Wonderful New Jaguar has the X Factor:unvieled during its Los Angeles motor show debut

 The range-topping £85,000 F-Type R Coupe is powered by a five-litre supercharged 550 bhp V8 engine, propelling it from rest to 60 mph in just four seconds
It was more ‘F Factor’ than X Factor as even Simon Cowell was upstaged for the U.S. launch of Jaguar’s latest supercar.

Would you make friends with your CAR? Ckeck This Out!

 A futuristic chariot? Toyota will unveil its FV2 at the Tokyo Motor Show next month, but has revealed that the car is designed to 'forge stronger physical and emotional connections with the driver'
It might sound like something out of a science fiction novel, but Toyota's next concept car promises to read a driver's emotions.

The brain-powered CAR: Vehicle monitors whether a driver is paying attention

 The Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC) has revealed the world's first Attention Powered Car to raise awareness about the impact of inattention on our road
How many times have you had a close-call after being distracted behind the wheel?
According to road safety charity, Brake, probably far more often than you'd like to think.

Amazing BMW! Gaudy gold BMW complete with wings, tail and feet made from yak bones

Wonders! Range Rover unveils most expensive model ever costing £140,000 - with first class airline style seats and champagne chiller

 The new Range Rover, which will be available in a premium Autobiography Black version, will be delivered to UK customers in August 2014 and cost £140,000
The most expensive and luxurious Range Rover ever created by the British 4X4 firm is revealed today – with a right royal £140,000 price tag to match.

New! Piece of road furniture on tight corner causes havoc for bad drivers who keep striking it

In the way: Drivers are forced to veer on to the other side of the road as they try to avoid the bollard
A bollard is thought to have caused damage worth 'hundreds of thousands of pounds' after being hit by dozens of drivers.

Cadillac called The Duchess, made for Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, set to fetch £500,000 after 60 years out of the public eye

 The King's Cadillac: This car, built for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in 1941, is set to sell at auction for up to £500,000 after 60 years out of the public eye
A historic Cadillac built for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor is expected to sell for the princely sum of up to £500,000 after surfacing for the first time in 60 years.

Know where your car goes if you leave it at the airport? See This Wonderful Tracker

 An airport passenger who decided to track his car after leaving it with a 'secure parking area' discovered it had actually spent a week in a muddy field - surrounded by scores of other vehicles
An airport passenger who decided to track his car after leaving it with a firm offering a 'secure parking area' discovered it had actually spent a week in a muddy field.

A real beast: Getting to grips with a Yeti

 Two versions of the new Yeti are available for the first time - the standard and the more rufty-tufty Outdoor
You can’t seem to move for Yetis at the moment.

Amazing! Could this be the end of dents in the door? Ford develop car that parks itself while the driver waits outside

 Robocar: Squeezing out of car doors in narrow parking spaces may one day be a distant memory thanks to a new technology
Every driver will be familiar with being forced to contort their body to squeeze out of the door after parking in a narrow space.

Historic British sports car maker Morgan faces backlash after ousting the founder's final family member from the board

 Sleek: The firm is known for its distinctive-looking sports cars such as this one
The flamboyant former boss of British sports car maker Morgan has been ousted from the board of the company which has borne his family name for more than a century.

There is nothing sensible about Jaguar's new super saloon - but is it just an £80,000 souped-up Mondeo?

 Power, power and more power is the Jaguar XFR-S's calling card. There is simply oodles of the stuff

Jaguar XFR-S                                            ★★★★★

I was so close to attaining my motorbike licence a few years ago.
What happened? The day before the test I phoned to cancel.

The Kuga with a kick: Ray Massey reviews the latest Ford

 Ford Kuga: Frugal but willing two-litre TDCi diesel engine develops 163bhp and is linked to an all-wheel-drive 'power-shift auto' six-speed automatic gearbox which helps keep driving fun and fuel bills down

Classic Ferrari 250 GTO becomes most expensive car in the world at $52m

 Driven personality: Car collector Paul Pappalardo in action in his Ferrari 250 GTO during the Shell Ferrari Historical Challenge at the Coys Festival at Silverstone in Northamptonshire in 1998
It cost £6,000 when new, but has since seen a 533,233.33 per cent increase in its value.

How going green became a status symbol: Hybrid cars are more popular than eco-friendly detergents because they are 'more visible' to other people

 Korean researchers found that older people might choose to spend a more money on a hybrid car (such as the Prius pictured) as it boosts their self esteem and image. Prestige, price and quality are major influences on older people's decisions to buy 'pro-environment' vehicles, they said
Some people buy environmentally-friendly products because they are concerned about their impact on the world but others only do so because it fits with the

Can't decide on the colour of your new car? Now there's one with heat-sensitive paint that changes hue depending on the weather

A Nissan Skyline R33, pictured, was coated with heat-sensitive paint by UK bodyshop Auto Kandy. When cold water is poured onto it, the car changes colour. The paint is what's called thermochromatic. As the temperature goes up, the pigment in the paint becomes colourless, revealing the base coat underneath

Heat-sensitive paint job changes colour on contact with water

Why the new Flying Spur is the big, fat Bentley that makes me go grrr...

 A Bentley should be as good to look at as anything that dares climb out of it, which for decades was indisputably the case, but not any more

Bentley: posh but not posh,  don’t you think? Isn’t that the masterstroke? I’ve had several, and – as you’ll be well aware – I’m not posh at all.

The Tube of the future? 21st century vision of London train goes on show

 This is a full-size concept model of Inspiro - a driverless train that is more energy efficient than current models in use with more creature comforts for commuters that will go on show at an exhibition in London

A futuristic train that could on day become the future of underground rail travel has been unveiled.

Stars and their cars! Porsches, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and more in the top 10 motors driven by Premier League players

Expensive cars come with the territory of being a Premier League player. The status, the spending and the brash tinted windows are all part of the package. 

No Mr Bond, I expect you to drive! Original Corgi models of 007's Aston Martin DB5

Six James Bond toy cars designed by Corgi have been found in their original packaging nearly 50 years after they were intended for sale.
The models of Bond's Aston Martin DB5 were kept by a sales rep from the firm who should have distributed them to toy shops.

The new celebrity must-have - an armour-plated car that delivers electric shocks!

 The £200,000 Escalade is capable of withstanding bullets, bombs and chemical attacks
With a name like ‘Scary Spice’, you’d imagine the singer Mel B would drive something a little more challenging than a run-of-the-mill family car.

Will this be the world's fastest car? Inventor claims it has a top speed 340 mph...

Plans for a supercar capable of reaching 340mph have been revealed by a Manchester firm.

Simply the best:and it'll scare every other car off the road,thrilling box of automative tricks ever!

Range Rover Sport

We had a French lady stay with us for a while last year.

Citroen's new eye-catching family car is cheerful but not cheap

 French giant Citroen describe their new C4 Cactus as a car which 'sheds the superfluous' and eliminates unnecessary and fiddly knobs and buttons
French giant Citroen is going back to basics with its new family car. But don’t call it a ‘no-frills’ budget crossover vehicle, or Citroen executives will get prickly.

New British-built Caterham sports car will hurtle to 60mph in under 4 seconds... but no windscreen!

 Sleek: The new British-built Caterham AeroSeven Concept is the most technologically advanced model in the company's history
British car manufacturer Caterham has taken the wraps off its latest high-performance model - a radical racer with no windscreen.

Introducing the world's smallest street legal car with the license plate IM BIG

 Mini me: Austin Coulson is celebrating becoming a record breaker with fiancee Lisa Stoll, who is sitting on the smallest road legal car in the world
A Phoenix man had a very big reason to celebrate last week when he captured the Guinness World Record for the smallest roadworthy car. 

Mercedes-Benz reveals its first-ever compact SUV, the aerodynamic GLA

 The aerodynamic GLA: Mercedes-Benz's first-ever compact SUV, on sale in November
All roads lead to Germany next week as the Frankfurt Motor Show gets under way. Mercedes-Benz will be showing off its first-ever compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) - the GLA - on sale here in November at around £25,000 with deliveries expected from early next year.

Lean, green, speedy machines: Porsche and BMW unveil hybrid supercars that are built for racing

Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor show, the Porsche 918 Spyder can reach 60mph in less than 2.8 seconds proving its racing credentials. But the sleek sports car can also do 72 miles per gallon and is almost a third more fuel efficient than the Toyota's popular hybrid model - the Prius
Supercars are not usually known for their fuel efficiency, but both Porsche and BMW have debuted hybrid vehicles that are less thirsty at a petrol pump than a Toyota Prius.

Now you see it... The 'invisible' skyscraper which can DISAPPEAR (but why are architects building it near an airport?)

 Futuristic: A combination of state-of-the-art lighting and cameras will create the illusion the tower disappears
In an illusion that TV magician David Copperfield would be proud of, work is about to begin on building the world's first 'invisible' tower.
Tower Infinity, a 450-metre tall glass structure, will use a series of state-of-the art LED lighting and cameras to create a 'reflective skin' on the exterior of the building to make it 'disappear', according to the architect behind the scheme.
GDS Architects first began designing the tower on the outskirts of South Korea's capital Seoul and near the city's airport in 2004, but has only now been given the green light to start its construction.

Mussolini's magic motor sells for £6million

Sold: The 'uneconomical relic', here driven by an auctioneer at Goodwood Revival Sale, can still hit 165mph

Hands Free! Self-driving Mercedes-Benz is unveiled - and it should be available within seven years

It is thought the car, which will be able to drive on its own in most situations, will still hand control back to the driver during difficult situations such as dealing with traffic lights
Daimler, the maker of Mercedes-Benz and Smart cars, has announced that it will start selling a self-driving car by 2020.

Powerful! The 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid

 DO YOU AGREE?

Not sure where to begin. I'm getting more MPG in town than advertised and haven't taken it on the road yet. Transmission is smooth as well as changing from electric to gas. The interior is comfortable and carries 5 easy (I took out 3 row seats). Rides so smoothly down the highway, you forget your in such a large vehicle. When put into 4WD, it just digs in, and again , smoothly. There is nothing about this vehicle I dislike. Radio, phone, & cruise are easily reached on the steering wheel. Tow anything, put it in Manual and 3 more gears.

Wonders Of 2013 Honda Insight

The Honda Insight has made its mark as the least-expensive hybrid on the market for some time now. While inexpensive, the Insight has never been an easy car to recommend. For 2012, a minor redesign with enhancements to areas where the car previously faltered attempts to spark some life in the Insight. See a comparison of the 2011 and 2012 here.

While the 2012 Honda Insight takes a step forward in refined driving and improved gas mileage, it needed to take five or six more steps to remain competitive.

What Do You Have To Say About 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid?

 

Someone has this to say:    

We love our Jetta Hybrid. Excellent get up and go from the 18 wheeler disasters on the highway and then electric mode city traffic driving, We have more fun and are so proud to have taken the risk to buy it! Price was great, dealer had it ready on time. Smooth handling with the once in awhile Boost need, makes us not even question buying it. DC and NOVa driving make it perfect with its turbocharged engine. We want to wear tshirts in our clinic to promote hybrids. Look out Prius, there is a truck in your rear view mirror that cannot slow down for you.

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Life Saver! 2014 Ford Taurus

 

Like a prehistoric animal living blissfully without influence from the rest of the world, the 2014 Ford Taurus has had evolutionary blinders on; it simply hasn't changed quickly enough to stay competitive in this class.

Bonanza! Vauxhall cuts price of its Ampera electric car by 10% sparking hopes for a 'green car' sales surge

While ‘green car’ technology has come on dramatically in recent years, the public appetite for hybrid and electric cars has yet to take off.
Potential customers are wary of the technology and are put off by fears that they will be stranded miles from home during a long journey.
The high price of  the vehicles has also been a deterrent. With the launch in Frankfurt last week of BMW’s i3 electric car with a price tag of just under £26,000, Vauxhall has responded by cutting the price of its Ampera by 10 per cent to just over £28,000.

Cutting edge: Vauxhall's Ampera

‘We felt the time was right to try to make it more affordable to more people. It’s as simple as that,’ said Duncan Aldred.
‘Sales of electric or related cars is about 30 per cent of what anyone expected it to be across Europe, so that whole segment has been well below forecast. Ampera is a critical and effective part of our range, but we will also introduce a new series of engines that will drive down emissions and we believe that’s the way we will grow our business in the future.’
Even before the price  cut, the Ampera ‘was never going to be a project that made a massive amount of money – cutting-edge technology rarely does – but you have to make progress and  have it associated with  your brands'.
‘I don’t believe that the future will be electric,’ he adds. ‘There’ll be more hybrids and hydrogen [fuel-cell technology] will come into play, but the combustion engine will remain the primary driver for everyday motorists and there’s a lot to go  with it yet.
‘For example, the small gasoline engine [SGE], which we’re putting out next year, is powerful  but produces low emissions. It is going to  be a leap forward.’

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The ten best cars of the last 25 years: How to bag one of the nation's favourite motors for as little as £395 (or more than £500k)

The Ford Focus has been voted for as the most popular car of the past 25 years, beating supercars such as the McLaren F1 and Aston Martin DB9.
The survey, by motoring magazine Auto Express, was carried out to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
A Ford Focus MK1 – produced between 1998 and 2005 – can be bought for as little as £395 today.

McLaren F1: Voted one of the most popular cars of the last 25 years - could you afford one second hand? (If you can find one first)

It was an immediate sales success with experts and owners hailing the modest motor for its design and performance.
And it appears its popularity has stood the test of time, with the 15-year-old MK1 model taking the title as the best car from the past quarter of a century.

 

The Focus came top with the Lancia Delta Integrale rally car taking second spot and the 240mph McLaren F1 third.

 

Making up the top five were the current Volkswagen Golf family hatchback and the Nissan GT-R supercar.
Other cars in the top ten include the Audi TT, Alfa Romeo 156, Aston Martin DB9 and Rover Mini Cooper.
Jack Rix, news editor for Auto Express, said: 'The Ford Focus has beaten a hot hatch with world rally championship-winning pedigree and the world's greatest supercar to the top prize.
'That may shock some of you, but for us it there is no more deserving winner.
'Why? Because when the Focus was introduced, it didn't just improve on the stodgy looks and driving dynamics of the Escort it replaced.
'It redefined what customers should expect from an affordable hatchback. Even today, it is a very comfortable car.'
This is Money took a look at how much you can snap up each of the top ten motors second hand by trawling the Auto Trader website compared to their original price - click on the cost now for the examples we found:

10. Rover Mini Cooper (1990 - 2000)

Cost new: £8,995

Cost now (from): £1,800
The Mini is a British institution (much like Cliff Richard below). Readers of Auto Express named the nineties model as the best - and it sneaks in at number 10 on the list. We found examples starting 80 per cent lower than its original price.

9. Aston Martin DB9 (2004-)

Cost new: £103,000
Cost now (from): £31,950
Luxury car maker Aston Martin has produced a number of motors that would be worthy of this list - Auto Express readers chose the DB9. It can be purchased as a convertible or coupe, a true British built beauty.We found examples starting 70 per cent lower than its original price.

8. Alfa Romeo 156 (1998 - 2006)

Cost new: £17,972

Cost now (from): £695
This Italian staple launched in the late nineties and even had glamour-puss Catherine Zeta-Jones in its advertising campaign. We found examples starting 96 per cent lower than its original price.

7. Bugatti Veyron (2005-)

Cost new: £839,300

Cost now (from): £585,000
This supercar, designed and developed by the Volkwagen Group, is a speed lover's dream. Its Super Sport edition is the fastest street-legal produced car in the world. We found (limited) examples starting 30 per cent lower than its original price.

6. Audi TT Mk1 (1998 - 2006)

Cost new: £24,050
Cost now (from): £1,995
The Audi TT has always had a futuristic and smooth feel about it. Auto Express readers agreed, placing this modern day classic as number six on the list. We found examples starting 92 per cent lower than its original price.

5. Nissan GT-R (2008-)

Cost new: £52,000
Cost now (from): £31,750
This sports car was launched in Japan in 2007 and reached these shores two years later. The GT-R has a huge following and this shows in the poll, edging into the top five. We found examples starting at 39 per cent lower than its original price.

4. Volkswagen Golf Mk7 (2012-)

Cost new: £16,495
Cost now (from): -
The Golf has built its reputation on being reliable and easy on the eye. It's latest edition has already wormed its way into the hearts of the British public - it's currently the third biggest selling motor of 2013. Being a brand new model, it's hard to find used examples for much less than new prices. 

3. McLaren F1 (1992 - 1998)

Cost new: £634,500

Cost now (from): - However much its owner wants
The supercar, famous for being driven into a tree by Rowan Atkinson - otherwise known as Mr Bean - is a powerful beast. The car is so popular worldwide that they have become collectors' items - it's near on impossible to find one for sale online. Let us know if you can in the comments section below.

2. Lancia Delta Integrale (1979 - 1994)

Cost new:  £25,500
Cost now (from): £8,990
A slightly kooky choice for number two in this list, but here it is - an old school Lancia Delta Integrale. We found examples starting at 64 per cent lower than its original price.

1. Ford Focus Mk1 (1998 - 2005)

Cost new: £13,350
Cost now (from): £395
The Focus cost £13,350 new and can now be picked up for as little as £500 today. The motor has been a hit with families since it launched as a replacement for the Escort 15 years ago. We found examples starting at 97 per cent lower than its original price.

AND THE CARS VOTED THE WORST (IN NO ORDER)...

Rover CityRover (2003)
Daihatsu Move (1997)
Mitsubishi Carisma (1993)
Suzuki X-90 (1995)
Renault Avantime (2001)
Skoda Estelle (1988)
Lexus SC 430 (2001)
Nissan Serena (1992)
Citroen C3 Pluriel (2003)
Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible (2005)

Motor joke: Skoda's have become popular vehicles in Britain - but in 1988 it had this: the Estelle

HAVE YOUR SAY: Agree with this list - what cars would you put into your top ten? And into your bottom ten?

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Exclusive! The She-type Jag: Luxury carmaker launches 4x4

It is best known for producing luxury saloons and roaring sports cars beloved of high-flying executives.
But Jaguar these days has a very different target market in mind.
Yesterday it unveiled its new ‘Chelsea  Tractor’, a sleek off-roader intended to attract women customers – and not least the school run mum.
At a cost of £38,000, the C-X17 will spearhead a new 'family' of smaller and more affordable luxury cars while creating thousands of jobs in Britain.

'Head of the family': The Jaguar C-X17 will spearhead a new 'family' of smaller and more affordable luxury cars that will create thousands of jobs in Britain

Jaguar says the sleek family off-roader is aimed primarily at 'school-run mums' and younger, more cosmopolitan drivers in a direct challenge to BMW’s market-leading 3-series.

The car is furnished with a host of state-of-the-art technologies and is even linked in to social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, allowing passengers to stay connected on the move, 'flicking' information from seat to seat.
Delivering top speeds of up to 186mph while keeping C02 emissions to under 100g/km, the C-X17 promises sports-car performance and real-world practicality and is to be built using a radical new all-aluminium manufacturing system.
Though best known for its large luxury saloons such as the XJ, used by Prime Minister David Cameron, or its roaring sports cars like the XK and F-Type range, Jaguar says its dramatic leap into new markets will allow a massive increase in production by creating a new series of smaller spin-off cars designed to take on German rivals such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

 

'It has a seductive design which we think will appeal to women,' said Jaguar’s design director Ian Callum. 'A high proportion of our customers already are women. If it appeals to school run mums, that’s great. But we also think it will be a car that everyone will want. It’s every inch a Jaguar. It’s got to be.'
Experts say it will put parent company Jaguar Land Rover on track to more than doubling its current production, which stands at around 750,000 vehicles a year.

Keep connected: It's even linked in to social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter to allow passengers to stay connected on the move, 'flicking' information from the front seat to the back

Mum's choice: The sleek family off-roader is set to be a firm favourite with school-run mums and will feature a new generation of super-efficient 'green' engines

Jaguar unveils its 4x4 'Chelsea tractor'

A prototype of the C-X17 was unveiled today, on the eve of the Frankfurt motor show in Germany.
It will be just one of a new line of cars – all based around the same hi-tech aluminium chassis, almost all of it made from recycled metal.
However, the very first model off the line will be a high volume 'baby Jaguar saloon car' to be built at its Solihull factory in Birmingham from 2015.
The new cars will be powered by a new generation  of frugal 'green' 2.0 litre, 4-cylinder petrol and diesel engines to be built from 2015 at Jaguar Land Rover’s brand new £355million engine plant now under construction in Wolverhampton.
But for blistering performance there will also be the choice of the existing 3.0-litre V6 used in the new Jaguar F-Type sports car.
Jaguar said: 'The first car in the new segment will be a new saloon which will be produced at an all-new, ultra high-tech production facility at Solihull, creating new jobs and substantial opportunities for suppliers.'
The firm went on: 'The new system will be "scalable" making it possible to produce a wide range of models off the same basic single-cell aluminium chassis.

Prototype: A prototype of the new four-door Jaguar SUV was unveiled on the eve of the Frankfurt motor show in Germany

Cosmopolitan: Priced from around £38,000, Jaguar bosses said the new car would help woo more women customers, as well as younger and cosmopolitan buyers

But for blistering performance there will also be the choice of the existing 3.0-litre V6 used in the new Jaguar F-Type sports car.
Jaguar said: 'The first car in the new segment will be a new saloon which will be produced at an all-new, ultra high-tech production facility at Solihull, creating new jobs and substantial opportunities for suppliers.'
The firm went on: 'The new system will be "scalable" making it possible to produce a wide range of models off the same basic single-cell aluminium chassis.
'It means Jaguar designers and engineers can apply the philosophy, "anything we can imagine we can deliver."

‘It will allow Jaguar to  move into higher volume production without compromising the unique character, breath-taking design, outstanding vehicle dynamics, performance and luxury for which Jaguar is famous.
‘The flexibility of the new architecture  will enable the manufacture  of different products  on the same production line at the same time.’

High tech: It allows the vehicle occupants to Its wifi network and console will allow users to upload pictures, video and sound files from their mobile devices and share the with their fellow passengers, as well as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media channels

The new system will be ‘scalable’ making it possible to  produce a wide range of models off the same basic single-cell aluminium chassis

It means the company can respond quickly to changing demand for the different model variants.
It mixes sensuous feline curves, with strong muscular haunches and a masculine grille: ’Its low height, optimised centre of gravity, and lightweight all aluminium body endow it with superior car-like driving dynamics and a level of agility that would make it quite at home on the fastest roads.’
Of its new on-board wi-fi network and console that allows occupants to keep in touch with each other and the outside via social networking, the company said: ’It allows the vehicle occupants to upload pictures, video and sound files from their mobile devices and share the with their fellow passengers, as well as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media channels: ‘Information can be  ‘flicked’ forwards and rearwards between passengers.’
However road safety experts may raise an eyebrow if the driver is ‘tweeting’ or updating his or her Facebook while driving.
Nissan meanwhile is unveiling its own British-built crossover rival – the new upmarket Infiniti Q30, which will be built at the firm’s UK factory at Sunderland which is preparing to crank up production for it and the new Note.
Business Minister Michael Fallon, who is attending the Frankfurt show, welcomed the Jaguar Land Rover announcement. He said: ‘It’s a great boost for jobs, investment and new models. British car-makers  are flying the flag in Germany. We have our towels on their sun-loungers.’
Mike Hawes, chief executive of Britain’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said: ’The UK automotive industry is in its strongest position for many years, a fact perfectly illustrated by today’s announcement for new Jaguar cars which will be made in the UK.’

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