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A total of 11. 8 billion euros to be invested from 2006 to 2011. Around 8. 4 billion designated for new products alone. Number of models to increase from the current 22 to 40 by 2015. Investments to increase steadily to around 2 billion euros a year. Audi is to invest considerable capital in expanding its model range significantly over the next few years. The company plans to invest a ...

Prodrive has launched a range of parts for the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, which improves the car's performance and enhances its driving dynamics. The range includes: a performance pack for the engine; new driver-adjustable suspension; unique forged wheels; and a discreet aero package. Prodrive has tuned the 4. 3 litre V8 engine to raise peak power from 283 kW (380 bhp) to 317 kW (425 bhp), as well as increasing ...

Andy Priaulx (GBR) is the old and new World Touring Car Champion. At the FIA WTCC's season finale in Macau, the BMW Team UK driver added a fifth win to his tally in race one and finished fifth in the second round. With 73 points under his belt, he secured his second consecutive world title. Jörg Müller (GER) from BMW Team Germany was beaten by his brand-mate by just a ...

Conducting tests on the most demanding track in the world, the Nürburgring Nordschleife, has always been a matter of course for BMW. After all, this track - respectfully referred to by many as the "Grüne Hölle ("Green Hell") - provides a highly concentrated dose of all levels of difficulty confronting an automobile in everyday road traffic. BMW test drivers have been permanent guests here since the sixties, using a former ...

Aston Martin will unveil one of the most eagerly anticipated convertibles of the year when the V8 Vantage Roadster is revealed at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday 29th November. Aston Martin Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez said: “The V8 Vantage Roadster is a pure sports car, a car that heightens the senses and provides a dynamically thrilling driving experience. “The Vantage Roadster adds to ...

Designer Albrecht Graf (Count) Goertz passed away last Friday at the age of 92. In the mid-1950s, Count Goertz designed the legendary BMW 507 to create not only an icon of the BMW brand but also what many regarded as the most beautiful two-seater car in motoring history. His second design for BMW, the elegant BMW 503, was destined to stand in the shadow of the 507. But Goertz's artistry ...

Present in China since 1992, Citroën is now consolidating its position with a new vehicle developed specially for this market and scheduled for launch at the end of 2006. Based on the same platform as the Peugeot 206, the new 5-door compact hatchback is the first vehicle in this segment to be produced and launched by Citroën in China. A car with real personality, it rounds out the Marque's current ...

Independent rally teams will soon be able to compete in the world's most exclusive rally car, the Aston Martin Rally GT. The new car has been developed by Aston Martin Racing, a partnership between Prodrive and Aston Martin. The Rally GT is based on the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, but extensively re-engineered by Prodrive. The motorsport specialist has combined its experience of running the Aston Martin DBR9s in international sports ...

As Sébastien Loeb cannot take part in the rally of Turkey, the Kronos Total Citroën WRT has chosen to enter Colin McRae to drive the n°1 Citroën Xsara WRC for this event. Further to his mountain bike accident last week, Sébastien Loeb had an operation on his right arm (humerus bone) which went well. The 2006 world championship leader now starts an intensive re-education in the aim to be back ...

Le Mans-winning Audi V12 TDI race engine provides firm foundations for potent 500PS Q7 TDI road car. A road-going Audi Q7 SUV with a Le Mans race-bred V12 TDI engine bristling with 1,000 Nm of torque takes pole position this week as the world's most powerful diesel passenger car. Benefiting from technology honed in the development of the V12 unit that powered the Audi R10 TDI to the first ever ...

The definitive version of the gorgeous exclusive Alfa 8C Competizione, Gran Turismo car that is to be produced in a limited edition makes its debut in Paris. The car, designed by Alfa Romeo, is directly derived from the concept car that aroused such admiration at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show and has benefited from the best technical and industrial know-how that the Alfa-Maserati Sports Centre can offer. The cooperative venture ...

BMW announced the introduction of the new BMW Hydrogen 7, the world's first hydrogen-drive luxury performance automobile. The car - a vehicle that has undergone the regular Product Development Process - will be built in a limited series in Europe and driven in the US and other countries by selected users in 2007. It is equipped with an internal combustion engine capable of running either on hydrogen or on gasoline ...

Ford Motor Company recently announced it has begun the process of exploring strategic options for Aston Martin, with particular emphasis on a potential sale of all or a portion of the unit. “As part of our ongoing strategic review, we have determined that Aston Martin may be an attractive opportunity to raise capital and generate value," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bill Ford. “Aston Martin Lagonda has flourished under ...

More power, lower emissions, better fuel consumption. All-new six-speed automatic gearbox. BMW's first ever car with third-row seating. New technologies in the segment: Head-up Display, Run-flat tyres, Adaptive Drive suspension management. The BMW X5 defined a new segment of the car market when it first appeared in 1999. It was the first SUV-type vehicle to offer a genuinely sporty car-like drive. BMW coined the phrase Sports Activity Vehicle to define ...

Crammed with unique features and exceptionally easy to use, the C4 Picasso is an innovative new arrival on the compact MPV market. With three MPVs (Xsara Picasso, C4 Picasso and C8), each with its own distinctive style and features, Citroën continues to renew and broaden its range, which is now more complete and more varied than ever. Citroën will unveil the C4 Picasso in a world-premier appearance at the 2006 ...