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BMW set to go front-wheel drive

BMW chairman Norbert Reithofer has confirmed that the German carmaker will introduce a new front-wheel-drive entry-level model positioned and priced below the existing 1-series as part of plans to help increase part sharing and to bolster the potential for production savings between the BMW and Mini brands, thus bringing an end to the era of rear- and four-wheel-drive-only BMW models. Speaking to AutoWeek at the Geneva motor show, Reithofer said internal BMW studies revealed that despite the downturn in the world's economy, there was continued demand for what he described as "premium vehicles" in the small-car class, before officially acknowledging plans that will see BMW produce a rival to the recently unveiled Audi A1 and a new Smart Forfour presently under development at Mercedes-Benz. "We will be extending the BMW and Mini brands into the small-car segment with new models and variants," he said.

Ferrari 458 Italia Goodwood hillclimb video

The Ferrari 458 Italia starts the hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2010 The Goodwood Festival of Speed wouldn’t be the same without a Ferrari or three blasting up the hillclimb or doing donuts at every given opportunity. And this year was no different with two of Ferrari’s latest on display in the form of the 458 Italia and the 599 GTO. And just like last year Ferrari were active in the Supercar Run up the hillclimb and just like last year they filmed it and sent it to us.

‘Crash avoidance’ systems rated for safety

The European car safety body Euro NCAP has confirmed it is currently testing a number of cars fitted with crash avoidance technology in an effort to judge the systems’ effectiveness. This news coincides with an announcement from the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which has published the first results of its own version of the scheme. Euro NCAP and IIHS are cooperating to establish a standardised test formula.