BMW plans to build a small X range, below the X1, and based on the 2-Series Active Tourer.

BMW Group plans a small crossover to rival Audi’s forthcoming Q1, a German magazine reported.

According to auto motor und sport, the model, currently dubbed Urban Cross, will be based on the platform underpinning the 2-series Active Tourer minivan and will use front-wheel-drive technology from the group’s Mini brand.

A BMW spokesman told Automotive News Europe that the report was “pure speculation,” and the group would not comment on speculation.

BMW’s smallest crossover will sit below the X1, but its design would differ from that found on the automaker's current X lineup, the magazine said. The entry-level model will have a coupe-like shape and its cool and aggressive styling will help attract customers, the report added, citing company sources.

The roughly 4000mm long SUV is expected to have about 330 liters of luggage space, the same as the Mini Paceman, auto motor und sport said.

Pricing will likely begin about 25,000 euros in Germany when sales begin in 2017, the report said.

Audi has said it will begin building the Q1 at its factory in Ingolstadt, Germany, next year.

REPORT HERE

GERMAN MAGAZINE REPORT HERE

Third Generation Octavia wins yet another award, to add to a large tally so far won.

The third generation ŠKODA Octavia is going from strength to strength. The latest proof is receiving the award for the best imported car in the compact class in the readers’ choice ‘Best Cars 2015’ organised by the German car magazine ‘Auto Motor und Sport’ (AMS). Since its market launch in early 2013, the ŠKODA bestseller has won 44 national and international car awards so far.

​The ŠKODA Octavia has also been a great hit on the international markets, with more than 500,000 of the third generation Octavia already having been delivered to customers around the world. In 2014 sales of the model increased 8.1% to 388,800. In Western Europe, sales grew by an incredible 22.5% in 2014. Last year, the ŠKODA Octavia was the best-selling new car in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Finland, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iceland. 

“The Octavia is very special to us at ŠKODA. We have put our heart and soul into developing this car. Wining this award from the ‘Auto, Motor und Sport’ readers is further proof that we’ve got a lot of things right,” explains ŠKODA CEO Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland. 

The third generation Octavia truly is one of a kind, and is the largest, safest, lightest, most practical, comfortable and environmentally friendly Octavia of all time. 

The whole model series is also more versatile than ever. There are currently eight versions in the range: the Octavia hatchback, Octavia hatchback 4x4, Octavia Combi (estate), Octavia Combi (estate) 4x4, Octavia RS, Octavia G-TEC, Octavia Scout and the especially environmentally friendly Octavia GreenLine. The top of the European line also includes the exclusive Octavia L&K version.

Consumers, car experts and the trade media alike value the product features and versatility of ŠKODA Octavia very highly. To date, the ŠKODA Octavia has won 44 renowned national and international car awards, making it one of the most awarded vehicles in its class. Over the last two years, the third generation of the model has won prizes in twelve countries, including the Czech Republic, Germany, China, Russia, India and even Australia.  The Octavia was recognised primarily as being a great family car, with exceptional functionality, stable resale value, excellent value for money, and not least its attractive design.

Awards for the third generation ŠKODA Octavia since 2013:

2013:

› Fleet Award – Germany

› Honourable mention at the ‘Red Dot’ design awards - Deutschland

› 5-star evaluation in the  Euro NCAP crash tests

› Company car of the year – Germany

› Category winner in the Automotive Brand Contest – Germany

› Best resale price (Octavia Combi (estate)) – Germany, Czech Republic, France, Italy, United Kingdom 

2014/2015:

› Best Cars 2015 (AMS) – Germany

› Green Car of the Year 2015 (Octavia G-TEC ) - Czech Republic

› Car of the Year 2014 – Slovenia

› Car of the Year 2014 (KMN, KMP, SDA, AutoSAP) – Czech Republic

› Car of the Year 2014 (Tuulilasi) – Finland

› IL Car of the Year 2014 – Finland

› Best Cars 2014 (AMS) - Germany

› Golden Klaxon – Best Golf-Class Car - Russia

› Most rational buy of 2014 – Germany

› Value Champion 2014 (Auto Bild) – Germany

› Best Cars 2014 (AMS) – Czech Republic

› Design Gipfel Award (Auto Bild) – China

› Marcus Award 2013

› 4x4 of the year 2014 (Octavia Combi 4x4) - Auto Bild Allrad – Germany

› Car of the Year 2014 – Russia

› TOP-5 AUTO 2014 - Russia

› Golden Klaxon – Russia

› Za Rulyom Grand Prix 2014 - Russia

› Family car of the year 2014 (Octavia Combi) - AUTOStraßenverkehr und ELTERN - Germany

› 2014 Auto Design Award (Autobild) – China

› 2013 China Fashion Car-Fashion Design Award (Auto Fashion News) – China

› Car of the year 2014 – Denmark

› Business car of the year 2014 – Denmark

› Saloon of the year (BBC Top Gear) - India

› Midsize saloon of the Year (NDTV Car & Bike Awards) - India

› Executive saloon of the Year (Car India) - India

› Midsize saloon of the year (Zigwheels) - India

› Saloon of the year (Golden Steering Wheel – Auto Bild) - India

› Best premium saloon of the Year (Motor Vikatan) - India

› Executive Saloon of the year ( Top Gear Malayalam - God’s own Car & Bike Awards) – India

› Family Car of the Year – Belgium

› Slovenian Car of the Year 2014 – Slovenia

› Business car of the year 2014 (Fleet awards) – Slovakia

› Woman’s Family Car (Twój STYL magazine) – Poland

› The Best Car 2013 plebiscite! (onet) – Poland

› Brand Automotive Fleet 2014 - Poland

› Business Car of the Year 2014 – Poland

› PLAYBOY Car of the Year 2014 (Octavia RS) – Poland

› Australia’s Best Cars Award – Australia

BMW celebrates two awards, one for the ever green 5-Series and one for the hybrid sports i8 supercar.

The BMW 5 Series clinched victory in the readers' vote “BEST CARS 2015” of the trade magazine “auto motor und sport” in the upper midrange segment and confirmed its achievements of the previous year. 

Five times in succession since 2011, the 5 Series was voted best business car by the readers. In addition, the “International Paul Pietsch Award” honouring particularly innovative technological developments again went to BMW. This year the prize was bestowed on the BMW i8, following the success of the BMW i3 last year. The award ceremony was held in Stuttgart.

The BMW 5 Series has been the most popular car for business purposes for many years. 

Having received 23.9 percent of all votes, the BMW 5 Series achieved first place in the readers' vote for “BEST CARS 2015” in the upper midrange segment held by “auto motor und sport”. The readers of the trade magazine have confirmed the worldwide success of the BMW 5 Series. With 373,053 units sold in 2014, the BMW 5 Series was worldwide the most successful model of its class – following its success as the most popular business car in the world in 2013. 

A comprehensive portfolio of efficient and dynamic engines, hallmark BMW driving dynamics, xDrive intelligent four-wheel drive, innovative mobility services and exclusive BMW ConnectedDrive applications as well as three different body variants all helped to make the BMW 5 Series a bestseller.

The BMW i8 receives the “International Paul Pietsch Award” due to its status as an “all-new sports car”. 

Once again, the “International Paul Pietsch Award” went to BMW. The BMW i8 was honoured for the most innovative technological concept, thereby following in the footsteps of the BMW i3, the winner of the previous year. 

The jury consisted of 28 chief editors of international trade magazines from 21 nations. With 50 percent of the overall votes, the BMW i8 emerged as the clear winner. The reasons were as follows: “The plug-in hybrid BMW, which was launched in the middle of 2014, embodies the accomplished vision of a modern and sustainable sports car for decades to come. Moreover, this model with its spectacular scissor doors and bold emotional lines opens up new paths in terms of design and aerodynamics. 

The BMW i8 is effectively driven by a downsized three-cylinder turbo petrol engine in conjunction with a powerful electric drive featuring a lithium-ion battery pack. Thanks to its carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger cell, the architecture provides the best possible basis for lightweight design. As a sports car of a new generation, the BMW i8 brings together in an unusual and impressing way a multitude of state-of-the art technologies and perfectly combines fuel efficiency and dynamics”.

The “BEST CARS” readers' vote held annually by the trade magazine “auto motor und sport” is one of the most important automotive awards in Germany and highly coveted amongst manufacturers. It was the 39th time the best cars were picked in 2015. On this occasion, 386 models in eleven categories were nominated. In all, 112,471 readers cast their ballot by mail or online.

Vokswagen Golf MK VIII to be launched in 2017 ?

Volkswagen plans to launch the eighth generation of its best-selling Golf compact in 2017, just five years after launching the present model, a German magazine reported.

Auto motor und sport said the new lower, wider Golf will look very different from the current seventh-generation hatchback with new design features including restyled front and rear lights.

Volkswagen will also offer new safety options in the Golf, including automatic parking and automatic braking with pedestrian recognition that will also be available in the new midsize Passat which will begin sales later this year, the report added.

Current Seventh Generation Volkswagen Golf.

Infotainment features carried over from the larger model will also include a heads-up display and Mirror-Link, which allows drivers to access and use smartphone apps via the car’s touchscreen display, the magazine said.

Like the current Golf, the new model will be based on VW Group’s generic MQB architecture that underpins models including the Seat Leon, Skoda Octavia and Audi A3.

In a move to cut fuel consumption, Volkswagen is working on new greener engines for the Golf and has cut the overall weight of the new hatchback by 50kgs (110 pounds), the report said. Additionally, the carmaker may also offer an economical three-cylinder unit currently fitted in the new Polo subcompact model, the magazine added.

Volkswagen declined to comment on the report.

The Golf is Europe’s best-selling car, with seven-month sales of 312,177, a rise of 14 percent, according to data from JATO Dynamics.

David Jolley

REPORT HERE

Alfa Romeo 4C Supercar scoops two more major awards.

• The Alfa Romeo 4C supercar honoured in Germany and France with two major awards
• The 4C was named 'Most Beautiful Car of the Year 2013' at the 29th International Automobile Festival in France.
• Drawing in 41 percent of all votes, Alfa Romeo 4C was the clear winner ahead of the BMW series 4 (25%), Mercedes CLA (22%) and Mazda 3 (12%)
• The 4C also topped the “Importers” sports cars category in the prestigious Auto Motor und Sport “Best Cars 2014” awards, ahead of 28 rivals from the pantheon of international, sports car manufacturers
• The Alfa Romeo MiTo and the Alfa Romeo Giulietta also score podium finishes in their respective vehicle segments
• Louis Carl Vignon, Head of Alfa Romeo for the EMEA region, collected both awards on consecutive days in Paris and Stuttgart

Alfa Romeo couldn't have wished for a better start to 2014: The Alfa Romeo 4C has not only claimed the “Most Beautiful Car of the Year 2013” title at the 29th International Automobile Festival in France, it has also scooped the top award in the “Importers” sports car category in the Auto Motor und Sport “Best Cars 2014” awards. In both cases, the awards were decided by a public vote.

In the process of claiming the ‘Most Beautiful Car of the Year 2013” title, the Alfa Romeo 4C claimed an astonishing 40.70 percent of the votes in a worldwide survey, significantly more than the BMW 4-Series, (25.55 percent), Mercedes CLA (22.15 per cent) and Mazda 3 (11.60 per cent).

Created in 1986 in Chamonix and presided over by Remi Depoix, the International Automobile Festival recognises creativity in automotive design and is now a key event on the world automotive calendar. The Most Beautiful Car of the Year title was first awarded in 1988, with the Alfa 164 winning the inaugural award. Alfa Romeo has also won in 2005 with the Alfa Brera and again in 2008 with the Alfa MiTo.

Meanwhile in Germany, the readers of the prestigious motoring magazine 'Auto, Motor und Sport' voted the Alfa Romeo 4C top of the “Importers” sports car category in its 'Best Cars 2014' awards, ahead of 28 considerably more expensive models from numerous specialist sports car manufacturers.

More than 115,000 readers chose the Alfa Romeo 4C as the most exciting, imported sports car of the year, with Alfa Romeo’s two other, recently-revised models also making the podium for imported cars in their respective categories: the Alfa Romeo MiTo came second in the 'hatchback' segment, while the Alfa Romeo Giulietta took third place among the 'compacts'.

Louis-Carl Vignon, Head of Alfa Romeo EMEA, attended both award ceremonies in Paris and Stuttgart. In France, Mr. Vignon was joined by Marco Tencone, Head of Design Alfa Romeo, Alessandro Maccolini, Head of External Design Alfa Romeo, Maurizio Zuares, C.E.O of Fiat France, and Sébastien Perrais, Alfa Romeo brand Director in France.

These latest awards add to the ever-growing list of accolades bestowed upon the Alfa Romeo 4C. It was recently named 'Car of the Year 2013' by the editors of FHM magazine in the UK; it won the 'Coup de cœur 2013' award of Automobile Magazine in France and it was named 'Auto Trophy 2013' by the readers of the German magazine Auto Zeitung.

ABOUT THE ALFA ROMEO 4C

Designed and engineered by Alfa Romeo - and built by Maserati in Modena - as a pure driving machine, the mid-engined Alfa Romeo 4C is powered by a new, all-aluminium, 240hp, 1750 Turbo Petrol engine and features Alfa Romeo’s latest-generation ALFA TCT transmission and Alfa D.N.A. driving mode selector - now with a new “Race” mode. The 0-62 mph sprint takes just 4.5 seconds and top speed is 160 mph, but thanks to its light weight and advanced engine and transmission technologies, its official combined-cycle fuel economy figure is 41.5 mpg and its CO2 emissions are just 157g/km.

The Alfa Romeo 4C’s compact shape accentuates its remarkable agility: With a dry weight of 895kg; a 40:60 front-to-rear weight distribution; track-honed double-wishbone suspension and Brembo brakes, the Alfa Romeo 4C is capable of generating 1.1g of lateral acceleration and in excess of 1.2g of deceleration force.  The exhaust has been tuned to emit a full, rich sound and the unassisted steering is progressive, direct and engineered to convey as much feedback and feel as possible. The steering ratio (16:2) is such as to allow 90% of bends to be taken without having to take your hands off the steering wheel. The Alfa Romeo is priced from £45,000 OTR in the UK.

F-Type takes another awrd to add to its ever growing collection.

The Jaguar F-TYPE has been voted the winner of the Autonis design award by the respected German motoring magazine,Auto Motor und Sport, following a poll of its readers.

The F-TYPE, which has been available in Germany since May of this year, was judged in the convertible segment - one of eight categories - taking top-spot with an outstanding 32 percent of almost 18,000 reader votes.

Jaguar Director of Design, Ian Callum, and Peter Modelhart, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover Germany, accepted the prize at an awards ceremony at Hohenheim Castle yesterday evening.

Speaking from the ceremony, Ian Callum said: "Creating the F-TYPE has given both my team and I great satisfaction. Working on a sports car that holds true to Jaguar's design values - beauty of line and purity of form - has been a great privilege, and I'm honored the readers of Auto Motor und Sport have recognized our work with this award."

WOW, An Italian car (Ferrari) wins in Germany, now this is News

The readers of the prestigious German car magazine Auto Motor und Sport have crowned the 458 Spider “Best Imported Cabriolet” in the traditional “Best cars” poll.

This is the second time the 458 Spider has won this category, and it’s the 15th time that a convertible Ferrari has received this award, demonstrating the esteem with which the marque is held in Germany. The trophy was presented by Auto Motor und Sport Editor-in-Chief, Ralph Alex, to Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa at the prize-giving ceremony held in Stuttgart today.

The 458 Spider continues the long tradition of Ferrari mid-engined V8 convertibles and is the first mid-engined model to feature a folding hard-top combining performance and style perfectly. The engine powering the car – the remarkable 570 HP, 4.5-litre V8 – has also been in the spotlight, having won the International Engine of the Year award for two consecutive years in 2011 and 2012.

Overall the 458 - in both the Italia coupé and the Spider versions - has received over 50 awards worldwide to date and is one of the most recognised and successful models in the history of Ferrari.