BMW i3 EV only scores 4 stars in Euro NCAP test

BMW i3 EV only scores 4 stars in Euro NCAP test The new BMW i3 is selling well and looks to be a good buy if you do lots of driving in congested urban environments. It offers a decent amount of proper BMW goodness and probably has enough range – even without the optional range-extender engine – to cover most urban drivers’ daily needs. But it seems there is one area the i3 doesn’t come up trumps and that’s for safety – in particular pedestrian safety – scoring a disappointing four stars in the latest round of Euro NCAP testing.

Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake for Geneva debut

This leaked photo seems to be a new Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake It seems Ian Callum was right all along about an XFR Sportbrake – it now looks like Jaguar are about to go one step further than an XFR Estate with a Full Monty Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake. When Jaguar revealed the XF Sportbrake two years ago they said there would be no four-wheel-drive variants and no XFR Sportbrake either (even though Ian Callum said in 2011 there would be an XFR Sportbrake), so for the last two yeare we’ve had just diesel engine options for the XF Sportbrake. But not for much longer it would seem.

Mercedes AMG engine guru to join VW

The man credited with development of Mercedes-Benz AMG's latest line of high performance gasoline engines, Friedrich Eichler, has been lured to the Volkswagen Group, where he will take up an as yet unspecified position this summer, sources with knowledge of the move tell Autoweek. Eichler, who joined AMG after working his way up through the ranks at Porsche, was instrumental in the development of AMG's naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8, twin-turbocharged and naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 and twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 that powers the Pagani Huayra. Friedrich Eichler also developed turbocharged four-cylinder engines for upcoming Mercedes AMG cars.