Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 does 11s in quarter-mile

The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 officially joined the 11-second club. Chevrolet said on Friday that the ZL1 ran an 11.96-second quarter-mile at 117 mph. It's a testament to the most powerful Camaro ever produced by the company.

Top Gear presenters banned from driving in France

Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond have been banned from driving in France for three months after they were caught speeding. While filming for the show’s Top Gear Christmas DVD – called ‘The Perfect Road Trip’ – Clarkson and Hammond were allegedly caught travelling at over 87mph in a 56mph limit. Jeremy Clarkson: a life in pictures Jeremy Clarkson’s most infamous quotes That means the duo were more than 50kph over the legal speed, which attracts an instant driving ban in France.

News watch March 2011: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour Thursday 31 March 2011• US President Barack Obama has strated all US government cars and trucks purchased from 2015 must be alternative-fuel vehicles (Automotive News)• Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has denied a report in Japan's Nikkei newspaper that he is leaning towards a formal merger of Nissan and Renault (Reuters)• Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne says that Chrysler's share IPO may now take place in 2012, depending on financial progress this year (Bloomberg)Wednesday 30 March 2011• Tesla CEO Elon Musk has called a report that the EV carmaker is a takeover target 'bad analysis' and remains confident the firm will stay independent (Bloomberg)• The BBC denies that it rigged a December 2008 Top Gear TV test of the Tesla Roadster, in response to being sued by the EV carmaker (BBC News)• First Group, the UK's largest public transport operator, has announced a £160m investment in new buses, ordering 955 new buses from UK manufacturers Wrightbus and Dennis over the next two years (BBC News)• Japanese production woes look set to continue into April. Toyota expects the majority of Toyota and Lexus production on 14 April (Automotive News)• Saab production has re-started again, following a half yesterday afternoon.