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Car of the Year 2014 shortlist announced

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 16 December 2013 11:00 The seven-car shortlist for the 2014 Car of the Year [CotY] award has been announced. The jury is looking for ‘the most outstanding new car go on sale in the [last] 12 months.’ BMW i3 – the first branch of BMW’s family of electric ‘iCars’, to bear fruit, available in fully EV and range-extender form, and aiming to make electric cars desirable at a fraction the price of Tesla’s impressive Model S luxury saloon Citroen C4 Picasso – Citroen isn’t giving up on the good old MPV despite the onslaught of new crossovers – the new C4 Picasso boasts outlandish bug-eyed design and a fresh take on family-mover cabins, thanks to two enormous touchscreen interfaces to keep the kids – and parents occupied. Mazda 3 – the third-gen 3 family hatchback is lighter than before thanks to Mazda’s energy-saving ‘SkyActiv’ tech, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

BMW's new X3 overcomes Germany's cupholder disconnect

BMW of North America was eager to improve several parts of the X3 Sports Activity Vehicle for the new generation that goes on sale in January. Not least of those improvements were the cupholders. Old X3: Bad cupholders.

SEAT Leon X-Perience price & spec – costs from £24,385

The ‘Allroad’ SEAt Leon X-Perience goes on sale. SEAT hasn’t got round to building its first SUV, but the new SEAT Leon X-Perience is a half-way step – for SEAT and its customers – with added butchness and off-road pretensions in a high-riding estate car. SEAT has gone the usual ‘Allroad’ route for the X-Perience by fitting new bumpers, adding skid plates, extra plastic cladding and pumping up the ride height to give an estate that actually looks quite alright and, with 4WD and diff locks, can actually walk some of the walk.