PORSCHE 918 TO COST OVER R7 MILLION!

The R7 million Porsche 918 Spyder is now open to order. Porsche announced that it will sell the car, based on the 918 concept, from 2013, soon after production begins in September of that year. To top it off, buyers will exclusively get their hands on a special edition 911 Turbo S coupe or cabriolet. Not for free though, but at the same price as what you pay today. Only 918 examples of the 918 Spyder will ever be built, making it highly exclusive, even for a Porsche.

BASHFUL C 63 AMG COUPE BREAKS COVER!

At last, Mercedes-Benz will get a chance to level the playing fields with its German brethren, thanks to the new C 63 AMG Coupe. For the first time ever, we get a two-door C-Class in this level and as such, get a direct rival to the BMW M3 Coupe and the new Audi RS 5.

LAND ROVER OFFERS FREE RUGBY WORLD CUP TICKETS

Land Rover South Africa joins the Rugby World Cup 2011 festivities as they launch a nationwide consumer competition for 11 lucky winners to witness a day in rugby history at this year’s Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand in September.

7 SERIES DESIGNER CHRIS BANGLE TO JOIN SAMSUNG?

Chris Bangle, the former director of design at BMW, has apparently been hired to design cell phones, tablet computers (TCs) and netbooks. Unconfirmed rumours say he is now the head of design at Samsung, the South Korean electronics giant.

NEW FORD RANGER GETS F1-STYLE AERODYNAMICS

The same Formula One techniques – and engineers – that make race cars go faster are now helping the all-new Ford Ranger slice through the air cleaner, ensuring the compact pickup delivers one of the best fuel economy figures in the segment.

Aerodynamicists Thorsten Maertens and Neil Lewington arrived at Ford from the high-paced world of circuit-racing four years ago and brought with them the know-how and technology to make the global Ranger a more streamlined vehicle.

MITSUBISHI NOT KILLING EVO. YET...

Rumours have been going around that Mitsubishi will kill the Evo high-performance car for the next-generation. The Japanese company has been under increasing pressure to plug falling sales and to produce environmentally-friendly cars. In the United Kingdom the Evo range is quite popular, and such rumours haven’t been taken lightly.

BMW PLEDGES R10 MILLION TO JAPAN QUAKE AND TSUNAMI VICTIMS

Given the devastating consequences of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan, the BMW Group is showing solidarity with the victims of the catastrophe and has pledged emergency aid totalling 1 Million Euro.

AUDI R8 GT PRICED FOR NORTH AMERICA

Audi’s R8 GT is headed for Mzansi sometime this year. It’s also going to the United States of America and they at least have pricing details already. Only 90 of the 333 units being built by Audi will see US soil. The number will without a doubt be much less for SA. US dealerships are putting a price tag of US$196 800 (R1.4 million) on their cars, compared to the standard R8 V10 which is designated at US$149 000 (R1.05 million) a piece. Audi South Africa sells the R8 V10 for R1.97 million standard today.

HIGH PANAMERA, CAYENNE SALES EQUAL TOP PORSCHE PROFITS

Porsche executives met today and decided the Cajun baby SUV will be produced at the company’s Leipzig plant in the state of Saxony. "During the production of the Cayenne and the Panamera, our Leipzig plant has impressively proved that it can produce premium vehicles of highest quality," says Matthias Müller, chairman of the Porsche AG board of management.

VOLVO R-DESIGN GIVES S60 AND V60 KICK

R-Design is a kit pack designed to spice up the average Volvo product. Most models can be fitted with R-Design, from the C30 right up to the XC90 range. Now the new S60 and V60s are available with R-Design garb, straight off the factory line, turning really good-looking Volvos into spectacular pieces of eye candy.