BMW 1.5-LITRE TURBOS BREAK OUT!

BMW seems to be planning quite a splash at the 2012 Paris International Motor Show. Last night various new developments were announced by the Munich-based company. One of these is the introduction of two brand new 1.5-litre turbo engines, one petrol one diesel! We aren’t sure yet where the petrol engine fits in, given that BMW already has a 1.6-litre turbo in place. Nevertheless, here are some of the details involved.

2013 BMW 1 SERIES GT. REAL OR FAKE?

When you get a copy of the latest issue of AutoBild magazine, assuming you’re in Europe of course, take a very close look at the cover. Are you looking at the new BMW 1 Series Gran Turismo, or is it something fake? We reckon this is the real deal, and the concept model will make its way to the 2012 Paris International Motor Show.

POTENT PORSCHE CAYENNE S DIESEL DETAILED

Porsche is taking the fight to BMW following the announcement of its most powerful ever diesel Cayenne. The new Cayenne S Diesel features a 4.2-litre twin turbo V8 engine that puts out similar power but 110Nm more torque than a BMW X5 M50d from the M Performance Division. At the same time, this engine returns a highly impressive 8.3 litres per 100km of fuel, according to Porsche.

FACELIFT RCZ HEADING TO PARIS, THEN MZANSI

The facelift Peugeot RCZ sports coupe is headed for the 2012 Paris International Motor Show. The little fun pug we enjoyed so much has so far sold 44 000 units worldwide, and is now sporting a brand new face, including new-shape headlamps with LED daytime running lights, a smaller front grille and an entirely new front bumper.

2013 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA CAUGHT NAKED!

Here’s what the brand new upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA looks like! This “spy” picture was taken in Iceland and shows the next baby Benz stark naked, that is, with none of the usual black plastic camouflage. The CLA, or whatever it will be called, is really a sedan version of the new A-Class, and will go up against the new Audi A3 sedan.

10 REASONS WHY SA-BOUND 2013 MINI GP ROCKS!

MINI GP, the fastest production MINI ever built. Strange enough, it’s not the most powerful. That crown still belongs to its predecessor, which packed a mean 165kW on the chin using a 1.6-litre supercharged engine. The new version, limited to a global 2 000 units, goes on sale soon after officially debuting at the 2012 Paris Motor Show later this month.

NATALIE DU TOIT BAGS HER GOLD CHEVROLET CAPTIVA

It was a golden welcome back for South African Paralympic swimmer, Natalie du Toit today - first stop on her way home from Johannesburg’s O R Tambo airport was the Woodmead marketing headquarters of General Motors South Africa where the long-time Chevrolet brand ambassador was handed the keys to a Chevrolet Captiva.

NEW PORSCHE MACAN TO OUTSELL FORECASTS

Porsche is launching the Macan (spied here) soon, probably at the end of the year. The Macan – previously known as Cajun - is a smaller SUV to the Cayenne, and it’s based on the AudiQ5 which is of similar size. But the Porsche Macan, as expected, will be sportier and offer one or two different engines to the Q5. So optimistic is its maker about the car that they have upped their total production forecast for 2013, from 30 000 to 75 000.

PEUGEOT ONYX CONFIRMED FOR PARIS 2012

At the 2012 Paris International Motor Show, one of the home players will show off this stunning concept supercar. The Peugeot Onyx is to be unveiled on the 29^th in Paris, and signal something that Peugeot has been hinting at for a while now; that it’s going upmarket in a big way pretty soon. Already we’ve seen evidence in the form of the excellent RCZ and the lovely 508 sedan.

MERCEDES-BENZ CLS GOES ENTRY-LEVEL DIESEL

Mercedes-Benz South Africa has launched a new entry-level CLS model in the form of the CLS 250 CDI. The company reckons this engine is the perfect entry point for buyers looking at styling out in the CLS but perhaps cannot afford to fork out the required amount for a CLS 350, let alone a CLS 500 or a CLS 63 AMG.

FORD 1.0-LITRE ECOBOOST EXCELS AT NURBURGRING

Ford’s tiny but feisty 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is the reason why a unique road-going Formula Ford race car has scored one of the fastest lap times ever at Germany’s famed Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit.

BMW REPORTS RECORD AUGUST SALES

BMW reported record sales for the month of August, off the back of popular models like the 1, 3 and even niche 6 Series worldwide. According to official figures, the BMW Group as a whole sold 121 615 cars last month of the brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce. This was an increase of 9.7% over August 2011 figures.