drive coast-to-coast across Britain on one tank of fuel, they asked? Not very, we said. So we topped up, left Great Yarmouth on the east coast of England and headed on a road...
Mercedes Concept Style Coupe (2012) - aka CLA
Mercedes will show the Concept Style Coupe at the 2012 Beijing motor show next week. It's a thinly veiled look at a compact coupe spun off the Merc A-class architecture - likely to wear the CLA badge. In essence this...
Audi RS Q3 concept (2012) first official pictures
Audi is hinting at a performance flagship iteration of its entry-level Q3 soft-roader with this: the RS Q3 concept. It's only a design study for now, but the spec is very close to being production-ready... What makes this Audi Q3 worthy...
CAR interviews Dany Bahar on the crisis at Lotus (2012)
CAR yesterday sat down with Dany Bahar, the chief executive officer of Lotus Cars, to discuss the company's financial situation. He talked about the recent takeover of parent company Proton by DRB-Hicom and what it means for Lotus, the financial performance...
Lotus CEO Dany Bahar on the crisis at Lotus Cars
Lotus chief executive Dany Bahar has laid bare the business position at Lotus Cars since the takeover of parent company Proton by Malaysia's DRB-Hicom. Norfolk's sports car maker has been buffeted by rumours of financial crisis and looming collapse since development was frozen...
Mercedes rethinks its names: new Merc badges explained
At Mercedes, the naming of new models is often trickier than the technology these vehicles convey. Under the current badging hierarchy, most mainstream models use familiar one-letter names like S-class or G-Wagen. So far, so logical. But as proliferation spread,...
Fiat Viaggio (2012) first offical pictures
Fiat has shown off teaser pictures of its Viaggio compact family car for the first time. It'll be seen in full at the Beijing motor show later this month - and it's being built in China to boot. What are the...
Win a year driving BMWs: CAR's amazing competition
****THIS BMW COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED**** For more BMW content click here Have you entered CAR's competition to win a year driving brand new BMWs? Time is running out - we close the competition at 11.59pm BST this Thursday...
Citroen Numero 9 concept (2012) first official pictures
This sleek four-door saloon is Citroen's Numero 9 concept, due to be exhibited at the upcoming 2012 Beijing motor show. Hybrid power lies beneath the sultry shooting brake body. Ooh la la! Tell me more about the Citroen Numero 9... Continuing...
Audi to buy Ducati 'next week' - Reuters
Audi looks set to complete its purchase of superbike maker Ducati as early as next week, according to Reuters. The news wire reports the deal could be finalised by 18 April 2012, the day before VW's annual shareholders meeting in Hamburg. Audi...
Porsche buys Nardo for high-speed tests
Porsche has announced it is to take ownership of the famous Nardo Proving Ground in southern Italy. The company's engineering consultancy wing, the Porsche Engineering Group, will assume ownership as of May 2012. Nardo is currently owned by Italian firm Prototipo SpA. No fee...
Hyundai Santa Fe (2012): the full story
Hyundai revealed the third-generation Santa Fe at the New York motor show, complete with new styling, improved practicality, and better efficiency. Santa Fe - is it Christmas come early? Sticking with the Santa Fe name shows that the Koreans still have space...
Mercedes G-class facelift (2012) first pictures
As old as the hills it rumbles over, the Mercedes G-class has been treated to yet another series of design tweaks and drivetrain updates to keep the boxy favourite fresh. The Merc G-class still looks largely like an military-spec off-roader to...
Last year, there were over 1.7 million reported vehicle related thefts, and while the overall number is dropping, there are still cars out there that can be viewed as "easy targets".