HEY FOOL, CHECK OUT MY M3 BAKKIE!

Had BMW not tested this M3 bakkie (pickup) at the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife earlier last month, this could have been an excellent April Fool’s joke. But they did. And spy photographers caught the car and made an internet meal of things. So the secret was out way before 1 April. Nevertheless it’s nice to see what an M3 from the Free State would look like.

HONDA JAZZ UPDATED FOR 2011, HYBRID ADDED

The new range of Honda Jazz models will be released along with an innovative and exciting addition - the new Jazz Hybrid featuring Honda’s IMA technology and Eco Assist systems.
 The Jazz model range has been given some styling and detail changes to enhance its already strong credentials. Exterior styling sets the Jazz Hybrid (IMA) apart from the rest of the range. 

CHEVROLET MALIBU: GM'S NEW WORLD CAR?

A basic teaser photo of the all-new Chevrolet Malibu has been widely distributed by General Motors. Why you might ask? Well because the company is seriously going to push the Malibu as one of its world cars by selling it in over 100 global markets. It is being taken as seriously as the Cruze as far as that is concerned.

HOLEY GALLARDO! IS THAT CHRIS BROWN OR MAD MAX?

We don’t normally publish such things but today seems kind of a fun day, so we will. This is Mr Chris Brown, singer and lately actor, and the man who beat up ex-girlfriend and fellow singer Rihanna to a pulp just over a year ago. He’s just come out of a Lamborghini Gallardo and is going to his local gym.

ANDERSON TUNES FERRARI 599 GTB FIORANO

German car tuner Anderson has done a bit of work on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. Not only is the car now looking much angrier than ever, but it’s got just a bit more vuma on the go. The same engine has been kept and no turbos are used for the programme.

CHEVROLET MI-RAY CONCEPT WOWS SEOUL

The 2011 Seoul Motor Show is now on and General Motors is out in full force to gain some public support for its future programmes. One of these could be the Chevrolet Mi-ray sports car concept with the blood of electric pulses. It was created to celebrate 100 years of Chevrolet.

FACELIFT JAGUAR XF TO FEATURE NEW 450NM DIESEL

Jaguar is releasing a new facelift XF sedan at the 2011 New York Auto Show on the 22^nd of April. These camouflaged pictures are actually official images from Jaguar themselves, a sort of leap over the auto spy industry if you will. To come with the car is a new turbo diesel engine with severe thrust issues down under…

CHEVROLET UPDATES LUMINA SS RANGE

General Motors South Africa (GMSA) has introduced some subtle changes to the iconic Chevrolet Lumina SS sedan and Ute for 2011. The changes include upgrades to the vehicle’s specification and changes to the exterior and interior styling of both vehicles.

FIVE MILLION AUDI A4S BUILT SO FAR

Audi got into the now-famous 3-way scrap back in 1994 when it produced its first A4 sedan. Today the five-millionth A4 left Audi’s Ingolstadt factory to register a major milestone for the company. It was a red Avant 3.0-litre TDI quattro. The current A4 is the fourth-generation model (internally codenamed B8) and often outsells its major rivals in many countries around the world.

LAND ROVER FREELANDER 2 CELEBRATES 250 000TH MILESTONE

Land Rover employees at the Company's Halewood manufacturing plant in Merseyside in the UK, are celebrating an important milestone achievement – the production of the 250,000th Freelander 2.

BMW SOUTH AFRICA CONFIRMS NEW 1 SERIES, HYBRID 5 AND i3 FOR LOCALS

Great news for BMW fans. The company has confirmed that a brand new shape 1 Series hatch is coming to South Africa before the year is over. Additionally a 5 Series Hybrid will make its way to the 2011 Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS) happening at NASREC in October. More still, the upcoming full-electric i3 is headed our way, but not before 2015.

AUDI TOPS ALL-WHEEL-DRIVE (4X4) SALES

Audi sold more vehicles with all-wheel-drive (AWD) than any other premium manufacturer. The brand with the four rings produced 437 792 vehicles with quattro drive last year. In the year in which Audi celebrated “30 years of quattro,” around 38% of all cars produced worldwide were equipped with the all-wheel-drive technology. With 74 262 new car registrations for all-wheel drive models, Audi also topped the competition in Germany.

430KW PORSCHE PANAMERA TURBO S FOR CHINA?

We knew it would eventually come but we didn’t think it would be this soon. But now a rumour says Porsche will introduce a Panamera Turbo S at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show (Auto Shanghai) in China next month. It will feature a petrol engine with more power than any other in the lineup.

BAFANA HERO KATLEGO MPHELA CAUGHT DRUNK DRIVING

Reports by Eye Witness News (EWN) state that Mamelodi Sundowns and South African football star Katlego Mphela was nabbed for drunk driving over the weekend. Mphela, nicknamed Killer by his fans, scored the only goal during Bafana Bafana’s win over Egypt on Saturday night. Obviously he then went out to celebrate with his mates and was caught by traffic police near Sandton the following day (Monday). He was held at the police station for four hours and released on R1 000 bail.

TOYOTA FT-86: NEW PICTURES EMERGE

We have some new pictures of the Toyota FT-86 Concept car that was jointly developed with Subaru. The two-door coupe will have a twin badged as a Subaru when it goes on sale this year. But of course, the two will not look the same on the outside.

BMW, TOYOTA, CITROEN AND PEUGEOT LEAD C02 RACE

Three automakers, BMW, PSA (Citroen and Peugeot) and Toyota, are in the top three of auto companies who are closest to complying with tough upcoming legislation on exhaust pipe C02 emissions. The three are ranked by market research company JATO Dynamics as having the shortest drive towards their goals. Over the coming years motor manufacturers will be heavily penalised for not complying with this European legislation.

DAIMLER TRUCKS DOMINATE WORLD STAGE

The global economy recovered in 2010, although the pace of this positive development varied greatly from region to region. The economic upturn led to a significant increase in demand for transport services, and thus for commercial vehicles. Whereas the European truck market grew moderately in 2010, the truck market in Brazil expanded by more than 50% compared to the prior year.