New Audi e-Tron at Detroit – the ‘Compact’ e-Tron

Audi has revealed a compact version of the e-Tron at the Detroit Motor Show Audi brought along the first Audi e-Tron to the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Looking like an electric version of the Audi R8, it managed to steal some of the thunder from BMW’s Vision ED concept . Most notable was the stratospheric torque figures Audi quoted, which ultimately turned out to be somewhat disingenuous.

Fiat 500L launches

The Fiat 500L – a larger Fiat 500 based on the Punto – has launched in Italy ahead of going on sale in the UK in early 2013. We had the official arrival of the Fiat 500L at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and now we get the 500L’s official launch in Turin – together with lots of new photos and a video – before the 500L goes on sale around the world. The 500L is actually based on the underpinnings of the Punto to create a 500 MPV and, sensibly, Fiat has done with the 500L  what MINI did with the Countryman and slapped an iconic badge on even though the 500L bears scant resemblance to its cute little sibling.

Hennessey-tuned Ford GT does a 235.1-mph Texas two-step

A few times a year, some of the fastest and most powerful cars meet in Texas for an adrenaline-filled weekend of top-speed runs called the Texas Mile. The high-performance machines have one mile of arrow-straight runway to get the highest top speed at the one-mile marker. It was the right mix of conditions for Mark Heidaker and Sean Kennedy, who drove their twin-turbocharged Ford GT to a top speed of 235.1 mph down the runway into a decent headwind of 20 mph.