Volkswagen: �??We will improve quality�?�

Volkswagen says it is �??working hard�?� to improving the quality of its vehicles and customer service. The German brand has been languishing at the lower end of independent automotive quality surveys in recent years, and it has also been the intense focus of online forums brimming with owner complaints. In March Volkswagen said it was recalling vehicles in China equipped with DSG (dual-clutch auto) gearboxes (pictured in cutaway form below)...

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Volvo V40 D4 Review

When the Volvo V40 launched in February 2013, the Swedish carmaker took to pushing its �??safety first�?? barrow harder than ever before �?" after all, their new hatch is equipped with the world�??s very first pedestrian airbag. But groundbreaking safety technology isn�??t the only exciting thing about a car that could be fairly described as the most important Volvo model in 20 years. The V40�??s sleek Scandinavian design is one of the standouts...

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Toyota 86 Cup Edition: Germany-only model released

The Toyota 86 Cup Edition has been released to mark Toyota�??s involvement in the VLN endurance racing championship series, hosted at Germany�??s famed Nurburgring circuit. Exclusively built and sold in Germany, and limited to just 86 cars, the Toyota 86 Cup Edition (called the GT86 in Europe) sees owners receive not only a rare vehicle with unique interior and exterior features, but a ticket for two to a VIP customer event at the Nurburgring...

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Sebastian Vettel hits planned Russian Formula One circuit

Sebastian Vettel has made an exploratory visit to the new Sochi Olympic Park Circuit in Russia, planned to host a future round of the Formula One World Championship. Fresh from his win at the weekend�??s Bahrain Grand Prix �?" where his Infiniti Red Bull Racing teammate Mark Webber finished seventh �?" Vettel drove part of the new Sochi Olympic Park Circuit located in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, in an Infiniti FX Vettel Edition road car...

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Volkswagen: �??We need more emotion�?�

A Volkswagen board member says the company needs more emotional cars. Volkswagen member of the board of management for development, Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, is continuing his push internally for a production version of the VW BlueSport roadster concept (pictured) shown back in 2009. The BlueSport was a mid-engined two-seater sports car. Its production hopes were dented in 2012 when Porsche backed away from a plan that would have seen a sub-Boxster...

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Porsche Cayenne Turbo S Review

If nothing succeeds like excess then the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S deserves many an accolade. The Turbo S arrived in February, succeeding the Turbo as the range-topping Porsche Cayenne model. Both share a 4.8-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V8, but the Turbo S is tuned to deliver 405kW of power at 6000rpm and 750Nm of torque across 2250-4500rpm. That represents a 37kW and 50Nm hike, while the 0-100km/h sprint drops by 0.2 seconds to 4.5sec. At $259,600...

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BMW M135i Review: Video

Mini production expands beyond Europe for first time Production of the Mini Countryman will begin in India later this year, marking the first time the BMW-owned British brand has manufactured vehicles outside Europe. The Mini One Countryman and Cooper D Countryman will be the first models produced...

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Volkswagen wants bigger slice of Australian car market

Volkswagen may have made significant sales progress in Australia in recent years, but one of the company�??s senior board members says the brand should be selling even more vehicles locally. The German car maker was the eighth most popular brand here in 2012, with 54,835 sales and a five per cent market share.� That�??s double what VW was selling just five years ago, and compares with just 12,357 sales in 2003. Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, VW�??s member...

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Audi targets 15,000 local sales in 2013; outlines new model roll-out

Audi Australia is forecasting 15,000 sales for 2013, a number it thought it wouldn�??t reach until 2015. Audi Australia�??s new managing director Andrew Doyle, who joined the local arm on March 1 from a position as Audi MD in Ireland, said that although local sales lifted by only 0.2 per cent last year the German company experienced an 18.2 per cent rise in volume in the first quarter of 2013. The new target is to surpass BMW and Mercedes-Benz...

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BMW 4 Series

The BMW 3 Series Coupe is no more. It’s set to be replaced by the 4 Series Coupe, and this concept shows how it’ll look. The production version of the 4 Series Coupe Concept is expected in showrooms by the end of 2013, with a 4 Series Convertible and more practical four-door Gran Coupe following.From the look of the car in these pictures, BMW is pulling the same trick it pulled with the concept version of the 6 Series Gran Coupe – so apart...

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Ford Escort concept with Australian design input revealed

The Ford Escort nameplate is back �?" as a new concept car partly styled by Ford Australia designers and set to become a key model for the US car maker in the world�??s biggest car market. Ford has unveiled the Escort sedan concept at the 2013 Shanghai motor show, previewing a four-door small car that looks near production ready and a strong contender to be one of the company�??s 15 new vehicles to go on sale in China by 2015. The...

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Hyundai Genesis: interior revealed in new spy shots

Our spy photographers have snapped the Hyundai Genesis in its most revealing guise yet undergoing testing at the Nurburgring in Germany. The images show the large luxury South Korean sedan wearing less camouflage than ever before, and also give us a peek inside the cabin for the first time. From the front, it�??s clear the second-generation Genesis takes some inspiration from the striking Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis concept that debuted...

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Auto Mazda Kiyora

Mazda Kiyora, revealed at the 2008 Paris International Motor Show, is the next generation of urban compact car. "Kiyora" (meaning 'clean and pure' in Japanese) represents the harmony between driving pleasure, environment and safety features and aspires to Mazda's long-term technology development vision, "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom." The concept of "Kiyora" helped designers imagine a city car cutting cleanly through an urban landscape,...

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