Autoesque

BCP6BN34436B As reported in The Times , the attempt by General Motors to flog its ailing Hummer brand to the Chinese has failed. Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, with no experience of vehicle manufacture, had agreed to buy Hummer for $150 million. However, the deal needed approval from the Chinese government. They, in the end, weren’t too keen because it didn’t fit in with their nascent green policies. The chance of finding another buyer appears slim. Of course this is awful news for those working for Hummer and its dealers, but the unfortunate reality is that it’s the free market at work. Economic meltdown and rising fuel costs have severely affected many people’s wish to buy an SUV. The current need for SUV drivers to withstand the withering looks and snide comments, freely offered by those of an environmentalist bent, hasn’t helped either. Hummer was hit especially badly, and sales in 2009 fell a massive 67% to around 9,000 units. Its products had become la...

The FIA has published the entry list for the 2010 World Touring Car Championship . The grid is down to twenty cars, following the withdrawal of the Seat and Lada works teams and a reduction in the BMW factory effort from five to two cars.  The Spanish manufacturer however remains committed to supporting privateers running the Leon. By contrast organisers are surprised at the absence of Lada, as only last year it committed to a three-year programme.  Perhaps it would have been more surprising if the Russian manufacturer had decided to participate, given its circumstances.  Lada’s parent company Avtovaz was facing bankruptcy, its problems caused by dramatically reduced demand and mounting debts.  Only a bail-out by Renault and the Russian state in November 2009 kept it going. Gabriele Tarquini, who at 47 was the oldest World Champion ever when he won the WTCC title in 2009, will be returning to defend his title, driving a diesel Seat Leon run by SR-Sport.  Thr...

At first glance the CrossPolo, which Volkswagen has just announced, could mislead you into thinking it has some useful off-road ability. Despite the tough looking grey plastic body kit, it lacks some of the essentials needed for all-terrain driving.  Well, all of them actually - there’s no four wheel drive, no decent ground clearance (although it is raised by all of 15 mm), no lockable differentials and the tyres are definitely suitable only for tarmac. In reality then it’s not going to be much better than a ‘normal’ Polo when it comes to going cross country.  So does that mean it’s a daft concept? Maybe not.  In some respects it’s an ideal town car, built to better shrug off the inevitable minor dings and scratches that come with exciting urban adventures, such as the school run or the expedition into the supermarket car park. If that’s to be its role then, why go and fit lovely 17 inch alloys with fairly low profile 215/40 tyres?  A regime of kerb-scrapin...

Cadillac is planning a return to Europe, after previous Dutch-based importer Kroymans got into financial difficulties following a collapse in demand for new and used cars. GM Europe is doing it in-house this time around, though.  A new organisation, Cadillac Europe, has just been set up to take care of importation, distribution and marketing.  It will operate only in key markets, but those markets have yet to be revealed. The range is to be presented at March’s Geneva International Motor Show.  The striking CTS Sport Sedan, familiar from the Kroymans era, will be the core model. It will be joined by the distinctive CTS Coupe.  This brand new model is due to begin sales in North America this summer, with a European on-sale date scheduled for the autumn.  Both Sedan and Coupe will be available in high performance CTS-V specification, powered by a 556 bhp 6.2 litre V8. The third member of the CTS family is the Sport Wagon, which is expected to c...

It’s still only February 2010, yet Lotus has already announced the 2011 model year Elise, due to go on sale in a couple of months’ time. Visually, the main differences are at the front.  A new clamshell has the lights contained in single clusters, and the air intake is wider with less fussy detailing.  These alterations have given the revised Elise a more purposeful stance than its predecessor, and there’s now a stronger family resemblance to the Evora. Before the facelift... And after... The biggest change though is under the redesigned engine cover.  The previous entry-level Elise S is no more, replaced by the Elise-with-no-letter-suffix.  This new base model still has a Toyota engine controlled by a bespoke Lotus engine management system, but it’s now a 1.6 litre rather than a 1.8 litre, and it’s attached to a new six speed gearbox. Despite the loss in capacity, Lotus is making strong claims for it - power is similar to the old S at 134 bhp, and it’ll ac...

Inspired by this? Vorsprung durch Pluriel. Here is Audi’s very smartly dressed Head of Design talking about the A1, although he doesn’t seem to mention Citroen once.

Four new teams were due to join the grid for the 2010 F1 season.  So far, however, only two - Virgin Racing and Lotus F1 - have got their cars unveiled and running. There remain strong doubts about whether the others - Campos Meta and US F1 - will be ready for the first race in Bahrain on 14 March.  Bernie Ecclestone certainly doesn’t think that they’ll be there. It was reported that Jean Todt, FIA President, had indicated that new teams could skip the first three races.  Apparently his comments were misinterpreted by some journalists though, and a follow up statement by the FIA has now made it clear that all entrants are expected to turn up to the Bahrain event. Waiting in the wings for an empty grid slot is Stefan Grand Prix , headed by Serbian Zoran Stefanovic.  Even without a confirmed entry, it has continued work on its car, even going as far as sending a container load of equipment to Bahrain just in case. It’s true to say that Serbia doesn’t have ...

Buyers of the Jaguar XKR will now be able to specify a £3,500 Speed Pack that ditches the electronic speed limiter, raising the top speed from 155 mph (250 kph) to 174 mph (280 kph).  Power from the 5.0 litre supercharged V8 is unchanged at 503 bhp, but a recalibrated engine and transmission make the increase possible. OK, traffic and speed limits probably make that academic in most places, but the pack also includes some useful additions.  The revised front splitter, larger rear spoiler and modified Active Differential Control are all designed to increase stability at high speed.  Visual enhancements comprise body-coloured side sills and rear diffuser, together with chrome around the windows, on both grilles and on the side vents. For an extra £500, the Black Pack can be specified.  As the name implies, order this and the window surrounds, grilles and wheels are black instead, and the interior is charcoal leather.  Thankfully, the slightly dodgy-looking si...

It’s no secret that manufacturers often use what is basically the same car across several brands, charging differing amounts depending on specification and the perceived appeal of the badge.  Volkswagen, for example, is expert at it.  This means the Audi A3 essentially shares its underpinnings with the less expensive Skoda Octavia, something that A3 drivers never tire of hearing. What is more unusual is attempting to sell two ranges side by side under the same brand.  But that’s exactly what Citroen is trying.  Its new DS3 should complement the (also new) C3 upon which it’s based, but it could also end up competing against it, cannibalising sales.  It’s due to be joined by the DS4 - a concept will be unveiled at March’s Geneva motor show - and probably in time a DS5 too, to sit alongside the C4 and C5 respectively. With the DS3, Citroen is targeting competitors like the Mini, whose buyers appreciate interesting design and who also like to trawl through the o...

Heating on the blink?  Need some maintenance work done on your premises?  Then call Darenth Valley Building Services , because as the weapons-grade tool in the clip shows, they won’t let anything get in their way when the call to a job comes. Particularly outstanding is the overtake on double white lines, totally ignoring the truck coming in the opposite direction.  The unfortunate riders who got in his way were protesting at Westminster City Council’s plans to introduce parking charges for bikes.

Nissan’s new Juke looks like a Murano has mated with a Micra. The resultant offspring isn’t as bad as that sounds, although it’s still unusual… very unusual. You certainly couldn’t mistake it for anything else when it appears in your rear-view mirror. Fair play though to Nissan for being brave - it was with the Qashqai too, and that has sold well.

Steel girder versus Volkswagen Golf. Golf loses .

The ten finalists for the 2010 World Car Awards have been announced: Audi Q5 BMW X1 Chevrolet Cruze Kia Soul Mazda 3 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Opel/Vauxhall Insignia / Buick Regal Porsche Panamera Toyota Prius Volkswagen Polo It looks like a pretty uninspiring list, with only the X1 and Panamera really representing anything new (although does ‘new’ mean any good?).  A win for the Prius would be ironic, given its current problems. The result will be announced at the Geneva International Motor Show this March.

Got to feel a bit sorry for Nick Heidfeld - ten seasons as an F1 driver with over 160 starts, yet a race victory remained elusive. Now he’s been relegated to the role of test and reserve driver for Mercedes GP, as reported by Eurosport . Perhaps he’s hoping that if Schumacher decides to re-retire after a year or two, he’ll be offered the vacant race seat?

Blimey, Vauxhall have finally made an advert for their Corsa that doesn’t induce an urge to chuck the TV remote straight at the screen. The annoying little puppets, who yelled ‘c’mon’ (short for common?) at everything whilst getting into a series of side-splitting adventures, have finally been ditched. Well, not quite - look closely at the otherwise pretty good pop art effort, and you’ll see them on some balloons, as well as the word ‘c’mon’ hovering in the background. Sometimes it’s hard to let go. And if you need a fix of those puppet capers…