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Audi's vehicle sales rose 10 percent to 144,000 in July, helped by strong demand for the A3 model range.

Tesla said it has resolved its trademark dispute in China which threatened company plans to expand rapidly in the country.

News 7 Aug, 2014

BMW continues work on 3 Series’ mid-life update, including minor styling tweaks, new engines and revised in-car tech

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BMW's Mini is claiming a world first - dashboard access to the JustPark service that enables drivers to reserve parking direct from the car.

Chrysler Group said net income rose 22% to $619m in the second quarter of 2014 on sales up 14% to $20.5bn. Operating profit was also up by 22%, to $985m.

Russia's risk profile for overseas investors is changing "dramatically" as the war of words between Moscow and the West continues to escalate, making potential new auto suppliers twitchy about entering the market.

Mercedes-Benz brand had its highest monthly sales to date in July, up 11 percent to 130,003 cars, boosted by strong demand for its compact cars and SUVs.

News 7 Aug, 2014

The final installment of the Bugatti Legends series is the Veyron Ettore Bugatti – only three will be produced

Pictures See all 6 pictures 7 Aug, 2014

News 7 Aug, 2014

Skoda reveals full price and specification details for new Yeti Monte Carlo, on sale now for £24,390

China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) continued to expand its anti-trust probe in the automotive sector, with Chrysler and Audi the most recent companies revealed to have come under scrutiny.

Europe automakers are speeding up the introduction of alternative fuel powertrains in a bid to cut CO2 emissions ahead of tougher limits planned by the European Union.

Bosch will sell a laser-based radar known as lidar by 2020 to meet demand for high-tech sensors in autos. Auto companies have started using lidar to get the high-resolution images needed for self-driving cars.

If there is one thing that Audi's first-half results prove, it's that VW Group's premium brand earns so much cash it could easily swallow Fiat-Chrysler whole

Russian car sales are expected to fall by between 8 and 12 percent this year, PricewaterhouseCoopers said. Russia's sharp economic slowdown and devaluation of the ruble will hit sales, PwC said.

From GMM

McLaren's current car is a "rolling laboratory" for the start of the works Honda era beginning in 2015.

That is the news of team boss Eric Boullier, who arrived at Woking this year and is overseeing the British grandee's struggle to even stay in the top five constructors in 2014.

This season is the last in McLaren's long and successful partnership with Mercedes, even though the relationship is no more than a mere customer pairing in 2014.

McLaren lies behind its usual top-team protagonists at the mid-season point, but also behind Mercedes' other customers Williams and Sahara Force India.

Still, Frenchman Boullier said the team is not giving up on developing the MP4-29.

McLaren MP4-29-Mercedes. (Photo: WRi2)

"We see this year's car as a rolling laboratory for the coming season," he is quoted by Speed Week.

"What we do this year has great relevance, because according to the rules the mounting points of the engine and transmission are the same next year, even if you change engine partner.

"So most of our improvements this year will have a direct impact on the design of the next McLaren," Eric Boullier explained.

From GMM

Daniil Kvyat, the youngest rookie in formula one, has hit back at suggestions formula one drivers lack the hero status of the sport's past stars.

Amid the sport's struggle to fill grandstands and boost television ratings in 2014, many have pointed the finger at the drivers for failing to compete in the charisma and courage stakes with greats like Villeneuve, Senna and Mansell.

F1 legend Michael Schumacher's manager Willi Weber, for example, this week hit out at the "wimps" that today fill the grand prix grid.

20-year-old Russian rookie Kvyat, however, thinks it is wrong to suggest that today's F1 drivers lack courage.

"In my opinion F1 remains one of the sports in which courage is most relevant," he told Italy's Omnicorse.

"I don't like to hear that the modern driver is no longer a knight of risk -- that compared with the 80s we are not real men," the Toro Rosso driver insisted.

"That's all bullsh*t," said Kvyat.

"All that separates us from 340kph and the wall is our brakes and a hundred metres of asphalt," he exclaimed. "Risk in formula one cannot be erased, but it is right that we do everything possible to improve the safety of the tracks and the cars."

Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) fighting against Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Valtteri Bottas (Williams) and Jenson Button (McLaren). (Photo: WRi2)

Another criticism made by Weber this week, and echoed by many others, is that greats like Schumacher, Senna and Villeneuve gave "their answer on the track" rather than to their engineers on the radio.

But Kvyat argues: "With the new regulations, the role of the engineer is essential -- the management of electrical energy cannot be controlled only by the driver.

"Let's clarify another thing," he added. "If there is the possibility to overtake, the driver must always try it. There is never the situation when the engineer tells you to forget it, to wait.

"But at the same time we need to adapt to the situation of fuel consumption and the wear of the tires."

As for the suggestion that the grands prix today are boring, Kvyat also argues his case.

"I don't know what people are expecting," he said. "I have looked at the grands prix and I have to say that the show is not bad at all.

"Sure, some races are more exciting than others, but if we go back to the races in the 2000s they were dominated by one driver -- what was so spectacular about that?

"Maybe the public has not understood the rule changes we have done, but I am sure we have taken the right path," Kvyat continued. "It took courage to change to experimental solutions in order to progress normal road cars."

Finally, when asked what rule change he would instigate immediately to improve F1, Daniil Kvyat answered: "I would wait a little longer. It seems to me that the package we have now is not so bad."

Mazda is on a roll with its innovative SKYACTIV technology and hot new products like the award-winning Mazda3, whose striking design language speaks directly to a large number of car buyers.

Now, it appears the Japanese automaker wants to make an even stronger statement in the small SUV/CUV market by launching a CX-3, which would become the CX-5's little brother, likely next year or in 2016.

Martin Benders, managing director at Mazda Australia, told The Motor Report that compact SUVs are a compelling segment for the company.

“There's opportunity there, absolutely. We've made it clear that it's an area we'd like to be represented in,” he said while announcing that a new entry-level crossover is “not that far away.”

Expect an eventual Mazda CX-3 to be based on the upcoming Mazda2's platform and be an absolute thrill to drive.

2012 Mazda CX-7 (Photo: Mazda)

Will the CX-7 make a comeback?
In addition, Benders told Car Advice that Mazda may actually launch a next-generation CX-7 to bridge the gap between the CX-5 et CX-9. However, he remained evasive about the vehicle's size.

Could a new CX-7 offer three-row seating like the Mitsubishi Outlander and Kia Sorento?

“That would be interesting,” Benders reportedly said with a grin.

Source : caradvice.com.au

Infiniti Red Bull Formula 1 driver, Sebastian Vettel has bought a Ferrari road car.

The four-time World Champion was recently in Italy to take delivery of a Ferrari California.

He bought the car for his father, Norbert, a talented amateur race car driver himself.

The Italian car carries German licence plate HP N1 (for Heppenheim Norbert 1).

Photo: Instagram