Stuttgart (dpa) – The next generation Audi A4 heading for the markets in 2014 will be significantly lighter and more economical than current versions, according to a report in Germany’s Autobild newspaper.

The latest A4 underwent a major facelift last year with sales in Germany falling behind those of the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class. During the first quarter of this year only 9,033 A4 models were sold compared to 12,714 units of the BMW 3-Series and 17,114 Mercedes C-Class models.

Autobild says the latest A4 will offer more space for both passengers and luggage with the technology on board taking up less space. The interior sports a screen in the centre of the cockpit which replaces the classic circular instrumentation.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Daimler’s flagship luxury brand Mercedes-Benz expects it will at least keep pace with the 15-20 percent growth of the overall premium car market in China this year, its chief executive said.

China is the key growth driver for companies like BMW and Mercedes. Volkswagen’s Audi counts China as its single largest market, responsible for a quarter of its volumes.

Last year, the Mercedes brand increased sales in China by nearly 31 percent to 193,339 vehicles, or 15 percent of its total figure for 2011.

BERLIN (Xinhua) — BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke) AG will recall some 9,200 cars worldwide due to possible cooling pump defect, the Munich-based German luxury car maker announced on Monday.

The cars getting involved in the large scale recall mainly include BMW vehicles of types 5, 6, 7 Series, X5 and X6, Mini Cooper S and Mini John Cooper Works, equipped with eight-and twelve-cylinder BMW engines, as a large majority of them were produced in March and April 2011, according to the announcement.

The newly-discovered design defect might put the cooling pump too hot to be normally functional and catch fire under extreme circumstance, a spokesman with the company said, adding that so far only one such incidence had happened, but no one was injured.

SEOUL – German carmaker BMW planned to recall 2,231 passenger cars in South Korea for a defective cooling pumps, the transportation ministry said Thursday.

Voluntary recall would be made for 2,231 vehicles with faulty cooling pumps designed to blow more air into engines for better combustion, according to the Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs. The defective control system of the pumps may cause fire, and in turn make dangerous driving conditions.

The cars subject to recall were MINI Cooper S models with an engine capacity of 1.6 liters manufactured between March 1, 2007 and Jan. 18, 2011 in the British plant, according to the ministry.

Owners of the defective vehicles can contact the service centers operated by BMW Group Korea for free repairs from Friday, while those who had their cars repaired in advance can be reimbursed for their costs, the ministry said.(Xinhua)

Munich (dpa) – BMW is offering a full-colour, head-up display in the new 3-Series, projecting a virtual image onto the windscreen at the eye-level of the driver.

The virtual image is perceived as ”hovering” at eye level above the bonnet and is visible only to the driver, according to the manufacturer.

Data is reproduced by means of an intense light source, which is located inside the instrument panel and shines through a translucent TFT (Thin Film Transistor) display, transferring the image to the windscreen via specially shaped mirrors.

The driver is thus provided with data including the car’s speed and navigation.

“Full-colour head-up display offers the driver a tremendous increase in reading comfort. The complete colour spectrum facilitates a realistic and thus more intuitive display of images and symbols,” the carmaker said in a press statement.

The AutoMotionTV sponsored #38 Mazda finished 2nd at the NASA Championships presented by Toyo Tires. Sunday’s championship race was held at the 13 turn Mid Ohio Sports Car Course. Twelve Performance Touring D cars took the green flag featuring makes from BMW to Acura to Mazda.

Battling adversity throughout the weekend, the #38 Mazda was collected in a spin by the #387 car in Saturday’s qualifying race. Despite finishing dead last, the team repaired the car in time for Sunday’s Championship race. In Sunday warm up driver Ben Anderson was able to break the 2008 course record with a time of 1:40.7. “We were down on power compared to our 11 competitors, but the AutoMotionTV #38 Mazda was able to make up time under braking and corner entry,” stated driver Ben Anderson.

The power disadvantage was evident as the green flag flew in Sunday’s championship race. Gridded 6th, the #38 Mazda was quickly relegated to 9th before the first turn. “Ben passed 4 cars in the opening lap,” stated crew chief Chad Martin. “Ben drove a flawless championship race, turning consistent race pace laps.” The result was a second place finish for the team and AutoMotionTV. See the race from driver Ben Anderson’s perspective here: http://bit.ly/pzypZ5

“Its no coincidence that our team relied on mobile apps throughout the weekend,” stated driver Ben Anderson. “From engine mapping to timing and scoring, mobile apps were essential to our effort.” (PRWeb)

Enough with the car awards of the year, it’s time to look under the hood and check out which engines made it as the 10 Best for 2010. According to Ward’s 10 Best Engines, the winners are as follows:

This year’s winners and the applications tested:
2.0L TFSI Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Audi A4)
3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6 (Audi S4)
3.0L DOHC I-6 Turbodiesel (BMW 335d)
2.5L DOHC I-4 Hybrid (Ford Fusion Hybrid)
3.5L EcoBoost Turbocharged DOHC V-6 (Ford Taurus SHO)
2.4L Ecotec DOHC I-4 (Chevrolet Equinox)
4.6L Tau DOHC V-8 (Hyundai Genesis)
2.5L Turbocharged DOHC H-4 (Subaru Legacy 2.5GT)
1.8L DOHC I-4 Hybrid (Toyota Prius)
2.0L SOHC I-4 Turbodiesel (Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI)

“This year’s list embodies how the industry is responding to demands for higher fuel economy and lower emissions without shortchanging performance,” Ward’s AutoWorld Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter said. “Auto makers are using innovative designs and advanced technology to boost horsepower and torque while downsizing engines and increasing efficiency.”

It’s a good thing that one of the criterias involved was the lower gas emissions. It just shows that engine makers do care about saving the environment. Now if they can only make engines this good that runs on ethanol. In the meantime, since the US economy’s going down the slippery slope, it’s great that they’ve also included the criteria regarding fuel economy. The last thing we need are engines that guzzle gas like there’s no tomorrow.

Here’s to hoping that next year’s best engine’s list will have engines that help save more on gas and produce lower (or better no) carbon emissions.

Press Release

Photo Credits: Associated Press

The new Z4 is the first roadster in BMW history with a retractable hard top so it replaces both the Z4 roadster and the Z4 coupe. It’s also a slick package with more masculine exterior styling and improved head and elbow room than the predecessor Z4s. And there’s a first-for-the-Z4 dual-clutch automatic transmission with seven speeds, too.

For all this, there’s a price. Starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $46,575 for the non-turbocharged six cylinder and manual transmission. The lowest-priced 2009 Z4 with automatic starts at $47,900 and with leather seats and other options it easily jumps to more than $50,000.

In comparison, the starting MSRP, including destination charge, for a 2009 Audi TT is $42,895 with V-6 and standard all-wheel drive. The 2009 Porsche Boxster has a retail starting price of $47,550.

Press