BMW M BOSS UNLOADS M3, M1 AND M5 SECRETS

Dr. Kay Segler has been in charge at BMW M GmbH for just over a year. Under the motto "Automobile dreams. Making them come true", the BMW M3 GTS was created as an impressive example of how important it is to "Mister M" to fulfil customer wishes.

His philosophy is that making dreams come true has top priority. This is also reflected by numerous prototype photographs currently in circulation on the internet. As the BMW M3 celebrates its 25th anniversary, we were interested to find out more.

Dr. Segler, the BMW M3 was first produced in 1986 and delivered from 1987.  Hasn't the anniversary got underway a little early?

RENAULT KOLEOS UPDATED

A host of updated and improved specification levels on their Koleos crossover sports utility vehicle (SUV) range have been announced by Renault South Africa.
Already a strong contender in this popular sector, the spec upgrades and additions to three key Koleos models will not only boost their performance prowess but also add significantly to the creature comforts enjoyed by drivers and passengers according to Xavier Gobille, Managing Director of Renault South Africa.

BMW TEASES WITH 1 SERIES M COUPE SNIPPETS

BMW has made no secret of the fact that a small 1 Series is finally getting M treatment. We’ve all been screaming and shouting about it, BMW responding by giving us a 135i which, as much as I love it, just doesn’t have the allure of that M badge. These teaser images and video are officially from BMW and their aim of course, is to whet that tongue to uncontrollable wagging.

NEXT SUZUKI SWIFT SAFE AS HOUSES

Suzuki’s all-new Swift subcompact hatchback has been awarded a full five stars by the Euro NCAP safety authority.

The new Swift, which is due for release in South Africa early next year, features electronic stability control as standard, which contributed to its five-star assessment. The hatchback also scored high marks in pedestrian, adult occupant and child occupant categories.
 

PEUGEOT UNVEILS 3008 HYBRID4, WORLD'S FIRST DIESEL HYBRID

The world’s first ever diesel hybrid car goes on sale in Europe sometime in 2011. Peogeot’s 3008 HYbrid4 is the deliverance of a promise made by Peugeot to its customers of a cleaner motoring future peppered with the company’s well-known engineering prowess and driving satisfaction.

NEW CITROEN C4 SCORES BIG ON SAFETY

The new CITROËN C4 has achieved an overall score of 5 stars in the latest Euro NCAP ratings. Indeed, it won 5 stars in all categories. With a score of 97% in assistance systems, it achieved the best result in the compact saloon class. This provides guaranteed peace of mind for increasingly demanding customers.

The new CITROËN C4 has balanced road-holding, strengthened by driving assistance technology as standard, such as electronic braking distribution, emergency braking assistance and smart traction control, combined with ESP. In addition to its road-holding performance, onboard safety is one of its many advantages, with 6 airbags as standard (driver, front passenger, side and curtain). 

FACELIFT 2010 AUDI TT RANGE HERE IN OCTOBER

Has it been that long for one of our favourite cars? It would seem so. The Audi TT range is due for a facelift this year. Actually Europe already has this new car on the market, but Mzansi will only receive first stocks in October. Which gives us plenty good time to budget.

Audi didn’t just go to the cosmetics shop to pick up a make-up kit. Virtually every meaningful area has been worked on, including the engines. First though, a look at

GEMBALLA BACK IN BUSINESS WITH NEW CEO, FOUNDER STILL MISSING

GEMBALLA, best known for converting Porsches into super Porsches (as if that was even possible), has been without a leader ever since its CEO Uwe Gemballa disappeared off the face of the earth in February. Last word was that he was spotted in Jozi somewhere, but nothing has been said since then.

MAZDA2, 3 AND 5 FACELIFTS FOR 2010 PARIS AUTO SHOW

Mazda will debut its facelifted Mazda2 hatch at the 2010 Paris International Motor Show which kicks off on the 30^th of September for the press and on Saturday for the general public. The car will feature a new front end with what Mazda calls its “unique family face”, a new upgraded interior and an upgraded chassis for better ride comfort.

MAHINDRA TO BUY SSANGYONG

India could emerge as the next sleeping giant in the automotive industry. This after Mahindra and Mahindra struck a deal to buy Ssangyong Motor of South Korea. Mahindra is the second Indian company to be attached to a relatively large foreign car brand following Tata Motor’s total acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover two years ago.

The terms of the deal

THE STIG FINALLY UNMASKED? BBC SUES

Why is the BBC trying to stop publishing house HarperCollins from publishing a book allegedly written by the legendary The Stig? Well ever since a report from UK newspapers, including the Telegraph, came out to confirm what we’ve long suspected (that Ben Collins is The Stig), the legal stench has risen way past cloud 9.

EIGHT WINS ON THE TROT FOR LOEB

After monopolising the first two places in the opening stage, the Citroën Total World Rally Team C4 WRCs gave the French team another double when the flag fell to signal the end of Rally Germany. Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena racked up their eighth consecutive victory in the event setting a new record. Dani Sordo and Diego Vallejo had a fault-free race on their first outing together and

OFFICIAL: MERCEDES-BENZ BUCKLES, RELEASES NEW CLS PICTURES

Following a leaked marketing brochure last week, Mercedes-Benz has probably smoked the peace pipe with the fact that the whole world now knows what its all-new CLS looks like. What the heck, just release the darn official pictures and let them see the car before its Paris Motor Show debut. Or was it Merc’s marketing department that did the leaking itself? You know, send out fillers before the show, gauge public reaction etc, see how many sales we can estimate…  

Read the original story on what types of engines the CLS will feature.

BARDEN TYRE TEAM AIMS FOR CONTINUED SUCCESSES

A fine third place finish in the recent Sun City 400 has resuscitated Thomas Rundle and Juan Mohr’s challenge in the 2010 Absa Off Road Championship and the Barden Tyre Services Racing pair will be confident as they take on the 4x4 Mega World 400, round five of the series at Carnival City this weekend (August 27 and 28).
 

ON THE ROAD: AUDI Q7 V12 TDI

Isn’t this car rather pointless?

I wouldn’t say so at all. We often define performance cars in a certain way; small, two doors, powerful engine, handles like a Rovos Rail train on rails etc. This Audi does most of this too. See, thing is, not everyone is a single carefree bachelor with no significant space demands on his car. Some of us still like the thrill of winning a robot-to-robot battle while