Motoring News

2014 Nissan 370Z Nismo first drive review
Still no delicate sporting masterstroke, but neither should it be. A muscular, charismatic and fast GT with much improved road manners The increasingly coherent and self-possessing Nissan 370Z, in flagship Nismo specification.You’ll remember that last year, as a toe-dipping exercise before really establishing its Nismo performance sub-brand, Nissan gave its now five-year-old V6 rear-drive coupe an official Nismo-branded motorsport makeover.The result can best be described as a momentary identity crisis. It involved some fairly serious chassis and body stiffening and some crass-looking aftermarket-catalogue body addenda, and frankly gave this simple muscle coupe rather too much performance attitude for its own good.Roll on twelve months and, following the wider establishing of the Nismo brand, the opportunity’s been taken to shave some of the misplaced edge off the range-topping Zed. Not that Nissan will admit as much; according to the brochures, this new Nismo is the most exciting and dynamic Z-car there has ever been (blah blah blah).The truth, however, is that the outgoing Nismo version was too noisy, too stiff-legged and too extravagantly bespoilered to fit the bill. It served its purpose inasmuch as it proved the concept’s sales potential; half of all 370Zs sold in the UK are now Nismos. But as a road car, it needed refinement in more ways than one.

GM profits jump but recalls hurt cash flow
Strong demand in North America for pick-up trucks and sports cars

Daimler offloads its stake in Tesla
German automotive giant relinquishes financial interest in Elon Musk's electric car company Daimler has offloaded its financial stake in Tesla, but has pledged to continue working with Elon Musk's electric car company.The German automotive giant initially acquired an interest in Tesla in May 2009, and the two parties have collaborated on projects including the new Mercedes-Benz B-class Electric Drive.The batteries for the first generation of the Smart Fortwo electric drive also came from the Californian company.Despite the end of the financial deal, Tesla will continue to supply the power trains for the B-class Electric Drive. Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche said: “Our partnership with Tesla is very successful and will be continued.”Bodo Uebber, Daimler's finance chief, explained: “We are extremely satisfied with the development of our investment in Tesla, but it is not necessary for our partnership and cooperation. For this reason, we have decided to divest of our shares. This will also allow Tesla to broaden its investor base.”The sale of Daimler’s stake in Tesla will result in a cash inflow o

Range Rover 'Ultimate': £150k flagship spied
News 23 Oct, 2014 Stretched Rangie with four tailpipes hints a flagship version is on the way, marrying supercharged power with ultimate luxury

Range Rover 'Ultimate': £150k flagship spied - pictures

World’s fastest Supra does 240mph quarter mile
Modified Supra posts six-second time in drag race competition. Woah

10 of the ugliest cars in Britain
Bad-looking cars are actually few and far between - but every now and then, a car manufacturer comes up with an absolute howler. Here are ten of the ugliest cars ever to have been sold in the UK.

First drive: new Nissan 370Z Nismo
TG is first to try the new 340bhp Nismo Zed in the UK. How does it cope on road and track?

This is the 394bhp Brabus GLA 45
German tuner does its tuning thing to Merc’s mini-SUV hot hatch. Alloy repair specialists predict bumper year

Daimler earnings boost dividend hopes
Cash pile jumps after strong performance from car and truck operations

Ferrari F50 crashes on A43
Driver believed to have lost control of rare supercar before hitting lamppost on dual carriageway near Silverstone

First drive: new Mercedes B-Class
Merc’s mini-MPV-thing has got a mid-life facelift. Tom Harrison gets behind the wheel

Honda docks chief’s pay as recalls hit
Thirteen executives to have pay cut 10-20% after fifth Fit hybrid recall in a year

725bhp new Mustang revealed
Celebrating 50 years of the Stang, GAS has modified the new pony car for SEMA

A ride in the Sin R1 shows how far this racer for the road has come
It's been nine months since we last saw the road-going 444bhp Sin R1, and in that time the project has gone from hollow shell to road-ready sports car There was a moment, right after passing the 140mph mark on Bruntingthorpe's back straight, when I began to realise just how far the Sin R1 road car has come in its short life.I last saw this V8-engined, 444bhp sports car at Autosport International in January and, to be honest, was a little disappointed not to see a finished product. With the R1 racing car already finished and ready to race in the GT Cup, I'd expected to see the full R1 road car – but instead the firm showed a hollow prototype, a body with no engine or interior.Nevertheless, nine months later an almost-complete car is hurtling around the Leicestershire aerodrome. I say ‘almost-complete’, because although orders are being taken this is still described as a pre-production model. It's about 95 per cent there, Sin boss Rosen Daskalov tells me. The interior, mechanicals, shape and panels are as customers would see them. What remains is to lift the fit and finish.There's some work to do in that area, because although the R1 looks very striking on the road, close inspection reveals some panel gaps which are too large, an uneven paint finish in places and carbonfibre trim which looks p

Hyundai looks to placate angry investors
Proposal to buoy payout comes amid outrage over $10bn trophy headquarters plan

Hyundai Motor: at the crossroads?
Carmaker has grown into a mature global brand. It needs a similarly mature approach to investors

Video: Porsche Cayenne Turbo review
Latest version of the luxury high-performance SUV put to the test on and off the road The 2014 Porsche Cayenne Turbo gets more power, more torque and a whole host of other upgrades. Steve Sutcliffe puts the latest version of the luxury high-performance SUV to the test, on and off the road, to see just how much it's changed.Read more about the 2014 Porsche Cayenne Turbo here.

Surprise as Mercedes sells off Tesla stake
News 23 Oct, 2014 Mercedes parent company Daimler has sold its stake in Tesla Motors for £485 million profit, surprising investors

Volkswagen Passat 2015 - pictures

Stop motion miniature Mustangs: Time For Tea?
From a burnout by the toaster to a pit stop in the shed; more stop motion fun from Ford

PH at Le Mans 2015
Yes, we're getting prepared already... 2015 details here!

West Berkshire loop: My Dream Drive
Getting up a gallop in a Ferrari F430 Spider through the valleys of the horses

Mercedes 190E 2.3-16: Spotted
Well why stop at just one Cosworth-fettled 80s saloon?

Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth: PH Heroes
The unsung Sapphire RS Cosworth is the jewel in Ford's fast Sierra range

Caterham 21: Unsung Hero
Does the largely forgotten Caterham 21 deserve another look? Chris Rees admits a vested interest

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