Motoring News
Yesterday, 26 October 2016Tesla shares rally as it swings to surprise third-quarter profit
Carmaker also reaffirms plans to deliver 50,000 vehicles in the second half of 2016
read moreBorgward to build new factory in Bremen
The production version of the BX7 will be built in Bremen
Revived German marque will build factory in its ancestral hometown as it attempts a European expansion; its first model is due to be launched in 2018
The revived German marque Borgward will build a factory in its historic hometown of Bremen, marking another step towards its return to production.
Work on the new facility is due to start in 2017, with plans to start vehicle production in 2018. The exact location of the factory has yet to be revealed – Borgward says it is in discussion with potential production partners, property owners and the State of Bremen.
Bogward hires ex-Mini design boss Anders Warming
Initially, between 50 and 100 jobs are to be created by the new facility. The first phase of development will create an assembly hall with a production capacity of 10,000 vehicles per year.
Borgward produced more than a million vehicles from the 1920s to the early 1960s, when it went bankrupt. But the name was revived last year by a consortium led by the grandson of the original company founder.
The new Borgward is backed by Foton, a subsidiary of the Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC), and it has ambitious plans. Headquartered in Stuttgart and already active in China, the decision to build in Bremen is a mark of the company’s intention to expand into Europe, and cement its projected image as a German, rather than a Chinese company.
The first car to be produced in Bremen will be a fully electric version of the read more
Car insurance premiums rise by 16.3% in a year, says AA
Car insurance is becoming increasingly expensive for motorists
Tax, excess whiplash claims and price comparison websites are blamed for a sizeable hike in premiums
Car insurance premiums have risen by almost £82 on average over the past year, with the blame falling on increased taxes, excess whiplash claims and price comparison websites.
The AA’s latest British Insurance Premium Index shows that typical premium quotes have risen by 3.7% over the last quarter and 16.3% over the past year. The index uses a pool of customers nationwide to obtain quotes to track prices throughout the year.
Michael Lloyd, the AA’s director of insurance, attributed the rise to three main causes. Two increases in Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) in the past year have added around £18 to the average premium, prompting Lloyd to urge chancellor Philip Hammond to “keep his hands off” when he makes his autumn statement on 23 November.
Autonomous car insurance will be similar to normal policies, says report
“We are witnessing sustained price increases once again, which is bad news for drivers,” Lloyd said. “Motor insurance is a mandatory requirement and there is absolutely no justification for further hikes in IPT in the autumn statement. Coupled with predictive price increases, an additional tax burden would simply add to the growing number of uninsured drivers.”
Lloyd also highlighted the continuing costs of the whiplash “epidemic”, as well as the impact of price comparis
read moreGhoulish garage: top 10 spooky cars for Halloween
Ever fancied a peek around the mythical MTC? Now's your chance!
read more2016 BMW M240i review
More power, more speed, more noise: BMW's revamped and renamed performance coupé is sweeter than ever
The BMW naming convention music has stopped once again, and in this year's scramble for a seat; the M235i has been elbowed aside by the new M240i and been made to sit in the corner. But in truth, there is more to this replacement than just a bigger-numbered badge affixed the compact two-door coupé's bootlid. In the same vein as the new M140i hatch we drove only recently, BMW has fiddled its twin-scroll turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six petrol engine to produce an extra 14bhp at 5500rpm, bringing the new total to 335bhp, and it now offers 369lb ft between 1520 and 4500rpm - some 37lb ft more twist.Naturally, the M240i is now quicker in a sprint, our manual car officially capable of 0-62mph in 4.8sec, 0.2sec faster than the M235i. And in yet more Bavarian wizardry, fuel economy is also improved by up to 7%, meaning the manual version now returns 36.2mpg on the combined cycle and emits 179g/km of CO2.The final headline changes are a new rev-linked vibration damper (on the automatic version only) that aids engine refinement between shifts under load, and a new acoustic bonnet shield that's designed to filter out other noises to make the engine sound purer.
read moreAudi quits Le Mans for Formula E
News
26 Oct, 2016
Audi confirms future motorsport involvement will be with Formula E after it withdraws from WEC and Le Mans
read more2017 Ferrari F12 M - successor to F12 caught on video
The spotted development cars have thick cladding
Power output could close in on the 769bhp of the F12tdf; hybrid technology won’t come until 2020
The replacement for the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta has been caught on video near Ferrari's Maranello base almost four months it's due to be revealed at the 2017 Geneva motor show.
The two spotted development cars had thick covers on, but their familiar bodyshape confirms that the 2017 model will be a facelift rather than all-new car.
The new car is rumoured to be called the F12 M and will use a reworked version of the F12 Berlinetta's naturally aspirated V12 engine, with power output raised from the current 730bhp to nearer the 769bhp of the hardcore F12tdf.
That should help the 2017 car trim the current F12’s 3.1sec 0-62mph time. To improve agility, the power hike could be accompanied by Ferrari’s ‘virtual short wheelbase’ active rear steering system from the F12tdf.
The F12 M could also gain the dual-screen infotainment set-up of the new GT4C Lusso along with a range of other interior updates.
Pricing is expected to be above the F12's current entry-level price of £241,073.
Next-g
read moreSeat Ibiza ST model axed
Poor sales and the popularity of small SUVS make Seat pull the plug on its small estate
Production of the Seat Ibiza ST small estate has been halted because of poor sales and the rising popularity of small SUVs.
The Ibiza ST is the latest model to be dropped from the unpopular sub-compact estate segment, following the departure of the Renault Clio SW in 2013 and the Peugeot 207 SW in 2014.
Analysts say that small estates – known in the industry as the B-SW segment – have never been particularly sought after in the UK. Cars of that type account for a tiny amount of the overall sub-compact segment - between 1% and 3%.
“Last year the B-SW registrations totalled 8234 units, and September 2016 year-to-date shows a 3.2% increase at 6705,” said Felipe Munoz, a global automotive analyst at market research firm Jato. “However, their segment share was almost half that posted in 2009, at 1.72% of the B segment total.”
Munoz said that Ibiza ST sales had dropped continuously since its 2011 peak of 2544. Last year, only 686 were sold, and over that time its share of overall UK Seat sales fell from 13.3% to just 3.4%.
The departure of the Ibiza ST means that the Skoda Fabia Estate and Dacia Logan MCV are the only small estates still on sale in the UK. The Fabia Estate sold 4131 units in 2015, and the Logan 3417.
