Prodrive boss David Richards has confirmed plans to start testing of its Formula One car by December shortly following its official launch. A new factory similar to the concept above will be opened mid-way through 2008, and the team is currently negotiating with potential partners for supply of a suitable chassis and drivetrain. Previous rumors suggested engines could be sourced from Mercedes, in effect, making Prodrive a “B” team to Mercedes-McLaren, much like Scuderia Toro Rosso is to Red Bull Racing or Super Aguri to Honda.

The company is now expected to make an announcement regarding its key appointments in the industry. Also, Germany’s Express newspaper has reported that McLaren’s Ron Dennis could purchase a stake in Prodrive using cash earned from his share in McLaren, which is estimated at $160m.

Prodrive beat out tough competition from the likes of Carlin Motorsport, the Jean Alesi-led McLaren-supported Direxiv outfit, BAR co-founder Craig Pollock, former Minardi owner Paul Stoddart and even ex-Jordan GP boss, Eddie Jordan to gain entry to F1 in April last year.

The US is by far the largest car market in the world, meaning it’s the one place carmakers around the globe are constantly vying for. From Mazda to Maserati, BMW to Bugatti, the US is the number one place to be for car manufacturers, so it’s interesting to see which models actually came out on top this year amidst all the competition. Compiled by Forbes, the list comprises the top 10 highest selling vehicles for America in 2006. Interestingly, the top 2 places were still taken by large pickups despite the decline in popularity of SUVs and the threat of rising oil prices.

1. Ford F-Series 796,039
2. Chevrolet Silverado 636,069
3. Toyota Camry 448,445
4. Dodge Ram 364,177
5. Honda Accord 354,441
6. Honda Civic 316,638
7. Chevrolet Impala 289,868
8. Toyota Corolla 272,327
9. Nissan Altima 232,457
10. Chevrolet Cobalt 211,449

Fiat’s remarkable turnaround has stunned industry insiders, who had all but written off the ailing Italian automaker. The Punto has been a big hit, but the real sign of Fiat’s return is the new Bravo, which was unveiled by CEO Sergio Marchionne today. Fiat has spent €350m on developing the new mid-size competitor to VW’s venerable Golf, the GM Astra, and Ford’s Focus. The Bravo is a replacement to the disappointing Stilo and will go on sale next month. The all-new car was made in just 18 months, so we’ll have to try it out and see if any corners were cut during development, which usually takes around 36 months. Fiat has targeted sales of around 120,000 in the first year of sale, which should be a no-brainer considering the stylish design.

The Fiat Bravo has a compact five-door body that’s 434cm long, 179 cm wide, and 149 cm high, with a wheelbase of 2.6m. Loading capacity is 400L, which is big for a car of this size. Engine options include turbodiesel 1.9L Multijets (120 and 150 bhp), the 90bhp 1.4L, and a new family of turbocharged T-JET petrol engines (120 and 150 bhp 1.4L Turbo) making their debut with the Bravo. The model will be built in the Fiat plant in Piedimonte S. Germano plant (Frosinone) and will be on sale next year.

Click ahead for a gallery with previously unseen images.
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DaimlerChrysler’s troubled smart subsidiary may make a profit this year according to Ulrich Walker, boss of the brand. Speaking to the press at the launch of the recently revealed smart Fortwo, Walker said that the new model would enable the company to enter new and emerging markets such as China and USA, as well as increase market share in countries already well acquainted with smart like Spain and France. Though he didn’t have an official financial forecast, Walker said that reduced development costs and the increased appeal of the new model would put the company back into the black.

A recent story confirmed that DCX had managed to decrease the production costs of the Fortwo by a massive 12% and at the same time build cars five times faster at the smart factory in France.

The chances that we’ll see a hybrid smart are very low, claimed Walker, because the conversion and development costs make it unfeasible. Instead, smart will be introducing a new feature where the engine will automatically shut itself down in stop-start traffic to further reduce consumption. The new Fortwo will be available in Europe from the beginning of April, with prices beginning from €9490.

Long time partners Mercedes-Benz and Tag Heuer have created a new watch designed for owners – or admirers – of the McLaren SLR supercar. The special hallmarks of this high-tech timepiece include the arrangement of the chronograph’s buttons beside the dial, mimicking the layout of the shift buttons on the automatic transmission selector lever in the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren super sports car. The automatic chronograph will be limited to 3500 pieces and goes on sale this summer.

Owners will be able to clock driving speeds of up to 400 km/h with the use of the tachymeter scale built into the watch. The screwed-on bottom of the case affords protection down to a water depth of 100 metres and carries the engraved “SLR” logo as well as a serial number. To make sure your watch remains in tip-top condition, TAG Heuer has fitted it with scratch-resistant sapphire glass, which is provided with an anti-reflective coating on both sides.

Another flying car to rival the Moller Skycar is in the works, and could be flying across a city near you as early as 2010. The X-Hawk flying car is being developed by an Israeli team, lead by Rafi Yoeli, who envisions a future where firefighters could save people from burning high-rises or the military rescuing soldiers trapped behind enemy lines using the new flying car. The Detroit Free Press reports that Yoeli and has team have built a rudimentary vehicle that can hover about 3 feet off the ground, and hopes to see a marketable version of the X-Hawk flying car by 2010.

There’s serious interest in the project from the business sector, including Textron Inc.’s Bell Helicopters who has teamed with Yoeli’s privately held Urban Aeronautics to explore X-Hawk’s potential. The advantage of the X-Hawk over conventional helicopters is the unexposed rotors, which make the vehicle safer for urban areas. “The reality is that we have not been designing helicopters to operate in urban environments,” said M.E. Rhett Flater, executive director of the American Helicopter Society, a professional group. “What Rafi is doing is addressing that need to design some kind of vehicle that can operate in an urban environment that can get close to buildings and skyscrapers, and provide some type of relief for people stranded in buildings.”

The X-Hawk, still an unmanned prototype, features a streamlined body with 2 fans rising from the rear and a cockpit-style driver’s seat. The completed version is expected to be able to take off vertically, fly up to 155 miles an hour and as high as 12,000 feet and remain aloft about two hours, says its designers. The company projects a manned X-Hawk will first hover in 2009 and hit the market within eight years with an estimated $1.5 million price tag.

Visitors to the Geneva motor show in March will see a new Honda concept car that will preview a production model due to be released in 2008.

The new car will be Honda’s second dedicated hybrid model after the Insight, which was released back in 1999, according to UK’s Autocar magazine. It seems Honda is tired of giving Toyota the hybrid limelight and is stepping up its game in the mid-size vehicle sector. The new vehicle is expected to be similar in size to the current Civic Hybrid, but it’s unclear whether both will be sold side-by-side.

Recent reports have suggested Honda is keen to build a plug-in hybrid and wants to beat perennial competitor Toyota to the market. At the moment the biggest complaint is with battery technology, which simply isn’t light or efficient enough. Expect next generation plug-in hybrids to hit the streets around 2010.

US based ZAP Automotive has announced today its plans to use Lotus Engineering’s advanced APX concept car as the platform for its new high performance electric ZAP-X crossover vehicle. The car will be displayed in concept form later this week at the North American Dealers Association’s annual meeting, and is set to take the US market by storm in a similar fashion to the Tesla Roadster, which was also based on a Lotus.

The ZAP version of the APX will combine the crossover’s lightweight aluminum architecture with a new efficient drivetrain and advanced battery management system, which is expected to provide a range of 350 miles, with a rapid 10-minute recharging time. An auxiliary power unit is planned to support longer distance journeys.

An electric motor in each wheel provides a combined output of 644hp in AWD mode, allowing the ZAP-X to reach a top speed of 155mph. The innovative placement of the power train leaves the space previously occupied by the conventional engine free for additional battery capacity and storage.

The light, rigid structure will give the car a very attractive power-to-weight ratio and combined with Lotus’ trademark handling capabilities is sure to provide some serious performance.

Another electric powered sports car is about to hit the market, this time a full carbon-fiber bodied vehicle capable of reaching speeds in excess of 120mph. The vehicle was developed in a partnership between Hybrid Technologies Inc. and Mullen Motor Company, and is expected to go on sale for $125,000. Labeled the L1X-75 GT, the car is simply a Mullen GT donor car with an electric drivetrain installed.

The gasoline version has been on sale for the past five years, and happened to be on display at a car show when it caught the eye of a Hybrid Tech rep. The Mullen GT has been rated as the 7th fastest American production car by Forbes Magazine, and its lightweight platform and full carbon-fiber body add to its performance credentials.

The electric version, though not as fast as its gasoline cousin, is still quite amazing. It takes roughly 4-6 hours to charge the batteries, which provides a range of over 100 miles. Deliveries are set to start in about eight weeks from a new 40,000-square-foot production facility built in North Carolina in the US. Hybrid Tech also builds electric conversions of Chrysler’s PT Cruiser and Crossfire as well as the Mini.

A group of enthusiasts who happen to own some of the fastest cars on the planet complete runs down a deserted Canadian highway to see who’s the fastest. Some of the cars include the Ferrari Enzo, a Novitec Rosso twin supercharged F430 and a couple of Lamborghini Gallardos. If only there were more roads like this one.

Saab is planning a facelift for its 9-3 sedan, which is due for launch midway through this year, ahead of a complete redesign in 2010. More details have been revealed about the car in the Swedish version of Auto Motor & Sport magazine, with the key information being sourced from industry insiders who got a glimpse of the new car at a private unveiling.

The car’s front end will resemble the lines of Saab’s Aero X concept, and will include a completely new grille and bonnet. The headlights will wrap around to the flanks of the vehicle, similar to that seen on BMW’s 5-series. The rear-end will remain relatively unchanged, bar some modifications to the taillights and LED highlights.

A new flagship turbo model with around 290hp and AWD will be introduced. The new drivetrain is expected to spur the development of a new “XC” 9-3 sport wagon as well, while a new Biopower ethanol version isn’t expected to arrive until the next-gen model.

The next couple of years will be very busy for Saab. The new 9-3 will spawn the XC crossover model due in 2008 and the company will also update the larger 9-7X SUV before the launch of the all-new 9-5 in 2009.

China’s Nanjing Automobile Group, the new owner of the MG brand, is planning to start production of the iconic label in England within weeks. Reuters is reporting that the newly formed post will be producing up to 6,000 TF sports cars a year at the original Longbridge plant. This comes after a two-year hiatus after the collapse of MG Rover and the loss of 5,000 jobs, however, only 250 staff are expected to work on the new line.

Nanjing Auto outbid main rival Shanghai Automotive to buy MG Rover for close to £53 million back in 2005. Last year, the company announced ambitious plans to build a factory in the US at a site in Oklahoma, however, Managing Director Yu Jianwei has admitted they “don’t have a timetable for US production.”

Production of some models has already been started in China celebrating Nanjing’s 60th birthday, with the first cars using MG technology set to be on the road by the end of March. Company spokesman Lv Qiang told reporters that “production in England will begin in April or May.”

The bidding process for the sale of Aston Martin is set to close within hours, with final offers for the luxury marque due by the end of today UK time. The auction is being handled by investment bank UBS on behalf of Ford. The remaining bidders include a well-financed consortium led by Australia’s richest man James Packer, another led by current Aston CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez and a third group led by Syrian-born billionaire Simon Halabi. Other interested parties include several UK equity groups as well as Canadian parts supplier Magna.

According to Autocar magazine, the new owner of Aston Martin won’t be officially announced for several days. Analysts are expecting the price tag to reach in excess of $1 billion, but this figure is regarded by industry experts as a ‘vanity’ purchase rather than a sound investment. However, Aston Martin is enjoying its greatest level of sales ever and the company is poised to do even better with the launch of its all new Rapide four-door model.

In other Aston Martin news, look out for our review of the stunning DB9 over the next few days.

This year’s Essen motor show has proven to be quite the tuner festival. Now Volkswagen itself has gotten in on the action with the prototype Golf RaVe 270. A concept car that showcases VW’s technology and interior customization abilities, the RaVe 270 isn’t scheduled for production (yet) but it does show what can be done with the Golf platform.
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Coinciding with the start of its 60th anniversary relay celebrations, Ferrari is releasing a limited run of 60 special edition 612 Scaglietti Granturismos as its representative car for the occasion. Unique features of the special Ferrari include the one-off two tone paint scheme, highlighting the brand’s racing heritage by mimicking its historical racecars, which featured the same livery.

Also, its electrochromic, panoramic glass sunroof that automatically adjusts transparency depending on external light levels. Inside, a special emblem marking one of 60 historic events, including several Grand Prix World titles won by Ascari and Schumacher, to the launch of groundbreaking models such as the GTO, the F40 and the Enzo.

The actual marathon relay kicked of this morning from the Italian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, at 10 a.m. local time. The relay will cover some 50 countries and involve over 10,000 Ferrari owners and their cars of all ages to celebrate 60 years of the marque’s history. Abu Dhabi was chosen as the starting point for the relay, which after touring the Middle East will make its way across China, Japan, Australia, South Africa, America and the whole of Europe. The marathon relay will end at Ferrari’s home in Maranello, Italy, on June 23rd.