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First sight: Volkswagen Passat (2015)

In recent years, European buyers have been switching their mid-size sedans and wagons for smaller cars, crossovers and SUVs. The Volkswagen Passat, Europe's most successful company car, has defined this market segment pretty much since it arrived back in 1973, and this latest, eighth-generation model has been designed to attempt to reverse that buying trend. When we catch up with design director Dr Klaus Bischoff at the car's unveiling, he's certainly confident that the new car represents a significant step forward.

Jaguar, BMW and Mercedes make the Superbrands Top Ten 2012 list

Jaguar, BMW and Mercedes make the Superbrands Top 10 Jaguar, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have all made it in to the UK Superbrands top ten list for 2012, the only car makers in the top 20. They say perception of a brand is more important for sales than substance; and there’s some truth to that. So Jaguar, BMW and Mercedes-Benz should be suitably chuffed to be the only car brands to make it in to the Superbrands Top Ten list of consumer brands for 2012.

Volkswagen takes stake in Suzuki

VW takes a 19.9% stake in Suzuki We’re back on the co-operation and rationalisation path again, this time with Volkswagen and Suzuki, with the announcement that VW is to take a 19.9% stake in Suzuki, with Suzuki in turn re-investing up to half of the proceeds in to Volkswagen shares. This deal has been on the cards for some time but has obviously been pushed in to reality by the changing landscape for car manufacturers, where they seek to find a more secure future with takeovers, mergers and partnerships. Which is all very logical, even if it will inevitably lead to less choice for the car buyer in the long term.