Car news

The lowdown Volkswagen has given its Touran MPV a welcome facelift, and a sprinkling of new features. The headline news is the introduction of Twincharge engines which employ both a turbo and a...

Electronic stability control and anti-whiplash head restraints should soon be part of the Euro NCAP crash test programme, CAR Online can reveal. Testers are keen to extend the programme beyond today's...

The lowdown This gorgeous creation is the new Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. It looks familiar because it's the production version of the 2003 concept car which bore the same name. Alfa has confirmed...

Hyundai's bid to gatecrash the world's top five car-makers will continue with two crucial new models: a seven-seat SUV and a mid-size hatch. In 2007, the aggressive Korean car maker will wade into...

The lowdown Peugeot calls it a concept but let's not kid ourselves: this is the 207CC. A successor to the 206CC, the car that brought folding metal hardtops to the woman in the street, next spring's...

The lowdown Not an all-new car but a fairly serious revision of the legendary off-roader. Mitsubishi has ditched the old car’s dated-looking curves with much straighter, angular lines inspired by the...

Vauxhall is throwing heaps more power at its two VXR flagships. The Monaro V8 coupe is being supercharged, by Kent dealer Greens of Rainham. The 6.0-litre unit's peak power and torque jump by 25...

Chevrolet has issued this sneak preview of its forthcoming family hatch – disguised as a World Touring Car. Disregard the pram handle wing, snowplough undertray and steroidal wheelarch extensions, and...

The lowdown Renault's renewed assault on the premium car sector begins today, with this luxurious Nepta showcar. It's a vast, opulent convertible, designed to waft you across continents as if the...

The lowdown Meet the Qashqai, the SUV for people who want a car that's funkier than a C-segment hatch but fear a dinner party backlash from getting a traditional boxy SUV. The Qashqai is slightly...

Bill Ford is set to step aside as chief executive of Ford Motor Company. Replacing him is 61-year-old Alan Mulally, previously the boss of Boeing's commercial aircraft division. Ford stepped down as...

Lancia today unveils the Delta HPE concept, a sleek wagon claimed to mix luxury, practicality and performance. The new Delta will slot into the Lancia range next year and relaunch the brand in the UK,...

What’s this? Citroen remembering how to do sexy? Something like that. This is Citroen’s Paris show-stopper, the C-Metisse, a four-door, four-seat GT coupe. The C-Metisse manages to marry style and...

Mitsubishi is investigating the feasibility of bringing its 350Z-rivalling Eclipse to the UK. Accountants are busy with the calculators right now but sources reckon it’s looking increasingly likely...

The lowdown This is the all-new, bigger, faster and safer Honda CR-V. Due to hit our roads in January 2007, it’s aimed squarely at Land Rover’s new Freelander. Fresh new styling clothes an all-new...

What! A 722bhp SLR - are they mad? You've got the wrong end of the stick. The Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 is named after the Mercedes 300 SLR that British racing legend Stirling Moss and his co-driver...

The world’s two biggest luxury goods firms – including the conglomerate behind brands like Moet and Louis Vuitton – are locked in a battle to buy Aston Martin from cash-starved Ford. Ford announced...

Supercar maker Spyker could be set to join McLaren and Ferrari on the F1 grid in 2007. Talks are underway between Spyker's CEO Victor Muller and the Midland F1 team. The outfit, owned by Russian-born...

Honda has given a sneak preview of the technology bound for its all-new CRV soft-roader. The funky new look remains under wraps for now, but we know the chassis has been equipped with adaptive cruise...

The new Vauxhall Corsa – set to be one of Britain's best-selling cars – has scored a maximum five stars for occupant safety, in the Euro NCAP crash tests. Ford's new S-Max also got full marks. But...

The lowdown This is the Iroc, a sexy successor to the Scirocco coupe that Volkswagen will launch in 2008. Officially, the Iroc is a concept car, but make no mistake, this dynamic three-door is heading...

Vauxhall is in the final stages of signing off the storming Corsa VXR. The latest VXR runs a turbocharged 1.6-litre developing a thumping 200bhp, spinning the front wheels via a six-speed box. Much of...

New high-tech diesel engines are heading for the Range Rover Sport and Land Rover Defender. The new 3.6-litre V8 diesel – already revealed in the Range Rover and set to account for 70 percent of its...

The JCB Dieselmax has broken the diesel land speed record, posting an official, FIA-approved speed of 328.767mph. During the first run along the Bonneville Salt Flats course on 22 August, the 1500bhp...

The lowdown Seat has altered the Altea, with a redesigned rear end that boosts practicality. The Altea XL is similar in concept to Volkswagen's enlarged Golf, the Plus, but the Seat is an even better...

The 1500bhp JCB Dieselmax streamliner will undergo final shakedown tests today, ahead of tomorrow's diesel land speed record attempt. CAR Online will bring you the news as it happens. Our reporter,...

Here's yet another new 911 – the glass roof Targa version. A new development is that the 997 Targa is only available with four-wheel drive, unlike previous models. As a four-wheel drive model, the...

Chrysler's V8 Firepower concept is moving closer to production, thanks to a plan to push the Dodge Viper upmarket, creating a Firepower-shaped gap in Chrysler Group's portfolio. Sources suggest that...

The 1500bhp JCB Dieselmax has passed 300mph in a test run for its diesel land speed record attempt. The sleek racer – powered by twin diesel engines each producing 750bhp – touched 308.252mph...

A grunty, 170bhp diesel engine will join Skoda's high performance vRS range in September. The engine will be available in the Octavia hatch and estate, priced at £18,370 and £19,200 respectively. The...

Mitsubishi will introduce a double-clutch gearbox on the Lancer Evolution X, sources say. The supersaloon is set for launch in a year, which should make Mitsubishi the first manufacturer to respond to...

Europe's fastest growing car brand – Kia – is finally wading into Europe's biggest market with a serious contender. But with a joke of a name: the Cee'd. Kia claims the five-door hatchback will be the...

The lowdown The disguise is off. No more speculation, spy shots or sneak previews - this is the face of the all-new, faster, bigger, better Mini. No, we haven't jumbled up the pictures - the car...

Gerry McGovern – the designer credited with the MG F and original Freelander – will become Land Rover's new design director on 1 January 2007. McGovern currently leads Land Rover's advanced design...

The Chevrolet Camaro – GM's centrepiece at the 2006 Detroit auto show – has received the green light for production. The V8 coupe will be unveiled in late 2008, with sales confirmed for early 2009.

Here's a sneak preview of two new Suzukis – the Swift Sport and Splash supermini-MPV. Both get their world premieres at September's Paris show. The flagship Swift goes on sale in autumn 2006, for just...