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'Speed a factor' in deadly crash

INVESTIGATORS trying to find the cause of the crash that killed Fast And The Furious star Paul Walker say speed was a factor. Meanwhile the actor's fans erected a makeshift memorial yesterday near where the Porsche he was riding in smashed into a street light and tree. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said speed was a factor in Saturday's one-car crash, though it will take time to discover how fast the vehicle was going.

Previous owner of car in Paul Walker crash appears to be IndyCar driver Graham Rahal

The fifth owner of the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT in which "Fast and the Furious" actor Paul Walker and the car's owner and driver, Roger Rodas, were killed appears to have been IndyCar driver and avid car collector Graham Rahal. The car had six different owners since it was new. Rodas' Always Evolving car shop was the sixth owner.

Mercedes-Benz sells 1000,000 cars in a year in the UK for the first time

Mercedes Bristol hands over the 100,000th Mercedes old in the UK in 2013 It looks like Mercedes move in to a more convincing compact car with the new A-Class is already paying dividends, with Mercedes announcing it has already broken the 100,000 car sales in the UK for this year with a full month still to go. The 100,000th car is, appropriately, a white Mercedes  A 180 CDI Sport – perhaps the best-selling A-Class – which has been collected by its new owner from Mercedes-Benz of Bristol. This is the first full year the new A-Class has been on sale (although the first customer cars didn’t start arriving until well in to the new year) and augers well for sales numbers in 2014.

Driver in Paul Walker crash was racer in his own right: Roger Rodas: 1975-2013

You know the headline: “Fast and the Furious” star Paul Walker died Saturday when the driver of the red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that Walker was riding in lost control in a business park drive, wrapped the Porsche around a tree, and then the Porsche burned. But less likely to make headlines was the death of the driver of the car, Walker's friend for nearly a decade, Roger Rodas, who became Walker's formal business partner and financial advisor in 2007. The crash, which occurred about 3:30 p.m., was near the end of a charity event that the tuner and racing company they operated – Rodas was the CEO -- Always Evolving, announced on the company's web site: “Our next open house and car meet is November 30th from 10 a.m.

Porsche Carrera GT in Paul Walker crash had six owners in its cross-country life

Always Evolving's Porsche Carerra GT -- recognizable for its unusual red color and black wheels -- is a difficult car to drive for even professionals, with one top driver calling its handling “scary." Those of us at Autoweek who have driven the car will likely concur. Always Evolving, a car race and tuner store operated by CEO Roger Rodas, a financial consultant who became friends and business partners with actor Paul Walker at a racetrack, acquired the car last spring, and used it often at car shows and in promotional ads. Rodas was driving when the car crashed, killing him and passenger Walker in a California business park Saturday afternoon.

Fast & Furious star Paul Walker dies in car crash

AP The US actor Paul Walker has died in a car crash in Valencia, California. The 40-year-old star of the Fast & Furious movie franchise was a passenger in a red Porsche Carrera GT sports car that hit a lamp post and burst into flames. Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department attended the incident north of LA but Paul Walker and the driver of the Porsche were pronounced dead at the scene.

New BMW X5 gets a range of M Performance goodies

The new BMW X5 gets a range of M Performance goodies It wouldn’t be a BMW unless you could make it look like it can go faster, even when it can’t. So it’s good news for buyers of the new BMW X5 that they can opt for the cheapest, and least powerful, X5 sDrive25d and adorn it with enough goodies from the new X5 M Performance option list to make it look like it’d eat an X5 M50d for breakfast. But its not just the lowliest model in the new X5 range that can have any of the new M Performance parts bolted on; BMW will be happy for you to bolt on the extras to anything from the sDrive25d to the xDrive50i.

Fast and Furious star Paul Walker dead at 40

According to numerous reports, Fast and Furious star Paul Walker has been killed in a single-car crash that took place in a Southern California office park. Conflicting eyewitness reports suggest that Walker was either driving, or was a passenger in a Porsche Carrera GT when it struck a tree and burst into flames killing Walker and a passenger.

Jaguar Land Rover build the millionth car at Halewood – a Range Rover Evoque

The millionth car produced at Halewood – a Range Rover evoque The Jaguar Land Rover Plant in Halawood was once best know for churning out the now defunct Jaguar X-Type – which it did until the X-Type was pensioned off in 2009 – but more recently its become home to the Land Rover Freelander 2 and the new Range Rover Evoque. And with sales of the Evoque still powering forward it’s no surprise the the millionth car to come off the production  line at Halewood this week is an Evoque. In fact, it’s a white Range Rover Evoque Dynamic with a Fuji White paint job, ebony alloys, Firenze Red roof and mirrors and red and black interior which is being donated to Cancer Research UK.

50,000 new drivers lose licence within two years

Under current legislation, any new driver who receives six (or more) penalty points within two years of passing their test automatically has their licence revoked. Swiftcover.com has been sifting through the official data, and found that almost 50,000 new drivers have been banned in this fashion in the last four years. On Bing: see pictures of new drivers Find out how much a first car costs on Auto Trader The data, which comes from the Drive and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA), reveals that 48,983 drivers have had their licence revoked under the 1995 Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act since 2009.

VW e-up! electric city car costs £24,250

VW e-up! electric city car costs £24,250 The Volkswagen e-up! (we’ve already done the northern jokes) was revealed back in March as VW’s weapon of choice for the electric city car market and now, with the e-up!

SAIC wins LA Auto Show Design Challenge

China's SAIC, the parent company of Roewe and MG brands (yes, Morris Garages and what used to be Rover), took the top spot in the LA Auto Show Design challenge with its Mobiliant Concept, beating other contestants like BMW DesignworksUSA, Subaru, Mazda, Changfeng, Quoros, and others. The theme for this year's challenge at the LA Auto Show was "Biomimicry & Mobility 2025: Nature's Answer to Human Challenges." Entrants were directed to propose design concepts that integrated the concept of biomimicry into transportation concepts. Quite a challenge and quite an open theme, especially when you consider that last year's theme was pretty straightforward: "Highway Patrol Vehicles in the Year 2025." In 2012 the Subaru SHARC concept took the top prize.

Volvo debuts S60L for the Chinese market

If you've tried the Volvo S60, did you get the feeling that it might benefit from a little more legroom in the back? The first-generation S60 and the second-generation S60 are fine automobiles, but if there's one gripe we've heard from owners about their cars, it's that rear-seat legroom could be a tad more generous (on that one day of the year when they have more than two people in the car). For the 2014 model year, Volvo is introducing a long-wheelbase version of the sedan, dubbed the S60L, but it will be available only in the Chinese market where long-wheelbase sedans are "a thing." The S60L will have a wheelbase that is 3.1 inches longer than the standard model, for a total of 112.4 inches, all benefiting rear-seat passengers.

Lamborghini Cabrera private reveal in the UK on 10th January 2014

The new Lamborghini Cabrera (sp photo above) will be privately revealed in London in January The Lamborghini Gallardo – Lamborghini’s entry-level model – has finally finished its production run, and Lamborghini are now preparing to reveal its successor. That successor is expected to be called the Cabrera, and we’ve been expecting it to be revealed at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. But now Lamborghini have started teasing their new supercar, it could be sooner.

1 in 10 men prefer cars to women

Just over 12% of men think that some beautiful cars can look better than women, according to a new survey commissioned by Volvo in collaboration with brainwave monitoring specialists MyndPlay. The study analysed the electronic brain signals of respondents to measure the effect car design has on the human mind – and the results are very interesting… On Bing: see pictures of beautiful car design The most beautiful cars of all time In the interest of balance, women were also asked how they rank an attractive male compared to a good-looking car. The outcome showed one third (33%) of females asked actually rated images of impressive car design higher than pictures of an attractive man.

New Car Flash site is social network for petrolheads

Newcastle-based entrepreneur Kasim Malik has launched a new social network called Car Flash, targeted specifically at car enthusiasts. Car Flash aims to take advantage of the current trend towards niche social networking, and connect petrolheads across the globe through their shared enthusiasm. On Bing: see pictures of car enthusiasts Find out how much a used car costs on Auto Trader The site, Carflash.com, allows you to create a personal profile, find and add friends, browse a news feed and make use of a real-time messaging function.

Final second-generation Mini leaves production line

THE FINAL Mini hatchback of the current generation has left the production line in Oxford, after more than a million were made for customers around the world. There’s no time for production staff to rest, though, with assembly of the new Mini hatchback already under way alongside the many other Mini model derivatives. In total, more than 1.8 million hatchback Minis have been built at the factory since 2001, of which 1,041,412 were the currently outgoing model.

MINI Rocketman could be heading for production – if BMW can find a chassis

The ‘Mini’ MINI Rocketman (pictured) could go in to production The MINI Rocketman Concept was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011 as a smaller MINI than the one BMW were selling at the time, and it looked like BMW were considering going the smaller route to make the MINI more fun. But with the 2014 MINI now revealed, BMW has gone the opposite route by underpinning the new MINI with the UKL platform that will also underpin the next BMW 1 Series, and made the latest MINI even bigger than the last one. But it seems BMW still see mileage in a ‘Mini MINI’ and appear keen to find a way to make the Rocketman a production reality.

Concept Car of the Week: Citroën C-Metisse (2006)

Citroen was on a roll back in 2006, in terms of its production cars such as the C4 and C6, but most notably in advanced design. The previous 'C-' range of concepts that started in 2002 with the C-Airdream, swiftly followed by the C-Airlounge and C-Sportlounge. But there's a feeling that the this fourth car in the series was the one that showed the PSA design team at its flamboyant best.

New BMW 2 Series M Performance Parts revealed

The new BMW 2 Series (pictured) gets a range of M Performance Parts The opposite side of the coin from debadging your high-end BMW so no one knows you’re packing a big punch is adding M Performance parts to turn your lowly diesel in to something that looks like it will win every traffic light grand prix going. And when the new BMW 2 Series Coupe – the replacement for the 1 Series Coupe – arrives in the UK in March 2014, buyers will have a wide range of options from the BMW M Performance Parts offerings to tweak the interior and exterior looks, suspension and the engine. Power upgrades are available for the 220d Coupe which increase the output of the 4-cylinder diesel by 16bhp and adds an extra 29lb/ft of torque for a new output of 197bhp and 310lb/ft of torque, despite which official economy figures remain unchanged.

DSA and VOSA to be merged and rebranded

TWO MAJOR governmental organisations particularly familiar to motorists are to be merged and rebranded under plans to save money. In an attempt to boost service and cut costs, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) and Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) are being turned into a single, new organisation. Transport Minister Robert Goodwill has confirmed the new, streamlined agency will be called the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Mr Goodwill said that during a transition period to April 1 next year, references to the new DVSA would include a statement "incorporating DSA and VOSA".

Honda to enter BTCC with new Civic Tourer

What do One Direction and Honda’s British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) team have in common? While both were initially likeable and talented, they’re now starting to get a little bit too cocky. With four successive championship wins under its belt, Honda has announced that it will enter its new Civic Tourer estate into the BTCC next year.

Survey: 1 in 4 drivers break law every day

In a survey of British motorists, 78% of drivers admitted to breaking the law whilst driving – and 27% revealed they do so on a daily basis. The most common offence is speeding, but nearly half of those questioned confessed to using their mobile to phone or text from behind the wheel, and a remarkable 41% said they had driven without wearing a seatbelt. On Bing: see pictures of drivers breaking the law Motoring laws you may not know you’ve broken The survey, undertaken by that most likely of motoring sources, VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, asked 1,651 UK motorists over the age of 18 about their driving habits.

'Oldest' right-hand drive Austin Healey up for sale

THE OLDEST right-hand drive Austin Healey in existence is to be sold at auction within days. Specialist car auctioneers Coys is to sell the car among other highly sought-after models as part of the True Greats event in London on December 3. The 16th of 20 pre-production Healeys built before the model went into production is the oldest surviving example of a much-loved British classic, with genuine racing heritage and a lightweight bodyshell.

Drivers unmoved by electric cars

SUPPORT for electric cars appears to be failing to spark off real interest from drivers, according to a survey of more than 3,000 motorists. Only 1% of UK drivers own an alternative fuel vehicle (AFV), while CO2 emissions are at the bottom of the checklist when Britons are shopping for a new car, the poll by Auto Trader found. Since January 2011, motorists have been eligible for up to £5,000 upfront cost relief on the purchase of a new electric vehicle but the survey showed that 35% of drivers were unaware of this grant.

Police catch morning-after drivers

POLICE are catching more "morning after" drink-drivers, according to latest figures. The number of people arrested for drink-driving between 6am and 8am rose nearly 4% between 2011 and 2012, police statistics published by car insurance company LV showed. A further survey of 1,688 drivers showed that 3% had driven while over the legal limit the morning after a drinking session in the last two years.

Volkswagen creates driving style-linked music app

VOLKSWAGEN has created a new smartphone that improvises its own music based on how the car is being driven. Working with British electronic musicians Underworld, Volkswagen has built the experimental ‘Play the Road’ app to help celebrate the launch of the seventh generation Golf GTI. It works by connecting to the car and using its own in-built accelerometer to analyse speed, engine revs, steering, throttle and braking inputs and the urgency of each to create a unique, ever-changing music that ranges from serene background chillout vibes to fast-paced electronica.

Motorists still not switched on to electric cars

Renault A new survey of 3,000 British motorists suggests there is still a long way to go before electric cars become a serious purchasing choice for the majority, with many saying the government isn’t doing enough to promote them. According to the latest Auto Trader Owner’s Guide, only 1% of UK drivers own what it calls an Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV). The poll also illustrates some significant age and gender divides, and shows that price continues to be a serious hindrance to more environmentally friendly motoring.

Study proves men prefer cars to women

MEN FEEL more emotion when looking at beautiful car design than they do when looking at beautiful women, new research has discovered. To coincide with the launch of its new Concept Coupe, Volvo carried out the study to see exactly what makes men and women tick when it comes to aesthetics. Images of the Concept Coupe, which has been designed to create a much more ‘expressive’ link to potential customers’ emotions, were shown to individuals who were wearing brain activity-measuring equipment in sequence with images of old or ‘ugly’ cars, crying and happy babies, plus images of people traditionally considered to be ‘beautiful’.

More than half of young drivers use smartphones while driving

Rex, Image Braker More than half of young drivers use their smartphone while driving, new research reveals. It’s a worrying sign that distractions behind the wheel are becoming more prevalent in an increasingly connected society. Despite almost 90% of young people claiming to get annoyed when they see someone else using a phone behind the wheel, 50% admit to reading text messages while driving.