CITROEN SURVOLT SILENT RACER TO GO PUBLIC

After being introduced at the Geneva Motor Show, CITROËN Survolt is now coming to life as a genuine, fully electric racing car that will first spin it wheels on the Le Mans track on 10 July, with the experienced driver Vanina Ickx at the wheel.

CITROËN Survolt adopts a new, fully electric drive system that allows it to combine sportiness and great performance with respect for the environment.

PEUGEOT LE MANS TEAM REFLECTS ON 2010 LOSS

Bruno Famin (Technical Director, Peugeot Sport): "To begin with, with regard to the N°3 908 HDi FAP which retired 2½ hours into the race, we have found a quality-related problem concerning the production of the tub at the point where the lower front-right suspension wishbone is attached to the chassis. This is the same tub that won the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours and the 2010 1,000km de Spa-Francorchamps, and – like every 908 chassis – is regularly inspected at the factory using sophisticated tools that enable us to detect ageing or damage to the carbon. The problem in this case, however, was due to a totally undetectable defect which resulted in a premature and sudden failure of the mounting point.

BMW DETAILS MEGACITY MINI CAR EVEN MORE

The BMW Group is once again breaking new ground with the Megacity Vehicle (MCV), due to come onto the market in 2013: “The Megacity Vehicle is a revolutionary automobile. It will be the world’s first volume-produced vehicle with a passenger cell made from carbon. Our LifeDrive architecture is helping us to open a new chapter in automotive lightweight design. Indeed, this concept allows us to practically offset the extra 250 to 350 kilograms of weight typically found in electrically powered vehicles.” says Klaus Draeger, Member of the Board of Management for Development.

SEXY VOLVO V60 SLATED FOR MZANSI IN 2011

Volvo Car South Africa plans to launch the all-new Volvo S60 locally early in 2011. At launch the V60 will be available in 2.0T (149kW), D5 (151kW, 420Nm) and T6 (224kW) guise. The 2.0T will be available in either manual or powershift while the T6 and D5 derivatives are fitted with a Geartronic gearbox.

Volvo has just released the first official information on its all-new Volvo V60, which enters the vehicle market with its sights firmly set on being the sexiest sports wagon on the road.

"Many customers who've had an advance look at the new V60 during the development process feel that its attitude is certainly as sporty as that of the all-new S60," says Volvo Cars Design Director Peter Horbury.

BMW M5 TAKES A BOW AFTER 5 SIZZLING YEARS

After being on sale on the global automotive market for five successful years, the BMW M5 has ended its production lifespan with a new record high. The BMW M GmbH produced a total of 20 548 of the charismatic high-performance sports car featuring a V10-cylinder power unit. The BMW M5 Sedan is accountable for 19 523 of these, with the BMW M5 Touring, which was first launched in 2007, contributing a further 1 025 units towards the overall result.

NISSAN COMFORTABLE WITH HIGHER SALES

The June 2010 NAAMSA new vehicle sales results reflect the slow conditions of the market as, as many analysts predicted, soccer fever gripped the nation with the kick-off of the month-long international festival which is the Soccer World Cup tournament.

CLEAR PHOTOS OF 2011 CHEVROLET AVEO

Thanks to our friends at Aveoforum.com we now have a pretty clear picture of what the new-generation Chevrolet Aveo will look like. Based on spy pictures captured while the car was testing, the Aveoforum gurus spent some time behind the screens of Photoshop to accurately depict what Chevy engineers had tried so hard to hide.

The lines are certainly sharp, but not complex. Chevy went for simpler, but funkier looks to take on the likes of Mazda2, Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo.

BABY RANGE ROVER EVOQUE BREAKS COVER

The first official picture of the all-new addition to the Range Rover family is released today, following an exclusive preview in London for guests attending a 40th birthday celebration of Range Rover held with long time UK Range Rover partner, VOGUE magazine.

Named the Range Rover Evoque, this all-new coupé will join the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport in North American dealerships in fall, 2011. It will be the smallest, lightest and most fuel efficient Range Rover ever produced. The compact 4WD Range Rover Evoque is engineered to meet North American customer and regulatory demands for increased fuel efficiency in highly capable luxury SUVs.

2010 INTERNATIONAL ENGINE OF THE YEAR WINNERS ANNOUNCED

The big winners at the 2010 International Engine of the Year Awards were Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. VW brand drove off with just two awards, yet it was not the quantity that mattered but the quality. It won 2010 International Engine of the Year, the kingpin of them all. Apart from that, it also took best 1 to 1.4-litre engine with the 1.4 TSI used in cars like the Golf, Scirocco, Jetta, Touran, Tiguan and the Seat Ibiza Cupra.

FORD TAKES BBBEE SERIOUSLY

Ford has announced the establishment of a world class Supplier Incubation Facility in
Silverton, Pretoria that will provide skills development and training for BBBEE
companies.

The announcement follows the company’s confirmation of a R3 billion investment to
expand manufacturing operations for its next-generation global compact pickup truck
programme in Silverton, and Puma diesel engine production at its Struandale, Port
Elizabeth facility.