Auto News 5

News 10 Dec, 2014

New JCW is most powerful MINI ever with 228bhp, covers 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds and costs from £22,865

A Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell vehicle (FCEV) built in Ulsan, South Korea, has arrived in Australia. It is the first hydrogen-powered car to be permanently imported into the country.

News 10 Dec, 2014

Our drink-drive campaign, in association with IAM, calls on drivers not to drink anything before driving

Magna International has relocated its Shunde mirrors manufacturing facility in Guangdong province and renamed it Guangdong Magna Automotive Mirrors.

BMW's designated CEO Harald Krueger is seen as an executive who commands respect among colleagues as a "straight shooter, a good motivator and a good speaker," according to one analyst, and by another as likely to start "a new era" at BMW.

Mercedes-Benz will launch its rival for the BMW X6 - the GLE - at the Detroit show in January. It will enter production at Daimler's US plant in Alabama from 2015.

Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port factory - opened in 1964 to build the HA Viva - has built its five millionth car, an Astra.

Nissan has announced a global recall of around 470,000 vehicles to check for possible fuel leaks.

Nissan has started production of the redesigned X-Trail at St Petersburg as the company boosts manufacturing in Russia.

News 10 Dec, 2014

A sleeker, more stylish three-door Hyundai i20 called the i20 Coupe will go on sale in the UK next year

News 10 Dec, 2014

Hyundai’s i40 gets updated styling, revised chassis and engines, and the latest in-car tech

News 10 Dec, 2014

Hyundai’s i30 Golf-rival gets a facelift, a new auto ‘box and a range-topping 183bhp i30 Turbo version

News 10 Dec, 2014

Hyundai has cut the Veloster from its UK line-up just three years after it went on sale

BMW Group said deliveries of BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce cars rose 8 percent in November, thanks to a continued strong demand in China and a 20 percent rise of its BMW and Mini sales in the UK.

European sales of vehicles powered by compressed natural gas could grow to between 10 million and 12 million by 2020. CNG is promoted as a low-CO2 fuel that costs about half the price of gasoline.

European sales of vehicles powered by compressed natural gas could grow tenfold by 2020, benefiting Fiat, VW and Mercedes. CNG sales are forecast to grow as automakers add more low-CO2 emission vehicles to their lineups.

European sales of vehicles powered by compressed natural gas could grow tenfold by 2020, benefiting Fiat, VW and Mercedes. CNG sales are forecast to grow as automakers add more low-CO2 emission vehicles to their lineups.

From GMM

Felipe Nasr has played down suggestions he is kicking off his F1 career with an ailing team.

A constant and respected presence on the grid for over twenty years, Hinwil based Sauber sunk to its worst-ever result in 2014, failing to score even a single point.

Now, the fact the Swiss team has signed Brazilian Nasr and his sponsor Banco do Brasil, and the heavily-backed Caterham refugee Marcus Ericsson, has been interpreted as a sign of clear financial problems.

Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, in Abu Dhabi. (Photo: WRi2)

But Felipe Nasr, third in the GP2 standings this year, insists Sauber is not an ailing minnow.

"I didn't want to join a small team that is not competitive," he told Brazil's Globo Esporte.

"Sauber has a good structure, serious people. It has a Ferrari engine and Ferrari has been improving a lot. I expect a more competitive team next year. I am excited and optimistic for these first two seasons with Sauber," Felipe Nasr added.

McLaren Formula 1 team looks set to (finally) announce its 2015 driver line-up.

The British team has scheduled a media event at its MTC (McLaren Technology Centre) in Woking, UK Thursday at 10 am.

The announce has been delayed several times.

Former Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso is expected return to the team next season.

The question remains to know who will be his teammate between veteran Jenson Button and newcomer Kevin Magnussen.

While simply advertised on the media invite as an "important and exclusive media event at the McLaren Technology Centre", the inevitable immediate media reaction was that it would feature the presentation of their 2015 line-up for their first year back with Honda.

The press event may also be the occasion to announce the arrival of a new major sponsor.

McLaren Headquarter at Woking. (Photo: WRi2)

From VW Motorsport

Brazilian soccer star Neymar traded his twists and turns on a football pitch for those inside a World Rally Car when he hitched a lift with double world champion Sebastien Ogier.

Neymar, captain of his country and a fans' favourite in Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium since joining the Spanish club in 2013, enjoyed a flat-out ride in the Frenchman's, 315-bhp Volkswagen Polo R around the Montserrat mountain near the city.

Sebastien Ogier and Neymar Jr (Photo: VW Motorsport)

Does Ogier's regular co-driver Julien Ingrassia have anything to fear from the rookie as he attempts to get to grips with pace notes?

Luckly, Ogier knew the road very well and told his new co-driver: “Just relax and enjoy the scenery...”