Auto News 5

For $45,000, you have a choice between two BMW compact family haulers, the X3 sport-ute and the 3-Series Touring you see here. Both have all-wheel drive, seating for five and the dog, but the X3 benefits from 30 extra horses. In the sales charts, though, the 3-Series Touring is way behind the X3. In 2008, BMW moved out 279 328i wagons and 2296 X3s, so why bother offering it? Because they can; premium wagons are popular in Europe, so it's not a big deal for the German brand to bring over the ocean. Full story...

For $45,000, you have a choice between two BMW compact family haulers, the X3 sport-ute and the 3-Series Touring you see here. Both have all-wheel drive, seating for five and the dog, but the X3 benefits from 30 extra horses. In the sales charts, though, the 3-Series Touring is way behind the X3. In 2008, BMW moved out 279 328i wagons and 2296 X3s, so why bother offering it? Because they can; premium wagons are popular in Europe, so it's not a big deal for the German brand to bring over the ocean. Full story...

We knew spring breakers in Panama City, Fla., would enjoy the 2010 Ford Mustang GT convertible that we drove down from Detroit. Full story...

High demand for the new Volkswagen Polo has stopped a temporary closure of the automaker's plant in South Africa, according to a German newspaper report. Full story...

German Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said today he hoped General Motors and the U.S. government would help answer remaining questions on a plan to save German unit Opel. Shortly before leaving Germany for talks with GM and U.S. Full story...

German Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said today he hoped General Motors and the U.S. government would help answer remaining questions on a plan to save German unit Opel. Shortly before leaving Germany for talks with GM and U.S. Full story...

BERLIN (Reuters) -- German Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said on Sunday he hoped General Motors and the U.S. government would help answer remaining questions on a plan to save German unit Opel. Full story...

Pioneer Corp. is in talks with Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Alpine Electronics Inc. and Clarion Co. Ltd. on a possible tie-up for car navigation and other auto equipment operations, the Nikkei business daily reported on Sunday. Full story...

I know from the reactions of people on the street that many of us consider driving a Porsche in the middle of winter to be pure heresy. So throw me into the Inquisition bonfire because I committed this very sin last December. Heck, it wasn't even an all-wheel drive model or a Cayenne SUV -- just a regular 911 Carrera! Nonsense is what you're probably saying right about now... Full story...

Citroen Total team driver Sebastien Loeb has won the FxPro Cyprus Rally by a margin of 27.2 seconds from the man in second place, Mikko Hirvonen of the BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team. Full story...

A day after missing the pole position by only .003 seconds, Randy Pobst and Christian Miller took the No. 74 Honda Civic Si to victory in the Street Tuner (ST) class Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the second closest finish in KONI Challenge history. Full story...

I know from the reactions of people on the street that many of us consider driving a Porsche in the middle of winter to be pure heresy. So throw me into the Inquisition bonfire because I committed this very sin last December. Heck, it wasn't even an all-wheel drive model or a Cayenne SUV -- just a regular 911 Carrera! Nonsense is what you're probably saying right about now... Full story...

Daimler is looking for a third partner for its alliance with German industrial conglomerate Evonik to develop and build advanced batteries for electric cars, according to a German newspaper. Full story...

The British government is considering giving credits of 2,000 pounds (2,160 euros) to new-car buyers who turn in their old cars, The Times reported on Saturday. Full story...

Citroen C4 driver Sebastien Loeb will go into Sunday's third and final day of the Cyprus Rally - the shortest of the event - with a lead of 49 seconds. Full story...

Citroen C4 driver Sebastien Loeb will go into Sunday's third and final day of the Cyprus Rally - the shortest of the event - with a lead of 49 seconds. Full story...

The new customer sport program of AUDI AG has reached the next stage with delivery of the first Audi R8 LMS to Audi Sport Italia. Full story...

Bernie Ecclestone has ruled out formula one returning to Silverstone, even if it means the historic British grand prix must fall off the calendar altogether. Full story...

Ferrari is facing "a slight disadvantage" heading into the 2009 season, its team boss Stefano Domenicali has admitted. Full story...

Matt Bell set a time of 1:27.803 (94.302 mph) on his first lap of qualifying Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and will lead the 27-car Grand Sport (GS) field to the green flag in Sunday's Grand-Am Fan Appreciation Weekend, the second round of the 2009 KONI Sports Car Challenge season. Full story...