Survey reveals in-car climate clashes

CLIMATE change isn’t just leading to arguments in politics – it’s causing heat in cars, too, because it seems men and women simply can’t agree on what temperature to set. A new study from Kwik Fit has revealed that 52% of couples whose cars have air conditioning argue over what temperature to set it at, and it’s usually men who want it cooler than their female companions. And as many as 250,000 drivers across the country say their air-con preferences are so different to their partner’s that they simply have to keep the system turned off to avoid bust-ups.

BMW Gran Coupé

BMW has announced its interpretation of the four-door coupé. Following in the footsteps of the Audi A7, Mercedes-Benz's CLS and the Porsche Panamera, the Gran Coupé is said to offer a level of practicality missing from its premium rivals. First unveiled in concept format, back at the 2007 Shanghai motor show as the Concept CS, the concept fell foul of the global recession before resurfacing at Beijing last year – again, in concept format.

Vintage-photograph auction at Lime Rock to benefit teen-driver training

Photographs of racing legends from yesteryear will help the young drivers of tomorrow through an auction over Labor Day weekend at Lime Rock. Autographed vintage photos of famous drivers will be sold to benefit a charity called Survive the Drive, which educates and trains high-school drivers in the Northeast. The program helped more than 10,000 students in the 2008-09 school year.