BMW 3-Series Coupé and Convertible facelift (2010): first official pictures

By John Burton First Official Pictures 17 January 2010 00:01 BMW is pepping up its 3-series Coupé and Convertible ranges in March 2010 – including the M3 – to bring them into line with the current Saloon and Touring. As well as a range of cosmetic pick-me-ups, there will be a reinvigorated range of cleaner, more powerful engines. The new 2010 BMW 3-series Coupé and Convertible: a light touch The updates to the 3-Series Coupé and Convertible are subtle.

Mercedes launch new 9G-Tronic gearbox on E350 BlueTec

New Mercedes E350 BlueTec (pictured) gets 9-speed 9G-TRONIC auto It’s not exactly a million years ago that automatic gearboxes offered poorer performance and economy than manual gearboxes, and came as standard with just three gears. But now, automatic gearboxes are so good they can  change quicker than any driver and, with the proliferation of eight-speed auto ‘boxes, offer improved economy and performance too. The next logical step is even more ratios in an auto ‘box, and Land Rover has already revealed they’ll be fitting the Evoque with a 9-speed ZF ‘box from 2014, and the new Jeep Grand Cherokee gets a nine-speed auto ‘box too.

MG6 Launch revives Morris Garages moniker

The new MG6 gets badged 'Morris Garages'. Life has not been easy over the last few years for MG. Or should I say what remains of MG after the debacle of the ‘Phoenix Four’ who took over MG Rover from BMW for a token £10 – and £425 million in working capital to boot – and set about selling off the rights to MG to the Chinese in the form of SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation).