BMW – Mean, GREEN, Driving Machines

BMW may be a lot of things. But stupid isn’t one of them. They haven’t stayed at the top of the Premium Car sector for so long without a pretty good idea of what they’re doing.

Opel / Vauxhall Astra revealed

New Vauxhall / Opel Astra revealed ahead of a launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September The Astra has been with us for 30 years, and this is the sixth generation to hit the showrooms. And it looks to be the best yet (as you would hope), with a cohesive style and loads of design cues taken from Vauxhall’s Insignia. This new Astra is built on the same platform as the much heralded Vauxhall Ampera (the Electric Car that will be the salvation of GM – once the technology is sorted) and as such offers a bigger wheelbase (up by 71mm) on a 4.4 meter (14′ 4″) body, with a wider track, which should make the Astra a better drive.

Meet the Porsche Macan small SUV

The small Porsche SUV that goes on sale about 18 months will wear the Macan nameplate, the German automaker said on Thursday. Until now, the SUV project had been known by the code name Cajun, created from the concept of “Cayenne Junior.” Porsche says Macan is “derived from the Indonesian word for tiger and combines suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics.” The Porsche Macan will share a platform with the Audi Q5 and will be built at the Porsche plant in Leipzig, Germany, that now builds the Cayenne. Porsche is spending $650 million to expand the Leipzig plant, adding a body shop and a paint shop.