VW take control at Italdesign Giugiaro through Lamborghini.

Maserati Merak - by Giugiaro Perhaps it makes sense politically for an Italian company to takeover another, but the outcome is the same – VW has taken a majority stake in Italdesign Giugiaro – 90.1% – through its Italian subsidiary Lamborghini Holdings S.p.A. Just as we expected. And there’s a lot of sense in this move by VW – even if they are going back on their stated intent to end the acquisitions – as there’s a strong history with Giugiaro.

New 2014-2015 Volkswagen Passat and Passat Estate details and pictures revealed

Volkswagen has released the first details of the new eighth-generation Passat, which goes on sale in the UK and Europe before the end of 2014. The new VW Passat is lower, lighter, up to 20% more fuel-efficient and much more striking to look at. Could this be the Passat to tempt you out of that BMW 3 Series?

New baby Jaguar to be called XE

Jaguar has revealed its new small saloon rival to the BMW 3 Series will be called XE. The new Jaguar XE, which will be revealed this year before going on sale in 2015, will be the first all-aluminium car ever launched in the premium small saloon sector – and prices are expected to start from £30,000. Jaguar is promising a range of cars that stretch from a sub-100g/km model (something the BMW 3 Series doesn’t yet achieve) to one that can reach a top speed of 186mph (a speed that’s also faster than every 3 Series).