BMW 116d EfficientDynamics Records 103MPG UK – 2.7lt/100km in RAC Challenge

A latest generation BMW 116d EfficientDynamics hatch driven by the team at Green-Car-Guide at the RAC Future Car Challenge 2012 achieved an average fuel economy of 103 mpg UK (equal to 85.8 mpg US and 2.7lt/100km) over the 64-mile Brighton to London route, recording a 39 per cent improvement over the manufacturer's official 74.3mpg UK combined economy figure. Read more »

VW Introduces 2013 Amarok with More Powerful 2.0L BiTDI and Available BlueMotion Tech in the UK

The 2013 model year Amarok that was first announced in August is now available for order in Britain with on-the-road prices starting at £23,536 for the base 2.0 TDI 120hp (122PS) 4Motion and topping out at £31,098 for the new 2.0 BiTDI 178hp (180PS) 4Motion Permanent with BlueMotion Technology and an 8-speed auto.

Before we get into more details about the changes and upgrades on the 2013 Amarok, it should be noted that from now on, all models for the UK and the rest of Europe are produced at VW's Hanover factory in Germany, instead of being imported from the brand's Argentina plant.

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Toyota Begins Production of All-New 2013 Auris at Burnaston Plant

Toyota hosted a special ceremony today at its Burnaston factory, just south of the city of Derby in Britain, to mark the start of series production of the second generation of the Auris hatchback and welcome future production of the Auris Touring Sports model, which will join its European ranks from next year. Read more »

New 78.5 MPG Honda Civic 1.6-litre i-DTEC Diesel Priced from £19,400 in Britain

There's a new fuel-efficient model joining the European market Honda Civic hatchback's range, one which is equipped with the Japanese brand's freshly revealed 1.6-liter i-DTEC diesel engine.

Following its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show in September and before it goes on sale in January of 2013, Honda announced pricing for the 1.6 i-DTEC Civic that starts from £19,400 (equal to US$31,100 or €24,200) for the base SE model, rising to £20,595 for the ES and £23,175 for the top-of-the-range EX.

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Get your Top Gear UK Fix with New 'Worst Car in the World Ever' Preview and Finn Job Interview

So we hear that a select few of our readers [cough, cough] kind of missed seeing Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond in the original Top Gear television series after Simon Cowell and his X-Factor clan forced the BBC to move season 19 to February 2013.

Perhaps we can temporarily fill the void with two fresh videos of the Top Gear gang, the first of which is a 4-minute long teaser of an all-new, never before seen on TV special titled "Top Gear: The Worst Car in the History of the World" that will be released on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download on Monday, November 19, 2012.

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Darker Style, Higher Price for UK Market New Audi A6 and A7 Black Editions

For Audi, a Black Edition version means applying dark shades to the details of a car along with a higher price tag, which is the case for the new UK market-only A6 Sedan, A6 Avant and A7 Sportback specials.

The three new Black Edition vehicles match their darker styling cues with the most extensive equipment list in each model's range, and are priced from £35,010 OTR to £56,785 OTR.

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Dacia Says it has Received More than 1,000 Pre-Orders for New Duster SUV in the UK

The first Dacia model to be made available in the United Kingdom, the Duster SUV, has surpassed the 1,000 pre-order mark in the country, three months before it launches in showrooms, according to the Renault Group's Romanian brand.

Dacia said that it is essential to point out that this number has been achieved "before a single buyer has driven a right-hand-drive UK-specification car on British soil".

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This British Toyota MR2 Mk2 Thinks it’s a Ferrari F355…

There are replicas and there are replicas, with some builders going to extremes to reproduce the look and feel of a high-end model on a budget donor car, and others, well, let's just say that they get a 'C' for effort. Read more »

Ford's European Restructuring Plan Leads to the Closure of Two UK Facilities, Mondeo Delayed

After announcing plans to shut down its Genk factory in Belgium at the end of 2014, Ford came out today with new details about its European restructuring efforts that include the closure of two more plants, the allocation of production, the loss of up to 6,200 jobs and other actions to increase cost efficiencies.

The announcements come against the backdrop of the persisting economic crisis in Europe with Ford estimating its loses in the region for the full year 2012 to exceed $1.5 billion (€1.15 billion).

The two additional factories receiving the axe are the Southampton Transit van plant, which is Ford's last vehicle-making facility in the United Kingdom, and its stamping and tooling operations in Dagenham, again in England.

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Ford Prepares Focus ST Wagon Interceptor for UK Police Force

Having prepared UK cops through the big screen and the use of a new Focus ST hatchback as the unmarked car of Flying Squad detectives Regan and Carter in the crime thriller "The Sweeney", Ford is now catering to the needs of real-life police with the unveiling of a patrol package for the Focus ST Wagon. Read more »

Skoda Brings New Superb Outdoor to the UK, Priced from £26,465

A new variant has been added to the Skoda Superb's lineup in Britain. The new Outdoor is based on the Superb Estate adding an off-road appearance package to the menu but nothing else more, as it keeps the same suspension settings and ride height as the regular model. Read more »

Toyota Launches Competition to Look for its Oldest British-Built Model

If there's one thing Toyota is known for, it is the longevity of its cars. Now, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of its Burnaston plant in the UK, the Japanese automaker wants to prove that this holds true for all of its vehicles, regardless of where they were made, so it came up with a competition to find the oldest surviving British-built Carina E.

In 1992, the Carina E mid-size sedan was the first Toyota to roll off the assembly line at the company's then newly opened Burnaston plant in Derbyshire.

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Jeep's New Grand Cherokee S-Limited Adds Some Style to UK Market V6 Diesel Model

While most people would like to drive the SRT-8 version of the Grand Cherokee, its 6.4-liter Hemi V8 isn't for everyone, which is why Jeep also offers a thriftier V6 diesel in many regions around the world (a U.S. introduction of this engine is scheduled for next year).

In the UK, the Detroit carmaker has designed a new version of the Grand Cherokee V6 Diesel named the "S-Limited", which it says takes many styling cues from the recent SRT model.

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New 2013 Lexus LS Range Starts from £71,995 in Britain

Lexus has released pricing information and opened the order books for the revamped 2013 LS sedan in the UK in advance of customer deliveries in January.

Prices for Lexus' Mercedes-Benz S-Class adversary start from £71,995 for the LS 460 Luxury rising to £74,495 for the newly introduced LS 460 F Sport trim level and top out at £99,495 for the full hybrid, long wheelbase LS 600h L Premier grade.

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Dacia Sandero is the UK’s Most Affordable New Car Priced from £5,995

If you live in the UK and are looking for an affordable means of transportation, Dacia will try to lure you away from the used car market with its new Sandero supermini that goes on sale in January 2013 at a starting price of £5,995 (equal to €7,400 / US$9,700), making it Britain's cheapest new car.

According to Renault's low budget brand, the base price of the Sandero is very close to what Ford asked for a similarly specified Fiesta 5dr 1.0-litre Popular 4-speed in 1989 at £5,736. Today, a base Fiesta will set you back £9,795, while the smaller, A-segment Fiat Panda starts at £8,900.

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TomTom Publishes List of Most Congested Cities in North America and Europe

It’s happened to most drivers: congestion, that is, that plague of modern cities that increases traveling times and, of course, pollution.

Since 2007, Dutch manufacturer of automotive navigation systems TomTom has initiated a program to better understand the traffic flow of more than 80 major cities in all continents to improve its guidance systems.

Instead of relying purely on mathematical models, the company is collecting real-life GPS data from millions of TomTom customers and has created an accurate database of their driving patterns.

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New Renault Clio RS 4 Suits Up for Racing, gets 220hp 1.6L Turbo

Even though it has only been a few weeks since Renault pulled the covers off the new, fourth-generation Clio RS at the Paris Motor Show, the French automaker's UK division has already announced plans for the presentation of a race-prepped model in Britain for the 2014 motor racing season

Renault said it secretly began testing the racecar in early August and has so far covered around 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) at a variety of French circuits, where it has proved to be roughly one second per lap faster than the existing normally-aspirated 2.0-litre Clio Cup car.

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Hyundai UK Expands i30 Hatchback and Tourer Lineups with New Range Topping Premium Trim

The arrival of autumn has brought with it a new range topping Premium trim grade and three new exterior colors for the UK market Hyundai i30 hatchback and Tourer (estate / station wagon) models.

The Premium trim incorporates all the equipment contained previously within the optional Convenience and Individual packages (both of which have now been discarded) as standard along with several additional features on top of that for what Hyundai describes as a "relatively nominal increase in overall price".

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Top Gear Promotes New Limited Edition Lego Stig Keyring with Stop-Motion Ad

Some say Top Gear is the coolest TV show on planet Earth bar none and the best thing to happen to humanity since sliced bread.

Some also say that JC (Jeremy Clarkson's initials) is an overrated, grossly overpaid and obnoxious bloke who has insulted almost every ethnicity and minority one can think of, and then some, but in spite of all this, he has made a fortune out of being… well, obnoxious (and, obviously, very smart).

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New SsangYong Korando Sports Pick-up Truck-SUV Hybrid Priced from £18,295

South Korea's idea of the Chevrolet Avalanche goes by the name SsangYong Korando Sports and it is now available for order in the United Kingdom at on-the-road prices that range from £18,295 to £21,245.

The Korando Sports is an SUV with a flat, pickup truck-like bed providing a 2.04 square meter load area to fit a Euro pallet and comes complete with load deck liner and anchor points.

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