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Volvo's year on year sales for July were up by 37% in the UK. Much of the reason is an ongoing freshening of its cars. The updates continue, with a model year 2015 XC70 now on sale.

BMW has confirmed to just-auto.com that production of the Mini Clubman and Clubvan models has ceased. Each was manufactured at Plant Oxford (Cowley).

Audi will accept punishment from Chinese authorities for breaching anti-monopoly laws in the world's largest car market, according statement from the automaker today.

Audi will accept punishment from Chinese authorities for breaching anti-monopoly laws in the world's largest car market, according to a statement from the automaker.

News 12 Aug, 2014

Dodge reveals terrifying 2015 Charger police car to keep the criminal element in check

Pictures See all 11 pictures 12 Aug, 2014

As automakers increasingly use simulation to supplement their vehicle test programmes, just-auto spoke to Chris Hoyle, technical director of rFpro, a UK company that has modelled the Nordschleife circuit at the Nürburgring, Germany, with unprecedented accuracy.

Toyota's 'Swagger Wagon' is a hip-hop send-up of suburban family life featuring Busta Rhymes.

China's NDRC used to be very friendly toward foreign automakers, approving numerous factory projects. Now its is investigating global automakers for suspected monopolistic behavior. What prompted the change?

Jaguar Land Rover's surging retail sales and profit helped parent Tata Motors triple its first-quarter net income.

BMW will open its third global brand experience center later this month in South Korea, which will allow customers to test their driving skills on features including a winding handling circuit and an off-road course.

From GMM

Recently departed Renault Sport F1 boss Jean-Michel Jalinier says the struggling French marque was out-spent as the sport entered its new V6 era.

Dominant with Red Bull at the tail-end of the long normally-aspirated 'engine' era, Renault has struggled against the new might of Mercedes as the German company mastered its first 'power unit' for 2014.

Frenchman Jalinier, former president and managing director, retired for "personal reasons" last month, but his departure was also interpreted amid Renault's restructuring as it looks to return to top form in 2015 and beyond.

But Jalinier said the pecking order in 2014 is more about Renault and Ferrari's conventional approach to the new regulations versus a dramatic turn for Mercedes.

"When Ferrari and Renault are getting similar results, and Mercedes has a significant advantage, the first thing is to look at the level of investment," he told the French magazine Auto Hebdo.

"At Renault the same level of investment was maintained, while Mercedes raised the bar very high, investing a lot of money, resources and technology," said Jalinier.

"As a result, they were much better prepared than us and the Italians who have operated at the known and practiced levels of investment.

"In the paddock," he continued, "you did hear about these enormous and - in our view - disproportionate investments by Mercedes, but do you believe these rumours or not?

"In terms of resources used for this project, it is clear that Ferrari and us invested far less (than Mercedes)," said Jean-Pierre Jalinier, the former boss of Renault Sport F1.

"In the end it was true. In terms of resources used for this project, it is clear that Ferrari and us invested far less," said Jalinier.

"We are 320 people at Viry, but together with the chassis and the engine there were up to 1,250 at Mercedes. With those resources, it is obvious that you are not confined to one solution but can go with two or even three in parallel during the development phase," he said.

"This is a powerful force to achieve the right solution."

Renault has been heavily criticised by its formerly title-dominant premier team partner Red Bull amid the 2014 'crisis', but Jalinier insists that "with the means available, we completed the project entirely correctly".

However, he does admit that Renault should have adopted the Mercedes-like approach of optimising a single 'power unit' package, rather than offering customised solutions to teams like Red Bull and Lotus.

"The advantage of Mercedes was to have an optimised version of the chassis and engine specifically for Mercedes GP, their own team, that was used as is by the client teams or adapted to their own needs at their own risk," said Jalinier.

Red Bull is very pleased to announce that Max Verstappen has accepted the invitation to join the Red Bull Junior Team.

This is effective immediately and the 16-year-old Dutchman will continue his FIA Formula 3 European Championship campaign at the Nürburgring this weekend as a Red Bull Junior in the Van Amersfoort Racing team.

Vertappen Jr. will compete also at the prestigious Macau Grand Prix in November.

Max Verstappen (photo: Red Bull)

The Dutch racer, son of former-Formula 1 driver Jos, has won seven F3 races in his maiden season of car racing.

We reported last week that his rookie form had attracted interest from Red Bull and Mercedes , and a deal has been struck with the Austrian drink company.

Jaguar has revealed the prototype of its new Lightweight E-type, a further six of which will be built and sold... 51 years after the original.

The Special GT E-type project indeed started in February 1963 with the goal of building 18 cars. Only 12 of the aluminium-bodied Lightweight E-types were eventually built.

“The E-type is an iconic car, and the Lightweight E-type the most desirable of all,” said John Edwards, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations. “To be able to complete the intended production run of 18, some 50 years after the last Lightweight was completed, was an opportunity we couldn't miss.”

A prototype Lightweight -- ‘Car Zero' -- has been completed and will be officially introduced on Thursday at the opening reception to the Pebble Beach Automotive weekend, the world's most prestigious classic car event.

All six cars will be sold as period competition vehicles and all will be suitable for FIA homologation for historic motorsport purposes.

Source: Jaguar

Photo: Jaguar

Nashville, TN -- It's probably not too often that residents of the tony Belle Meade subdivision near Nashville see a New York taxi cruising their tree-lined roads.

Needless to say I felt more than a bit conspicuous driving the bright yellow NV200 Taxi through the quiet neighbourhood. Eyes ahead and trying to go unnoticed, I half expected someone to flag me down.


What is the 2015 Nissan NV200 Taxi?
Based on Nissan's four-door compact cargo van, the NV200 Taxi was developed purposely as a taxi for large urban centres.

Nissan calls it the "product of a unique development collaboration." Using input from hundreds of taxi drivers and "thousands of passengers from all walks of life," Nissan turned their small van into a well-thought out form of public transit. With room for four passengers and their luggage, and many comfort and convenience features, the NV200 makes an ideal taxi -- at least New York City thought so, and made it its newest cab.

2015 Nissan NV200 Taxi Price & Specs
The 2015 NV200 Taxi features sliding doors and entry steps for easy access. Inside, upholstery is made from a stain-resistant, easy-to-clean fabric that's antimicrobial.

There's a charging station for passengers featuring a 12Vt electrical outlet and two USB ports, and separate HVAC controls.

The powertrain is the 2.0L 4-cylinder engine found in the regular NV200, with an output of 131 hp and 139 lb-ft of torque. It's mated to an Xtronic continuously variable transmission.
Up front is an independent strut system with sway bar, while the rear suspension consists of a solid axle with multi-leaf springs.

Available technology includes a 5.8" touchscreen with navigation and mobile apps, voice recognition, Sirius XM, and Bluetooth.

While pricing for the New York taxi begins at $29,700, Nissan says "Canadian opportunities for the NV200 Taxi continue to be explored."

Inside and Out of the 2015 Nissan NV Taxi
Our tester was the bright, screaming yellow we've come to associate with New York cabbies. It's a special paint without clearcoat, making it easier to touch up the inevitable scrapes and scratches. On the roof, you'll find the expected vacancy light bar, while behind the grille is an emergency "call 911" warning light that can be activated by a dash-mounted button.

There's a huge amount of legroom and headroom in the NV200 Taxi when compared to a conventional cab. The panoramic sunroof overhead lets in plenty of light making it feel even more open and airy. The passenger compartment is tough and rugged from upholstery to flat carpeted floor with no cracks or crevasses for items to be lost in.

Aside from climate controls and personal device charging areas, passengers also get their own video screens.

Sliding doors with an automatically retracting step not only make passenger entry and exit easy, but there are no doors to swing out into busy traffic.

Upright seating for the driver is comfortable, and the front passenger seat folds down flat to provide a convenient work-space.

Driving the 2015 Nissan NV200 Taxi
Once I got over the feeling of standing out like a sore thumb, I found the NV200 Taxi quite simple to drive. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to gather up any fares, so I had no way of testing how well the acrylic divider worked at blocking out obnoxious and distracting behaviour from the rear passenger compartment. An intercom system enables communication between passengers and the driver.

While the powertrain components are the same as the regular NV200, they've been toughened up to handle the rigours of a busy working taxi. As expected, the NV200 isn't exactly quick (0-100 km/h in roughly 12 seconds), but it accelerates smoothly, providing a comfortable ride.

The steering is a little rubbery, but the NV200 Taxi handles better than its tall, slab-sided profile might suggest, and the brakes are terrific. The backup camera and big side mirrors make threading it into tight parking spaces a snap.

Comparing the 2015 Nissan NV200 Taxi
This bright yellow cab's main competition resides in the
Ford Transit Connect, Chevrolet City Express, and Ram ProMaster City.

Although very, very few persons have access to the contracts of the Formula 1 drivers, estimates of their annual salaries - complied by Business Book GP2014 and reported on TomorrowNewsF1.com - have been released.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso remains top of the list, but he has now been joined by his teammate Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing.

All three earn approximately €22 million (about $29.4 million).

Honestly, Valtteri Bottas of Williams and Daniel Ricciardo - winner of two races so far this year - both look a real bargain at €1 million ($1.3 million) and €750,000 ($1 million) respectively.

Here is the full list:

1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari €22m ($29.4m)
= Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari €22m ($29.4m)
=Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing €22m ($29.4m)
4. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG €20m ($27m)
5. Jenson Button McLaren €16m ($21.3m)
6. Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG €12m ($16m)
7. Felipe Massa Williams €4m ($5.3m)
= Nico Hulkenberg Force India F1 €4m ($5.3m)
9. Romain Grosjean Lotus  €3m ($4m)
= Pastor Maldonado Lotus  €3m ($4m)
= Sergio Perez Force India  €3m ($4m)
12. Adrian Sutil Sauber €2m ($2.7m)
13. Kevin Magnussen McLaren €1m ($1.3m)
= Valtteri Bottas Williams €1m ($1.3m)
15. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing €750,000 ($1m)
= Jean-Eric Vergne Scuderia Toro Rosso €750,000 ($1m)
17. Jules Bianchi Marussia €500,000 ($667,000)
18. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber €400,000 ($534,000)
19. Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso €250,000 ($334,000)
20. Max Chilton Marussia €200,000 ($267,000)
21. Marcus Ericsson Caterham  €150,000 ($200,000)
= Kamui Kobayashi Caterham  €150,000 ($200,000)

McLaren will launch the new track-only 650S Sprint at the upcoming Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California (August 14-17). The stripped-out racer will make its global debut alongside a number of other models from McLaren Automotive, including the McLaren P1 GTR.

Based on the 650S Coupe, the McLaren 650S Sprint is fitted with developments to the Brake Steer system, even more refined active aerodynamics and a race set-up for the ProActive Chassis Control (PCC) -- upgrades that deliver a more engaging GT racing experience. The interior features a single carbon fibre HANS-approved racing seat with full 6-point harness, but a passenger seat is optionally available. There's a fire extinguisher, too.

The 650S Sprint shares a number of design features with the recently announced 650S GT3 race car, shown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last month. Finished primarily in white, the design features the new Tarocco Orange paint seen on the GT3, with subtle black and white detailing throughout. McLaren also offers a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) developed aerodynamic package including a carbon fibre rear wing and front splitter as well as further lightweight components including a polycarbonate windscreen.

This car isn't cheap, obviously. Pricing starts at £198,000, equal to about $364,000.

Source: McLaren

Photo: McLaren

Ferrari Formula 1 drivers, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, admitted they will keep fighting hard during the second half of 2014 despite driving the problematic F14 T.

“The car is still not goo enough and we are missing downforce and traction”, said Alonso.

“With Kimi, we are working very hard and the debriefing sessions are very long this year. We are providing the engineers with a lot of information so that they point the guys in Maranello in the right direction. That's exactly what I was doing previously with Massa and my other teammates”, added Alonso.

“I think we can do a better job, because Kimi has not performed very well so far this year. We've got to solve our handling problems and first against Mercedes”, the Spaniard said.

Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari F14 T (Photo: WRi2)

Raikkonen insists he has lost none of his speed since his winter return to Ferrari from Lotus despite his disappointing run of results and remains confident that both he and the team can eventually return to race-winning ways.

"It's been a hard first part of the year," the 34-year-old Finn said. "I know I've not lost speed from last year, so it's been disappointing to fight against the issues and problems we've had.

"I hope the second part of the season will be much better than the first, but one slightly better day doesn't change an awful lot.

"It doesn't take away the mistakes, the things we have to improve, to make us work much better as a team.

"There are a lot of things that need to be done to make sure we are where we should be."

From GMM

Part of Sebastian Vettel's problem in 2014 is that he is 'worn out', Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner has revealed.

Having utterly dominated the sport, culminating in his four consecutive drivers' titles between 2010 and last year, the 27-year-old German has struggled for form this season.

Some think that following Mark Webber's departure, his new Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo is simply putting Vettel in the shade.

Ricciardo, having graduated from the junior team Toro Rosso, is 6-5 up Vettel in qualifying, and with a clear 9-2 lead in the grands prix after 11 races -- including two wins compared to Vettel's none.

Christian Horner (Photo: WRi2)

Horner says not only Red Bull but also the entire world of F1 has been surprised by Ricciardo's form.

"I genuinely want to see if I have what it takes, if I am the best in the world," 25-year-old Ricciardo told CNN. "And I've got the best guy to measure myself to."

But Horner insists that, as ever in F1, the real story is somewhat more complicated than Ricciardo bursting onto the scene and showing he is a better driver than Vettel.

"It is a combination of several things," the Briton told Germany's Auto Bild Motorsport.

"First, when you have fought for the title for five years, it does wear you out a little bit, but that is not the fundamental problem.

"The way Vettel brought out those extra tenths from the car in recent years was quite unique," Horner explained. "He is very sensitive to the behaviour of the car, especially when braking."

Daniel Ricciardo (Photo: WRi2)

So the new, mandatory 'brake-by-wire' systems this year mean Vettel has "lost part of his feeling for the car", Horner said.

And "the driveability was really bad, so Seb could not look after the tyres in the way that he always has done," he added.

Horner said Vettel used to drive a bit "like a ballerina, dancing on the throttle and the brakes", which was not initially possible in 2014.

But Red Bull and Renault have been working hard on the package, with Horner saying Vettel's pace in Hungary shows he is "getting the feeling for the car back again".

Horner continued: "We also can't forget how many mechanical problems Sebastian has had, many of them just little things that have disrupted his flow.

"So he has had less time to adapt his driving style," he added.

Mazda has posted the first official picture of the all-new 2016 MX-5, which will make its global debut on September 3rd. While just a teaser, the image shows enough to get an idea of the new MX-5's silhouette.

Mazda Australia managing director Martin Benders went on the record to say that the new model "will look nothing like" the previous generation and that it will adopt an evolution of the Mazda's KODO design language.

According to WorldCarFans.com, the 2016 Mazda MX-5 (editor's note: not 2015) will use a SKYACTIV chassis that will lower its centre of gravity and reduce weight by 100 kilograms.

More details to come in three weeks... or maybe sooner, who knows?

Source : worldcarfans.com

Photo: Mazda