Jaguar & me: high-maintenance love

In a fit of madness a few years ago, and seeking solace from impending divorce at the time, I purchased a gorgeous blue Series III XJ6, with wonderful dark blue leather upholstery, that was at the time about five years old. Just 40,000 miles on the clock. I then drove the hell out of it for three years to 100,000 miles and it never let me down once – on the road that is.

2014 Audi R8 priced at $119,150

The 2014 Audi R8 goes on sale Friday at the low, low price of $119,150 -- including destination and gas guzzler -- when equipped with the manual transmission. The S-Tronic-equipped version ups the price to $128,250. The base Audi R8 makes 430 hp and 316 lb-ft of torque from its 4.2-liter V8.

First Dacia Duster SUVs leave India bound for the UK

The first Dacia Duster SUVs built in RHD for the UK market left India this morning to help satisfy Renault’s growing order book for the Duster. With the sort of response the Duster has received in the UK – with prices for the entry-level Duster starting at just £9k – Renault are no doubt wishing they’d brought the Duster to the UK sooner. But such was the demand for the Duster in mainland Europe and emerging markets that they just couldn’t get production of RHD Dusters organised for the UK until now, when Renault’s plant at Oragadam, near Chennai in India, finally managed to satisfy its home market demand sufficiently to leave enough capacity for RHD cars bound for the UK and Ireland to roll off the production line.