AS ITS MOST popular model, BMW’s 3 Series generates plenty of interest whenever a new model is set to debut. With the next generation due in 2012, it’s no surprise that unconfirmed reports about the car’s details are now beginning to circulate.

The lines of the new car are reported to borrow heavily from the latest [...]

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THE RENAULT-NISSAN ALLIANCE has announced a partnership between it and the Victorian Government that aims to smooth the introduction of zero-emissions vehicles to the state’s roads.

The Alliance will work with the Brumby Government to identify potential issues that may delay the wide scale uptake of battery-electric vehicles, principally the recently-revealed Nissan LEAF EV.

The LEAF is [...]

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YOKOSUKA, JAPAN, played host today to a special preview of Nissan’s upcoming - and as yet unnamed - electric vehicle (EV) platform. Using a Tiida-based prototype during the development stages, Nissan confirmed today that the EV’s exterior styling will be revealed during the opening of the company’s Yokohama headquarters on August [...]

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WHILE TOYOTA HAS already announced the start of low-volume plug-in hybrid production, the Japanese automaker will reportedly be ramping up output of the mains-charged cars to a whopping 20,000 to 30,000 cars by 2013.

By the end of this year, 500 plug-in Priuses will be leased out to government and private fleets in the USA, Japan [...]

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WORD IS CIRCULATING in Germany that Mercedes-Benz is contemplating a plug-in hybrid variant for its upcoming next-gen M-Class SUV.

According to German car mag Auto Bild, the next-gen ML may feature a 60kW electric motor mated to a twin-turbocharged 3.5 litre direct-injected petrol V6, with a plug-in system allowing an electric-only range of some 30km.

By plug-in [...]

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LATE LAST YEAR Volvo announced that it would be launching its first diesel-electric hybrid model in 2012, which will spearhead a range of fuel-sipping Volvos.

Now the Swedish automaker has upped the ante, announcing a partnership with Swedish power company Vattenfall and pledging to have its first plug-in hybrid on the road in 2012.

The industrial joint [...]

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IN RECENT YEARS Subaru has made it clear that it favours the development of diesel powertrains over investing in hybrid technology. But with global buyer sentiment shifting (and more manufacturers getting on the hybrid train), Subaru has now declared its intent to also bring a hybrid model to market.

Subaru’s hybrid is slated for a 2012 [...]

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According to Lotus insiders, the next-gen Elise will arrive sometime in early 2011 followed by an all-new V8-powered Esprit in 2012.

The 2011 Elise will likely be built upon an evolved version of the current model’s extruded-aluminium underpinnings and continue the same formula that’s made the pint-sized sportscar a track day fave, but the Esprit will [...]

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According to British mag Autocar, Nissan’s luxury arm Infiniti is preparing an all-new luxury flagship sedan designed to go head-to-head with Europe’s more upscale offerings like the Maserati Quattroporte.

The sedan - which will revive the ‘Q’ badge that was dropped in 2006 - won’t be the oft-rumoured 4-door GT-R, but should still boast plenty of [...]

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Alongside the Tata Nano Europa at Geneva was another intriguing debut for the Indian company.

By teaming up with renowned design house Pininfarina, Tata Motors has produced the stylishly-understated Prima sedan; a model that Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata says will mark the automaker’s coming-of-age as a world-class car company.

Officially a concept, the Prima is virtually [...]

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Not long after returning from the Australian preview of the brand-spankers-new Golf VI, I noticed one curious piece of news that popped up on the interwebs overnight.

According to Brit-mag Auto Express, the seventh-generation Golf will be landing in Volkswagen showrooms sometime in 2012 - barely three years after the introduction of the Mk VI.

As is [...]

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