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Mercedes E-class (2015) gets new nine-speed transmission

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 31 July 2014 12:45 If you thought car transmissions were racing to challenge mountain bikes, wait until you see the new 2015 model year Mercedes E-class. Daimler today confirmed the revised E-class will get the company’s nine-speed automatic transmission on the E350 Bluetec diesel. The Mercedes 9G-Tronic gearbox has an epically long top gear, all the better to reduce fuel consumption and emissions for E-class owners.

Computer gamer headed for Formula 1

THE WINNER of a computer game competition is now headed for the real world of Formula One with World Champion Sebastian Vettel’s Infiniti Red Bull racing team. Jann Mardenborough won Nissan’s competition to find a new racing driver by beating his rivals on a racing simulator game. His prize was a seat in a variety of racing cars since his victory in 2011 and now he will race in the GP3 series, which is the recognised route to Formula One.

Volkswagen and BYD get cosy

VW and BYD have signed an agreement to work together on developing battery technology (BYD F3DM plug-in Hybrid pictured). Volkswagen has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese car maker and EV specialist BYD to work together “in the area of electric mobility”. Seems sensible.