Gran Turismo 6 coming later this year

Gamers rejoice! Sony has announced Gran Turismo 6 at a special event held to celebrate 15 years of the 70-million-selling series. No release date was given – all Sony says it will be released in Holiday, 2013.

GT6 for PlayStation 3 will offer new levels of authenticity, stunning new tracks and cars and a revised user interface.

VW confirms report it will build factory in Changsa, China

VW Group has confirmed a German newspaper report that said it will build a factory with an annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles in Changsa, Hunan province, China

Ford makes fresh start in Europe

Ford will use this month’s UEFA Champions League soccer final to launch a new pan-European advertising campaign that focuses on its affordable, user-friendly technologies

Renault-Nissan unlikely to hit 2016 EV target

Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan, said the companies are unlikely to reach their goal of selling a combined 1.5 million electric vehicles by 2016.

Porsche faces $1.8 billion suit over Volkswagen options trades

Porsche Automobil Holding, already facing suits seeking a combined 4 billion euros ($5.2 billion) linked to the carmaker’s aborted takeover of Volkswagen, was sued by more hedge funds in Germany

Ferrari 458 Spider by A. Kahn Design

UK based A. Kahn Design has released details on their tuning program for the Ferrari 458 Italia.

The Kahn Ferrari 458 Spider also comes with a lowered suspension, front sections, matt rear styling detail, black painted calipers and Monza Forged alloy wheels with the original center caps. There are no changes done to the engine or the roof system.

2014 Mercedes S-Class teased in an official video

Mercedes-Benz has released a teaser video of the new S-Class, ahead of its debut on Wednesday in Hamburg, Germany. We have seen the new S-Class on several spy shots and leaked images so there are really no big surprises when it comes to the exterior and interior design.

The new S-Class is reportedly going to hit the market first in three versions: S350 BlueTEC with a 258bhp V6 3.0-litre diesel, S400 Hybrid with 326 bhp and S500 with 435 bhp.

BMW global sales rise 7% in April

BMW Group said today it achieved record global car sales last month, despite the continuing weakness of markets in Europe.

Sales of the BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brands rose by 7 percent to 155,419 vehicles in April, a record for the month, BMW said in a statement on Monday. In the first four months sales rose 6 percent to 603,619, the company said.

Schaeffler to end Continental accord as merger project wanes

Schaeffler AG, the largest investor in tire and components supplier Continental AG, plans to end an agreement between the two German companies as it continues to dismantle a plan for a gradual merger.

Continental is “confident that the two companies will continue their very good and goal-oriented cooperation on into the future” following the termination of the shareholding accord in mid-May 2014, CEO Elmar Degenhart said today in an e-mailed statement.

Audi outsells BMW brand globally for 2nd time in 4 months

Audi has won rounds two and four of its 12-round fight with BMW brand, but the world luxury-car champ is still ahead on the overall scorecard. After four months, BMW brand leads Audi 512,000 to 503,000.

The race should remain tight for the rest of the year. Audi just started local production of the Q3 SUV in China, where there is a strong demand for compact crossovers.

If you’re wondering where Mercedes-Benz brand stands after four months, the automaker has sold 441,464 vehicles, leaving it a distant third.

Magna hikes full-year forecast on strong Q1 profit

Magna International has hiked its full-year sales forecasts after posting a better-than-expected profit and a 9 percent rise in revenue in the first quarter.

Automakers grow adept at targeting ads to Internet surfers

The digital age has spawned effective ways for auto marketers to swipe customers from competitors. By monitoring the online shopping habits of millions of consumers, marketers can place online ads in front of shoppers quickly and precisely.

Hearing could be connected cars’ moment of truth

In the software industry, people talk about vaporware — products that are heavily promoted but never seem to go on sale. Automakers are at the point that they must prove that connected cars, which talk to each other over Wi-Fi to stay out of fender-benders, are more than just vaporware.

Akerson sees GM profits streaming from in-vehicle connections

One of the first things Dan Akerson did as CEO of General Motos in 2010 was dive into the automaker’s telecommunications business to get more profit from that in-car connection

Autoliv targets annual revenue gains of 5% or more on China, U.S. demand

Swedish supplier Autoliv is targeting annual revenue growth of 5 percent or more in the next five years based on an increase in Chinese and U.S. car sales.

Nissan plans potentially polarizing changes to top-selling Qashqai

Nissan promises an innovative new look for the next Qashqai – the automaker’s top-selling model in Europe – when the replacement debuts early next year.

Ferrari annual production will be limited to 7,000 units

Ferrari will be focusing more in exclusivity vs. increasing sales. Chairman Luca di Montezemolo says annual production won’t be more than 7,000 units.

Montezemolo also said “people ask me if my insistence on selling no more than 7,000 Ferraris will harm our brand, but I don’t believe so.”

2014 MINI Cooper spied less disguised

The next generation MINI Cooper starts to loose more of its camouflage. These latest shots were taken in South Germany and show the new MINI Cooper (F56) with less disguise revealing more of its new shape along with some new details.

Alfa Romeo Fast & Furious 6 Limited Edition Giulietta announced

Fast and Furious 6 will hit theaters already this week, starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson. The sixth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise features a wide range of cars, including Alfa Giulietta.

To celebrate Alfa Giulietta’s movie debut in the latest Fast & Furious 6 film, Alfa Romeo are producing six Alfa Giulietta 1.4 TB FF6 Limited Editions featuring the 170 bhp MultiAir engine.

Peugeot pushes 308 upscale to catch VW Golf

Peugeot hopes more upscale features and an innovative design will help the new 308 gain market share in Europe’s overcrowded compact segment against competitors

BMW’s Reithofer tells Germans to embrace EVs

BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer told his fellow Germans to set aside their worries and embrace EV technology as the carmaker gears up to launch the i3 electric city car

Ford will build EcoSport in Russia for local market

Ford’s Russian joint venture will begin building the EcoSport compact SUV in Russia next year for the local market, at a time when the demand for small SUVs is gaining traction.

New Volkswagen Passat R-Line announced, priced from £22,470

Volkswagen has announced a new R-Line trim level for the Passat, offering a bespoke bodykit, which gives it a sleek and sporty look. There is also a new more-efficient 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine available.

The R-Line bespoke bodykit includes a new unique front bumper, featuring fog lights with cornering function, side skirts, a bootlid spoiler (tailgate spoiler on the estate), chrome trim, dark-tinted rear windows, lowered suspension (by 15 mm) and 18-inch alloys wrapped in low-profile 235/40 tyres. Bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights and LED taillights are also standard.

BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé teased for Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este

Next week the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, BMW and Pininfarina will unveil the result of their debut cooperation in the form of a BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé.

The one-off BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé teasers reveal very little, but we can see a long wheelbase, short overhangs, set-back greenhouse, stretched bonnet and also V12 badges, which reminds us the 8 Series, which was in production for ten years from 1989-1999.

Volkswagen starts construction of 300,000-vehicle plant in China

Volkswagen has begun construction of a new factory in Changsha, China, with an annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles, the company said in a statement today. The plant is one of seven factories being built by the company as it seeks to expand annual capacity in China to 4 million vehicles by 2018 in order to meet growing demand

Mercedes makes new S class leaner, greener

The new Mercedes-Benz S class is 100kg lighter than the model it will replace and its greenest variant will emit less CO2 than a Smart ForTwo.

Ford aid from Spain probed by EU antitrust regulators

European Union antitrust regulators opened a probe into whether a 25.2 million euro ($32.71 million) grant given by Spanish authorities to Ford Motor Co.’s factory in Valencia breached EU state aid rules.

F-1 racing boss Ecclestone denies bribing German banker, lawyers say

Lawyers for Formula One racing boss Bernie Ecclestone repeated that he had not bribed a German banker during the 2005-2006 sale of a stake in the motor-racing business, after a German newspaper reported he had been charged by prosecutors.

BMW Zinoro X1 – First Chinese BMW model caught testing in Germany

At first this looks like another BMW X1 facelift, but most likely we are looking at the BMW Zinoro X1.

Zinoro is a new sub-brand with Brilliance Automotive for the Chinese market. Earlier reports have suggested Zinoro will make their first models based on the e90 and X1, so it is very likely this is the first look at Zinoro badged X1.

Porsche says 918 Spyder will influence future models

Porsche’s says its 918 Spyder hybrid supercar, which begins production in September, will have a big influence on the automaker’s sports cars of the future.

Skoda’s global April sales hit by switch to new Octavia

Skoda said today that its global sales fell 4.6 percent to 77,600 in April due to a switch to a new Octavia compact model and continued weak demand in some European markets

Volkswagen starts construction of 300,000-vehicle plant in China

Volkswagen has begun construction of a new factory in Changsha, China, with an annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles, the company said in a statement today.

Toyota plant in France starts Yaris output for U.S.

Toyota Europe has started making the Yaris for North American export at its plant in Valenciennes, France, marking the first time the automaker’s European-built models will be exported to the United States and Canada.

The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class

The aspiration: the best automobile in the world

Stuttgart/Hamburg. With the three engineering priorities “Intelligent Drive”, “Efficient Technology” and “Essence of Luxury”, the new S-Class extends the boundaries of technology on many levels. The S-Class is not just a technological spearhead for Mercedes-Benz but for automotive development as a whole.

Renault expects 5% dip for European car market

Renault expects the European car market to shrink 5 percent this year over last year, Chief Operating Officer Carlos Tavares said. The French carmaker foresees the European market being “slightly better” in the remaining three quarters of this year than the first three months, when European market sales fell 10 percent after a “very poor performance,” Tavares said.

Continental kept in the dark over Schaeffler’s decision to end investment agreement

Continental said it was kept in the dark about the decision of Schaeffler to quit a five-year-old investment accord.

Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak gets a colourful livery

The Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak racer will be driven by Sebastien Loeb, a nine time world rally champion who will have to cope with a altitude difference of some 1,500 metres in a 12.4 mile course with 156 turns and with the finish line situated at an altitude of 4,301 metres.

The Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak will compete in the Unlimited class, marking French team’s return to the classic American event after its victories there in 1988 and 1989.

The 208 T16 Pikes Peak features a rear wing and a diffuser of the Le Mans 24 Hours-winning 908, carbon fibre body with a ventilated bonnet, aerodynamic side skirts with a side-exiting exhaust system and a stripped interior.

PSA workers end four-month strike over car plant closure

Workers at a PSA/Peugeot-Citroen factory near Paris have agreed to end a four-month strike in protest at its planned closure

VW Group sales increase 7% in April

Volkswagen Group’s global monthly sales picked up pace again in April after growing at their slowest rate in more than three years a month earlier. VW Group said on Friday

New S class key to boosting Mercedes profit margins, China sales

Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche was leaning back in the rear seat of a prototype Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan in 2010 when he realized it didn’t recline far enough.

Fiat says headquarters shift to U.S. is not on agenda

Fiat said the idea of moving the group’s legal headquarters to the United States following a planned merger with Chrysler Group is not on the company’s agenda.

VW, GM, others get unexpected boost in China

A surprise policy shift in China is expected to give a boost to VW Group, GM and other foreign automakers planning to expand in the world’s largest car market.

Russian car sales down 8% in April

Russia’s year-on-year car sales fell 8 percent in April after a decline of 4 percent in the previous month, the Association of European Businesses (AEB) said

Jaguar launches plan to spruce up U.S. stores

Jaguar is rolling out a plan to refurbish its U.S. dealerships in preparation for a wave of new products. Regional Jaguar teams are going “door-to-door” to discuss the new corporate identity standards, starting with about 50 older stores.

Peugeot RCZ Magnetic limited edition announced

Peugeot has launched yet another special edition RCZ dubbed Magnetic. The RCZ Magnetic limited edition is available either in Pearlescent Pearl white or Metallic Nera black paint colour with bespoke leather colour-themed interior.

European car sales post 1st gain in 19 months

European car sales rose for the first time in 19 months as a gain in consumer sentiment in countries using the euro led to rebounds in Germany and Spain

Audi overtakes BMW as India’s top-selling premium brand

Audi has overtaken BMW as India’s top seller of luxury vehicles, and Audi executives say the success is due to the automaker’s rapid expansion outside large urban centers, as well as the Q3 SUV introduced last year

BMW seeks third straight sales record as new models offset weak Europe

BMW stuck to its goal of setting a sales record for the third consecutive year as new models help offset a slump in Europe