Renault Confirms Pricing for Refreshed 2012 Megane Range in Britain

Renault today announced that its subtly updated Megane 2012 compact model is available for order now in the UK ahead of its official launch on April 1. On-the-road prices start from £16,275 for the 3-door Hatch, £16,775 for the 5-door Coupé and £17,075 for the estate Sport Tourer.
For 2012, the Megane series gains some minor styling tweaks up front that include the addition of LED daytime running lights from the Dynamique TomTom trim level and above, and a revised bumper with a gloss black finish and chrome highlights, plus a new selection of alloy wheel designs.

Formula 1: Australian GP Qualifying Results

At the inaugural race of every Formula 1 season you never really know where each team stands in terms of performance. Sure, there are the favorites, the also-runs, the back markers and oftentimes, the wild cards.
Well, the qualifying race of the Australian Grand Prix that kicked off this year's F1 season certainly had all of the above. But not necessarily in the way most seasoned F1 fans might have expected.
Lewis Hamilton claimed the 20th pole position of his career and Jenson Button lined up right beside him, making it an all-McLaren front row. Not too surprising, as despite the fact that Sebastian Vettel took most pole positions last year, the McLarens had proved to be very fast during testing.

Formula 1: Australian GP Race Results

Every year FIA, the sport’s governing body, changes Formula 1’s technical regulations with the purpose of leveling out the playing field. This forces designers to work within a very strict set of parameters that make gaining an advantage a great challenge.

Despite FIA’s efforts to increase competition even more, F1 is far from becoming something akin to a one-make series. Some teams always make a better job than others do, but we have to wait until each year’s first race before drawing any conclusions.

At the 2012 Australian Grand Prix, the Saturday qualifying session showed us certain things like that the McLaren is currently the fastest car out there, while Red Bull Racing seems to have lost some of its pace due to the rule changes that affected the design of the RB8.

Cadillac CTS-V Wagon gets Strapped to the Dyno, Results Compared with CLS 63 AMG

The Corvette may be the quintessential American sports car, but it's not the only one to challenge established European brands.

Over the past few years, GM's Cadillac division has also churned out some pretty interesting proposals targeting Germany's finest, namely the products made by Audi Quattro GmbH, BMW M and Mercedes-Benz AMG.

The CTS-V in all three body styles is one them. A 6.2-liter V8 engine aided by an Eaton supercharger helps the CTS-V produce 556-horses and 551 lb-ft (746.2 Nm) of torque, matching or even beating its German opponents.

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VW Reportedly Developing a Smaller CC Model Based on the Next Jetta

A four-door sedan is a four-door sedan regardless of the height and styling of the roof but automakers had to find some way to market their sportier looking saloons so they coined the somewhat ambiguous term "four-door coupe".

Among the many cars to sprout from this sub-segment are Audi's A5 and A7 Sportback models, BMW’s 6-Series Gran Coupe and of course, the founding Mercedes-Benz CLS.

In all cases, form takes priority over function as these saloons are merely more stylish and more often than not, less spacious and practical versions of the regular four-door models they are based on.

VW was the first mainstream manufacturer to introduce a four-door coupe with the Passat CC, which after its recent facelift, goes by the name of CC. Now the German carmaker plans to add a second, smaller model to its line-up of sporty sedans.

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Bentley Boss Says Company Chose SUV over a Sports Car to Avoid Confrontation with Porsche’s 911

A lot of digital ink has been devoted lately to both Bentley's decision to create an SUV model as well as the appearance of the concept that hinted at the production model.

But did you know that the British premium brand explored numerous options for a new addition to its range before deciding on the SUV? Bentley’s CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer told Motor Trend magazine that his company’s designers had actually submitted three more projects.

Duerheimer admitted that one of them was a sports car smaller than the Continental GT, although he wouldn’t comment on what the other two models were.

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Volvo Recalling Close to 3,000 S60 and XC60 Models Over Undercoatings that Pose a Fire Risk

If you happen to own a 2012 Volvo S60 sedan and/or a XC60 crossover in the States, there's a good chance you'll soon receive a recall letter from the Swedish automaker because of a potential fire risk.

"An incorrect mixture of underbody coating and over-application can result in rigid, icicle-like areas hanging from vehicle’s undercarriage," read Volvo's document posted on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Toyota Says it Sold More Prius C in Three Days than the Volt and Leaf Combined in a Month

According to Toyota, the newest member of its Prius family of hybrids, the Yaris-sized Prius C, is off to an extremely good start since going on sale in the States on March 12.

In its first three days on the market, the Prius C sold 1,201 units, with Toyota making it a point to note that it surpassed the combined sales of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf for the entire month of February. In other related news, our local grocery disclosed that it sold more apples in an hour than Prius C in a day.

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Volkswagen Releases Pricing for UK Market Passat Alltrack

The new Volkswagen Passat Alltrack is now available for order in Britain with the first cars arriving in dealer lots on May 28. The high-riding, crossover version of the Passat Estate is offered in one trim level and a choice of two diesel engines, both of which are equipped with VW's 4MOTION four-wheel drive system as standard.

The base model is powered by a 2.0-liter TDI producing 138bhp (140PS) linked to a 6-speed manual gearbox and is priced at £28,475. It returns a combined fuel economy of 49.6mpg UK (41.3mpg US or 5.7lt/100km) with CO2 emissions of 150g/km.

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Lamborghini Says it's Extremely Pleased with the Exposure it Received with the Aventador J

For the short amount of time it spent to design and build the one-off Aventador J (just six weeks, according to Lamborghini designer Filippo Perini), the Sant'Agata based supercar maker received a whole lot of attention for its creation at last week’s Geneva Motor Show.

Lamborghini even crunched out some numbers and facts to verify its claim:

• More than 21.5 million organic Google searches
• The most popular show-week YouTube sports car video; “Aventador J – The Making Of” currently has more than 280,000 views (category “Auto and Vehicles”)
• “Best of Show” Winner - Autoweek magazine
• A new daily traffic record at www.lamborghini.com
• More than 6,800 tweets with a worldwide exposure of more than 40 million impressions

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Fiat Management to Meet with Italian Prime Minister to Discuss its Future

It’s no secret that Fiat is in dire straits right now. Its CEO, Sergio Marchionne, is counting on increased productivity and U.S. sales, but he’s also prepared to close down two Italian plants if push comes to shove.

According to Reuters, Marchionne and Fiat Chairman (and Gianni Agnelli grandson) John Elkann will meet with the Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and, subsequently, with Labor and Industry Ministers, Elsa Fornero and Corrado Passera, today to discuss the group’s plans concerning its local operations.

Monti is no stranger to Fiat as he has is a friend of the Agnelli family and was on the company’s board from 1988 until 1993. However, it's the first time that he will meet with its management as a Prime Minister.

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Ford's 650HP 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 Priced from $54,200, Convertible from $59,200*

America's most...muscular pony car has made its appearance on Ford's official website with prices starting from $54,200 for the 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 coupe and $59,200 for its open-top sibling, not including a $795 (*) destination fee that bumps the total to $54,995 and $59,995 respectively.

In both cases, that's a $5,390 increase over the previous 2012 models. Intriguingly, the Mustang Shelby GT500 coupe's price is identical to that of Chevrolet's 580-horsepower Camaro ZL1 Coupe ($54,995 with destination and handling).

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Subaru Kicks Off Series Production of BRZ and Toyota 86 in Japan

Subaru held a special ceremony today at its Gunma factory in Ota-city, Japan, to mark the series production start of the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 (named GT 86 in Europe) rear-wheel drive coupes. The presidents of both companies attended the event.

The factory, which will produce both models as well as the Impreza by March 2013, underwent several changes to cope with the extra capacity.

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Peugeot Confirms UK Pricing for 508 RXH Crossover and New 508 Hybrid4 Sedan

The Peugeot brand has announced pricing and specification details for two new additions to its 508 range in Britain, the 508 RXH crossover estate and the 508 Saloon HYbrid4, both of which make use of the company's diesel-electric hybrid powertrain.

The 508 RXH starts at £33,695 and the 508 Saloon HYbrid4 at £31,450. Both models are available to order now, with the 508 RXH to go on sale in May and the 508 Saloon HYbrid4 from July 2012.

The hybrid powertrain on both models consists of a 2.0-litre HDi 163 Diesel engine powering the front wheels and a 37bhp electric motor driving the rear wheels.

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Formula 1: Carscoop’s Preview of the 2012 Season

When the red lights go out at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday (17:00 local time, 06:00 GMT), it will not only mark the start of the 28th Australian Grand Prix but of the 2012 Formula 1 season as well.

It will also mark the first time in the 62-year history of the sport that six world champions line up on the same grid: Michael Schumacher (7 titles), Fernando Alonso (2 titles), Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen (1 title each) and, of course, the reigning champion, Sebastian Vettel, who also won the 2010 world title.

In Formula 1, things can change dramatically from one year to another. And FIA is certainly trying hard to make any advantage held by a single team evaporate: thus it made the standard ECUs even simpler, compelled all teams to use “periscope”-style exhausts eliminating their aerodynamic effect on the diffuser, made changes to the front wing’s minimal strength and height and outlawed ride-height suspension systems.

Despite all these changes, some of which were clearly aimed at Red Bull (and made most cars sport an ugly face), the 25-year old German and the all-conquering these past two seasons RBR team are starting out as the ones to beat.

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Fisker Says Consumer Report's Karma Shut Down to Protect Itself

You most likely remember the much talked about incident with Consumer Report's Fisker Karma sedan that broke down only a few days after the magazine purchased a brand new example from a dealer for $107,850 (€82,500) during routine speedometer calibration runs on the company's test track.

Now, Fisker is trying to counter the bad publicity through a letter sent to customers by its newly appointed CEO and former executive at General Motors and Chrysler, Tom LaSorda.

Fisker's CEO stated in the letter that the Karma shut down during the drive to protect itself from further damage.

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Volkswagen Up! for Sale in Britain, Starts from £7,995

After announcing preliminary prices for the Up! back in October of 2011, the most compact of Volkswagen models is now in UK showrooms. On the road prices for the three-door Up! start from £7,995 for the entry level model and rise to £11,180.

Buyers can choose from two 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine options producing 59bhp (60PS) and 74bhp (75PS) as well as a more fuel efficient 59bhp BlueMotion Technology version.

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Mazda CX-5 Orders in Japan Surpass Mazda’s Original Estimates by 8 Times in the First Month

Mazda revealed today that it has received close to 8,000 orders for its brand new CX-5 crossover in Japan since February 16.

Now, either the Hiroshima-based carmaker was extermely conservative in its projection or the locals have really taken to the new crossover because that figure is eight times the original monthly estimate of 1,000 sales.

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Chrysler to Offer a Smaller Displacement Version of its Pentastar V6 According to Sources

Two separate sources, a union official and a company insider, have told Automotive News that Chrysler will soon present a smaller displacement version of its 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 gasoline engine.

Bruce Baumhower, president of UAW (United Auto Workers) Local 12 in Toledo, Ohio, where the Liberty replacement (called Cherokee in markets outside the U.S.) will be assembled, told the news site that the SUV would be offered with a new V6 with a capacity of 3.2-liters.

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Poll: Which Previous Generation Camaro Should Inspire the Design of the Next Model?

While it's true that the Ford Mustang is the vehicle that reheated the pony car segment, forcing both GM and Chrysler to resuscitate two of their historic nameplates, it's the Chevrolet Camaro that has taken the sales lead grabbing 42 percent of the rear-wheel drive performance coupe market in 2011 with 88,249 deliveries.

The Ford Mustang comes in second with 70,438 units and the Dodge Challenger third with 39,534 deliveries. This year, the Camaro has about 40 percent of the market with Ford trying to catch up with approximately 35 percent.

This makes planning its successor all the more difficult as Al Oppenheiser, Camaro's chief engineer, admitted to Automotive News Product Editor, Rick Kanz.

The fifth generation of the Camaro was launched into the market in 2010 and a replacement is due in the fall of 2015. According to Oppenheiser, the team involved in the development and the design of the sixth generation Camaro, has many issued to solve, one of which is weight reduction.

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