COOL CADILLAC CIEL CONCEPT BREAKS COVER

Cadillac is going forward by going back with this Ciel Concept car, unveiled at the Pebble Beach. The 4-door drop-top luxury car harks back to an old time when large cruisers roamed the California coast, from north to south and back. Ciel, pronounced CL, is French for “sky” and certainly keeps the skies wide open for the passengers to enjoy.

KIA CONCEPT SPORTS CAR FOR FRANKFURT

Powerful, dynamic and forward-looking, Kia's new concept car signals the company's distinctive new design direction. This rear-wheel drive four-door sports sedan marries sleek and muscular proportions with a sophisticated and elegant four-seater cockpit.

NEXT-GENERATION LEXUS GS 350 DETAILED, HEADS TO JIMS 2011

Lexus has brought out the all-new GS 350 sedan from its covers, ahead of its African debut at the Johannesburg International Motor Show in October. The new GS range launches in South Africa in 2012 in order to compete against the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. From these pictures and details it seems lots of innovative work has gone into the car.

VOLKSWAGEN TDI SETS NEW SA DISTANCE RECORD

Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion has set a new South African record for the distance travelled by a passenger car without refuelling. The car travelled a distance of 1941 kilometres from the South African and Zimbabwean border gate in Beit Bridge to Cape Town in two and half days.

HYUNDAI HELPING AFRICA WITH MOBILE CLINICS

Hyundai Motor Company will donate 10 mobile clinics to African nations this year as part of the company’s “Moving the World Together” Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, which aims to contribute to society and demonstrate Hyundai as a socially responsible corporate citizen.

SOLD-OUT AUDI R8 GT SLATED FOR JIMS 2011

Only 7 Audi R8 GT models have been made available to South African buyers, and all have apparently been pre-sold at the asking price of R2 620 000 a pop. Who the lucky buggers are we’ll only know when we see them on the road. Don’t count on it though. Meanwhile, for the rest of us plebs, the car will be on display at the 2011 Johannesburg International Motor Show in October.

2012 PORSCHE 911 PICTURES LEAKED

The 2012 Porsche 911 has not been officially revealed, but the folks over at TopSpeed seem to have been handed a batch of official pictures. If only that batch came with a spec sheet. Ah, we can dream can’t we? Nevertheless the details are quite clear and extremely vivid.

JAGUAR TEASES C-X16 CONCEPT BEFORE FRANKFURT

The Jaguar C-X16 production concept will make its global debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 13. Designed by the same team that produced the Jaguar XJ, XF and XK – headed by Jaguar Director of Design Ian Callum – the C-X16 concept is a precursor to future Jaguar sports cars that will aim to set new class benchmarks in design, vehicle dynamics and technology.

MERCEDES-BENZ CLC SHOOTING BRAKE IN THE WORKS

Mercedes-Benz is at last beginning to react to its two premium German brethren’s continuing model onslaught on the world. Following the decision to produce the CLC four-seat sedan, it appears the company will quickly follow up with a CLC Shooting Brake, according to Automotive News Europe. The car would compete with the Audi A5 Sportback and the upcoming BMW 3 Series GT.

KIA LAUNCHES 3-DOOR PICANTO TO THE UK

Kia’s sporty, some might say naughty side, is clearly creeping out of the woodwork as this new Picanto 3-door will testify. While it may not set pulses a racing with its powertrain, the car is a signal by Kia that the brand is moving into the performance arena.

PEUGEOT HR1 CONCEPT SLATED FOR JIMS 2011

Peugeot has promised to unveil the HR1 Concept car at the 2011 Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS) in October. The HR1 will be among other prolific cars at the Peugeot stand, including but not limited to the really cool RCZ coupe.

AUSTRALIAN COUPLE BREAKS SA FUEL RECORD

It sounded as a goal too far for even the Prius, but one couple managed circumvent South Africa using less than 140 litres of fuel.