Auto News 5

News 5 Mar, 2014

Ferrari announces three new FF specifications through its Tailor Made programme, plus Apple CarPlay

New vehicle sales in Taiwan fell by 2.9% year on year in February to 20,796 units, reflecting fewer working days in the month due to the Lunar New Year holidays.

Malaysia's first national car company, Proton Holdings, is seeking government funding for the development of its next generation of passenger cars, including electric vehicles, according to local reports.

BMW Group plans to sell more than 2 million vehicles this year as demand grows in China and the U.S. and the automaker pushes to stay ahead of Audi and Mercedes in global brand sales.

News 5 Mar, 2014

Alfa Spider and MX-5 joint venture still on, but Alfa badge could be swapped for another Fiat-Chrysler brand

China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group has acquired US electric vehicle company Emerald Automotive for an undisclosed sum, according to reports in China.

News 5 Mar, 2014

The Audi A3, Mazda 3 and BMW 4 Series make up the three finalists for the World Car of the Year

News 5 Mar, 2014

We scoured the Geneva Motor Show stands to bring you the ten best concept cars of the 2014 event

News 5 Mar, 2014

Ford reveals extent of the changes to the Focus ST hot-hatch, including a diesel version to rival Golf GTD

Trevor Mann, Nissan's Europe chairman, is counting on the recently launched second-generation Qashqai and the automaker's forthcoming compact hatchback to help the automaker reclaim the title of top-selling Asian brand in Europe by 2016.

The Renault Twingo will stand out in Europe's crowded minicar segment because of its rear-engine layout and rear-wheel drive.

IndyCar's Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced that IndyCar veteran Oriol Servia will drive the team's second Dallara in select races of the upcoming season but other races could be added once details are finalized.

For the time being, Servia is set to drive at Long Beach, Barber Motorsports Park, and the road course race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well as the Indy 500.

It is not really a surprise to see the Spaniard join RLL since the Catalan was always at the top of Bobby Rahal's list of preferred drivers to run alongside his son Graham Rahal.

"We have had the pleasure of working with Oriol before and are looking forward to his return," said Bobby Rahal.

"We are happy to have him back and look forward to having him help the team progress toward the front."

Servia will participate in the IndyCar Series open test at Barber Motorsports Park March 17-18 in a Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entry.

Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli confirmed Wednesday it has signed a contract to become the title sponsor of two Formula 1 Grands Prix in 2014.

The official tire supplier of F1 will see its name linked to these two races.

These two rounds will now officially be called the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA PIRELLI 2014 (May 8-11) and the FORMULA 1 PIRELLI MAGYAR NAGYDÍJ 2014 (July 24-27).

This latest initiative underlines Pirelli's commitment to Formula 1, under the current supply contract that runs through to 2016.

From Mercedes-Benz press release

German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz will run seven Mercedes AMG C-Coupés in this year's DTM.

The Mercedes-Benz driver line-up for 2014 is complete. Apart from former DTM champions Gary Paffett and Paul Di Resta, ex-formula 1 driver Vitaly Petrov will line up in this season's DTM for Mercedes, along with last year's Mercedes-Benz DTM drivers - Daniel Juncadella, Christian Vietoris, Pascal Wehrlein and Canadian Robert Wickens.

Mercedes' seven drivers at the fitness camp. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

All seven DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé drivers prepared for the start of the season on May 4th in Hockenheim by working out in the Austrian town of Seefeld.

Robert Wickens is one of three DTM winners in the squad. The Canadian won his first DTM race in last year's race at the Nürburgring.

"My goal last season was to consistently finish in the points and maybe even achieve a podium - I did even better than that with three podiums and my first DTM victory," said Wickens, who finished fifth overall in 2013.

"I aim to build on those results in 2014 and improve further. I definitely got the taste for victory at the Nürburgring."

Preparations for the DTM anniversary year - 30 years after the inauguration of the touring car series - will end with two four-day ITR test sessions in Budapest (March 31st-April 3rd) and Hockenheim (April 14th-17th).

The first race of the season will take place about two weeks later and at the same venue, namely, the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg (May 3rd-4th).

MINI has unveiled its Clubman concept, and many versions of this model are expected to hit the road.

The new MINI Clubman is 4.22 metres long (+0.26 m) and 1.84 metre wide (+0.17 m). Exterior highlights include a honeycomb grille, ''Side Scuttle'' elements, and signature headlights. Side-hinged rear doors provide access to the trunk.

Photo: MINI

The interior of the Clubman concept can seat five. Circles are the theme, along with leather trim including Sky Blue nubuck, Red Berry glossy leather, and Walknappa leather.

Photo: MINI

MINI did not provide any technical specs.

Hyundai finally introduced its much anticipated Intrado concept at the 2014 Geneva Auto Show.

Photo: Hyundai

As the first concept created under the direction of former Audi design guru Peter Schreyer, and the first to embody the new Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design language, the Intrado aims to demonstrate Hyundai's leadership in fuel cell technology while hinting at a new compact crossover.

Photo: Hyundai

The Hyundai Intrado is equipped with a 36kW lithium-ion battery. Its lightweight construction and efficient powertrain result in improved driving dynamics, engineers claim. Few performance figures were provided, except for a range of about 600 kilometres with a single tank of hydrogen.

Photo: Hyundai

Jaguar announced at the 2014 Geneva Auto Show the name of its all-new midsize luxury sports sedan -- XE. Global deliveries will begin in 2015.

The Jaguar XE will be the first product from the new advanced aluminium architecture which was showcased in the C-X17 crossover concept in 2013.

The lightweight Jaguar XE promises unbeatable handling, performance, refinement and efficiency, according to the company. A new family of high-output, fuel-efficient gasoline and diesel engines named Ingenium will also play a vital role, of course, allowing top speeds in excess of 300 km/h and remarkably low fuel consumption.

Jaguar will release further details about the new XE sports sedan later in 2014.

Photo: Jaguar

Maserati's Alfieri concept, unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Auto Show, is a 2+2 coupe with a 4.7L V8 engine producing 460 horsepower, as well as 20'' front and 21'' rear wheels. The company claims it's more aggressive than the Gran Turismo.

Photo: Maserati

“The Alfieri is a transition point between 100 glorious years of history and the future that is opening up before us,” said design director Lorenzo Ramaciotti. “I sincerely can't say that we'll see this car in production in two years time, but I'm certain we'll see something very similar.”

The floor of the Maserati Alfieri concept is finished in a material that imitates oxidized steel, which was commonly found on race cars in the 1950s. Poltrona Frau aniline leather covers the seats, dashboard, and centre console.

Photo: Maserati

The all-new 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe made its global debut today at the Geneva Auto Show. Look for it to appear in showrooms later in 2014.

“The new S-Class Coupe stands at the very pinnacle of our product portfolio and is a further milestone in our luxury-class offensive with a total of six models in future instead of three,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “This car drives as good as it looks -- and that's no mean feat, because we're talking here about the most beautiful S-Class of all time.”

Blending elegance and harmony, the exterior of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe features a raised beltline, flared fenders, and sleek lines that flow from a tridimensional, diamond-style grille. The LED headlights are accented by daytime running lights arranged in a semi-circle, while the panoramic sunroof offers driver-controlled opacity.

The cabin of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe is all about understated opulence. You'll find a dual TFT screen, a touch pad, a Burmester surround sound system, Nappa leather, and more.

On the safety front, PRE-SAFE PLUS is able to anticipate rear-end collisions when the car is stationary. If a collision is imminent, the system applies the brakes before the impact occurs in order to help reduce whiplash.

A 4.6L twin-turbo V8 generating 455 horsepower lies under the hood of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe (S 500).

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

Here it is, folks: the all-new Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4, heir to the Gallardo. Are you one of the 700 customers who have already pre-ordered theirs?

Photo: Lamborghini

Equipped with a 610-horsepower, 5.2L V10 engine mated to a 7-speed, dual-clutch transmission, the Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 transfers power to all four wheels to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds. Top speed is announced at 325 km/h.

This junior-sized Aventador weighs a mere 1,422 kilos thanks to an aluminum and carbon body.