BMW X7 SUV confirmed to top BMW’s X Range

The BMW X5 Plug-in Hybrid will be built at Spartanburg along with the new BMW X7 The idea for BMW to build an SUV bigger than the X5 was put on ice when the world’s economy went in to meltdown in 2008, but the idea of a range-topping BMW X7 was back on the cards as long ago as 2010. Now, four years on, BMW has confirmed that they are planning an X7, that it will be built at their Spartanburg Plant in South Carolina and that it will arrive in 2017 or 2018. BMW aren’t prepared to divulge what platform the X7 will use, but it looks likely it will arrive on a revised version of the platform used for the next generation BMW 7-Series, a platform that will likely also be utilised for the new Rolls Royce SUV when that arrives, with the announcement of the X7 making a Rolls Royce SUV even more likely.

Renaultsport Megane 275 Trophy (2014) first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 14 May 2014 11:43 This is the new limited-edition Renaultsport Megane 275 Trophy. It’s got more power, trick tyres, adjustable dampers, a titanium exhaust, and with that armoury Renault is firing a warning shot across the bows of forthcoming mega hatches like the Honda Civic Type R and Vauxhall Astra VXR Extreme. Renaultsport has worked on the regular Megane 265's turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine to find an extra 10bhp, so peak power is now 271bhp (or 275PS, hence the name) delivered at 5500rpm.

Smart ForTwo Cityflame edition launches

The Smart ForTwo got a bit of a facelift in 2012 to keep it fresh until the all new ForTwo with a rear-engined, rear wheel drive platform to be shared with the next Renault Twingo, arrives in 2014, and the new CityFlame limited edition gets a cosmetic makeover to make its stand out. That cosmetic makeover includes a bright yellow paint job - vivid pearlescent flame yellow – with a black tridion safety cell, black grill surrounds and mirror caps and a set of 15″ black painted alloys. There are ‘CityFlame’ logos on the mirror triangles and a set of Brabus headlights. Inside the Cityflame there are yellow inlays in the cloth/fake leather seats, yellow stitching, yellow splashes on the dash and steering wheel and a set of mats with embroidered ‘CityFlame’ motifs.