German magazine reports that Germany has written a letter accusing Fiat Chrysler of using a cheat device on diesel cars.

Germany has written a letter to the European Commission accusing Fiat Chrysler Automobiles of using an illegal device to switch off exhaust treatment systems in diesel engines, German magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported today.

The German Transport Ministry sent a letter to the commission, which is the EU's executive arm, in late August in which it said tests had found evidence that Fiat Chrysler had illegally used a device to switch off exhaust treatment systems, Wirtschafts Woche said.

In addition, the tests found a "special nitrogen oxide catalyst which is being switched off after a few cleaning cycles," the magazine said. The affected vehicles are the Fiat 500X and Jeep Renegade small SUVs, both platform siblings, along with the Fiat Doblo car-derived van. The engine in question is Fiat's latest 2.0-liter diesel.

In May, German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt criticized Fiat Chrysler for not showing up for a meeting to discuss emissions irregularities of its diesel vehicles. Italian Transport Minister Graziano Delrio said in June that Fiat diesel engines had been tested and found to comply with emissions regulations.

WirtschaftsWoche said cited the letter as saying "Germany does not share the Italian car type approval authority's opinion that the device to switch off exhaust treatment systems is used to protect the engine."

Germany's car watchdog KBA began testing vehicles of several automakers after the diesel-emissions scandal that engulfed Volkswagen Group. 

The probe found that some Fiat vehicles showed irregular levels of diesel exhaust pollution, the Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported. It said the emissions treatment system was throttled back after 22 minutes. The normal duration of regulatory tests for vehicle emissions is about 20 minutes.

The German Transport Ministry and the Italian Transport Ministry were not immediately available for comment. A Fiat spokesman in Germany declined to comment.

Automotive News Europe

Michael Nienaber

REPORT HERE

The first generation changed the motoring world, now 30 years later, BMW launches the 30th anniversary M3 model.

With the launch of the first generation of the BMW M3 in 1986, the BMW M GmbH, operating under the name BMW Motorsport GmbH at that time, revolutionized the sports car as it was built first and foremost for performance. The original M3 was developed as a homologation special to enter the World, European and German Touring Championship (DTM) racing. 

It was very successful in its time and is still considered as one of the purest high performance street legal sports coupes. To mark the 30th anniversary of this automotive icon, 500 “30 Jahre M3” (30 Years M3) special editions will be produced, of which 150 units will reach U.S. shores.

The limited edition is available with a manual transmission for $83,250 plus Destination and Handling or with Dual-Clutch transmission for $86,150 plus Destination and Handling.

A legendary color Macao Blue metallic for an exclusive model. As a tribute to the first generation of the BMW M3, the anniversary edition “30 Jahre M3” is built in the exclusive BMW Individual exterior color Macao Blue metallic, which once celebrated its premiere in Europe as an option for the last and most powerful version of the first generation of the Sport Evo BMW M3. 

Combining the uncompromising driving dynamics of the Competition Package with unique exclusivity of stylish details from BMW Individual, the limited edition also features BMW Individual Full Merino Leather in bi-color Black/Fjord Blue with color-matching contrast seams. 

BMW Individual High-gloss Shadow Line with enhanced features such as the kidney frame, rear M3 designation and Sports exhaust system with black chrome tailpipes highlight the model’s sporty but elegant stance on the road.

“30 Jahre M3 1/500” badging.

Highlighting the unique and limited production, special “30 Jahre M3” logos embellish the interior. 

Exclusively designed M gills bear the logo as well as the doorsill finishers, interior trim finishers in carbon fiber with Black Chrome accents and the embroidered front headrests. Additionally, M sports seats with woven-in BMW M stripes enhance the sporty interior ambience. 

Performance meets power.

The Limited Edition comprises an increase in engine output by 19 hp to 444 hp and 406 lb-ft. Also included in the Competition Package is the Adaptive M suspension, which has been comprehensively aligned to the increased performance. 

Optimized features also include new springs, dampers and stabilizers, modified characteristic curves of the three modes Comfort, Sport and Sport+ as well as a correspondingly modified standard Active M differential on the rear axle and new Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) feature settings. 

Moreover, the Competition Package of this special edition model includes 20-inch forged Light Alloy wheels with 666 M star spoke design and mixed Performance Tires (front: 265/30 R20, rear: 285/30 R20).

All of these measures lead to a noticeable increase in performance. The BMW M3 “30 Jahre M3” with optional 7-speed M double clutch transmission sprints from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds and 4.0 seconds with manual transmission.

U.S. market models only.

All 150 U.S. models will be equipped with the Driver Assistance Plus Package which includes safety features such as Active Blind Spot Detection, Active Driving Assistance, Side and Top View Cameras and Speed Limit Information. 

Additional equipment includes the Executive Package, which includes Head-up Display and provides additional comfort with the Heated Steering Wheel, Rear View Camera, Heated Rear Seats, Park Distance Control, Wireless Charging. Also included are Adaptive Full LED lights and Automatic High beams.

The BMW “30 Jahre M3” Limited Special Edition “will be available at selected dealers beginning in August, 2016.

Skoda to wow the crowds with new Rally car and a host of premieres at the Essen Motor Show.

• World premiere: ŠKODA displays concept of its new rally car, the Fabia R 5
• German premiere for the new ŠKODA Fabia Estate
• Special Monte Carlo edition of the Rapid Spaceback, Yeti and Citigo
• ŠKODA Octavia RS and ŠKODA show cars: Yeti Xtreme, CitiJet and Rapid Spaceback Red & Grey Collection

ŠKODA will treat visitors to this year’s Essen Motor Show with a presence packed with excitement. The highlight is an opportunity to see the concept version of the new rally car, the ŠKODA Fabia R 5, for the first time. 

The new ŠKODA Fabia Estate will be making its first public appearance in Germany. ŠKODA will also be exhibiting the Octavia RS, Monte Carlo special editions of the Rapid Spaceback, Yeti and Citigo, as well as the show cars – the Yeti Xtreme, CitiJet and Rapid Spaceback Red & Grey Collection.

The Essen Motor Show is the largest trade fair for tuning, motorsport and sporty production vehicles in Germany. It takes place from 29 November to 7 December 2014.

“ŠKODA plans to continue growing over the coming years with new models, focusing both on functional aspects and emotion,” says Dr. Frank Welsch, ŠKODA Board Member for Technical Development. “Our vehicles in Essen underpin this claim. One particular highlight is the ŠKODA Fabia R 5 Concept Car, which gives a first insight into our new rally car. The concept is based on the new ŠKODA Fabia, which demonstrates more emotion than ever before, in both the hatchback and estate versions,” said Welsch.

“The world premiere of the Fabia R 5 Concept Car gives an insight into the future of rallying at ŠKODA,” said ŠKODA Motorsport Director Michal Hrabánek. “The Fabia R 5 is scheduled to be homologated by mid-2015.” The new Fabia R 5 features a lot of high-tech. In keeping with FIA regulations, the new racing car is powered by a 1.6-litre turbo engine. 

The new car also features a sequential, five-speed gearbox and MacPherson struts. The weight will, in accordance with the regulations, be at least 1230 kilograms. A number of top ŠKODA drivers were also involved in the development of the new Fabia R 5.

Customer racing teams have already shown huge interest in the new ŠKODA Fabia R 5. No wonder: after all, its predecessor, the ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, has all but guaranteed its teams and drivers titles. 

The 2014 rally season, which has just drawn to an end, saw ŠKODA and the Fabia Super 2000 achieve a hat-trick of titles* in the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). On top of this, ŠKODA also won the Drivers’ title in the FIA European Rally Championship and a further five national championships. These and the huge amount of success already achieved in previous years make the ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000 project, which was launched in 2009, the most successful project in the company’s motorsport history, which now spans 113 years.

The new ŠKODA Fabia is also set to catch the eye in Essen. Launched in Paris two months ago, the compact car is making its first appearance in Germany in estate form. “The new Fabia is simply more car in every regard, featuring expressive design, innovative technology and high functionality,” said Dr. Welsch.

As the brand’s first ever production model, the compact car, which was developed from scratch, shows the evolution of the ŠKODA design into a distinctive, punchy design. The far more angular appearance of the hatchback and estate features crystalline forms, sharp lines and balanced, tight proportions. At the same time, the new model also offers innovative safety, comfort and infotainment systems, and is more environmentally-friendly than ever before. 

It also boasts the generous space that is so typical of Škoda vehicles – including the largest boot in the compact car class – and high functionality, with up to 19 practical, ‘simply clever’ solutions.

Other Škoda models on display in Essen underline the brand’s sporty credentials. With a top speed of 248 km/h, the ŠKODA Octavia RS is the fastest production Octavia ever. The new Monte Carlo special editions of the Citigo,Yeti and Rapid Spaceback ŠKODA models also boast sporty, individual design and comprehensive standard equipment at excellent value for money.

Three exciting studies complete the Czech manufacturer’s presence at the Essen Motor Show. The ŠKODA Yeti Xtreme show car is a pumped-up compact SUV with rally ambitions and state-of-the-art technology. Design highlights: matt-grey paint, 17-inch alloys, dark discs, big bumper, LED headlights, striking mudguards, powerful rocker panels and rear bumper, and broad tailpipes on the dual exhaust. Furthermore, the interior also draws inspiration from ŠKODA’s rally background.

A dynamic city convertible based on the ŠKODA Citigo, the ŠKODA CitiJet features a striking metallic paintwork in blue/white and racy, blue 16-inch alloy wheels, hand-made rear spoiler and two tailpipes. The interior is based on the interior of the ŠKODA Citigo SPORT special edition. Also on board: a special 300-watt sound system and blue LED interior lighting that reacts to the music. Finally, the ŠKODA Rapid Spaceback Red & Grey is a sporty edition of the manufacturer’s first compact hatchback model.

* Subject to the official publication of the results by the FIA.

THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES - Jaguar XE Word Cloud Sculpture Debuts at London Design Museum

• London Design Museum to showcase unique Jaguar XE word cloud sculpture during London Design Festival
• Aluminium installation designed by Jaguar design team to celebrate the global reveal of Jaguar’s latest vehicle, the XE sports saloon on 8 September
• The XE vehicle shaped structure is constructed from 95 words in seven languages
• Words express the aesthetics and characteristics at the heart of the new vehicle
• On display from 5 September to 6 October in outdoor London waterfront location by Tower Bridge

Today Jaguar and London Design Museum revealed a unique aluminium word cloud sculpture in the shape of the new Jaguar XE sports saloon. Installed in the Design Museum’s ‘Tank’, the design piece marks the start of the global launch of the new Jaguar XE due to be unveiled in London early next week.

Jaguar design collaborated with a range of creative experts across the fields of computer aided design, graphic artwork, stage design and metal work to design a word cloud representation of the new XE consisting of 95 words using seven languages including French, German, Spanish, Italian, English, Russian and Mandarin.

Design Museum Head of Communications Josephine Chanter said: “Large scale installations like this striking sculpture are always hugely popular with our visitors, and the Jaguar XE form is already attracting lots of attention. We’re sure that it will be a hit with the public, and it makes an eye-catching addition to our programme for the London Design Festival.”

The production methods are a combination of man and machine. Computer modelling was used to create the words that are molded to the dynamic form of the Jaguar XE then finished using metal craftsmanship by the team behind elements of the London Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

Ian Callum, Jaguar Director of Design, said: “It has been an enormous amount of fun bringing a word cloud of XE and everything it means to life. It’s hugely satisfying to be recognised by London Design museum and to have our work become part of London Design Festival.”

For 25 years, the Design Museum has championed creative thinking and inspired problem solving, celebrating the talent of the world’s best designers and architects. The museum has welcomed five million visitors and built an important collection of contemporary design.

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."

AUDI DTM arrives in Russia for next race.

• Audi driver Mike Rockenfeller leads DTM standings
• Moscow Raceway is new territory for drivers and teams
• DMSB has scheduled appeal court session in Ekström case

Audi drivers visited Moscow on several occasions in the past few months to promote the DTM visit, which gave them the opportunity to intensively experience the enthusiasm of the fans on location. Now the race is just around the corner: From August 2 to August 4, the Audi RS 5 DTM and leader of the standings Mike Rockenfeller are making their race debut in Russia.

The DTM’s premiere in Russia is a calculation with many unknown quantities. None of the drivers has ever competed in a race at Moscow Raceway and the track layout with a length of only 2.555 kilometres has never been used by any racing series at all. Consequently, there is no experience available with respect to set-up or strategy on the third-shortest circuit featured on the 2013 DTM calendar. How fast the Audi Sport Teams Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg and their drivers will be able to adjust to the new challenge will be a key success factor.

An Audi driver – Mike Rockenfeller – is travelling to Russia as the leader of the standings. The German has scored points in each race so far, claimed victory at one round and, at the beginning of the second half of the season, has a two-point advantage over the reigning Champion Bruno Spengler. The DTM has not experienced a season as thrilling and hard to predict as 2013 in a long time, with five different winners in the first five races – a tally like this at the season’s midpoint was last seen six years ago.

Before heading for Moscow, the Audi squad has another date on its agenda. The German Motorsport Federation (DMSB) has scheduled the court session to hear the appeal of Mattias Ekström’s exclusion from the fifth round of the season at the Norisring for July 30. The Swede had initially won the city street race in Nuremberg but was subsequently excluded due to an alleged breach of parc fermé rules. Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline immediately appealed this decision.

Tickets for all DTM races of the 2013 season are available at www.audi-motorsport.com/dtm. Fans in many countries of the world can watch qualifying and the race live on the DTM’s new YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/dtmint live. A total of 39 TV channels air live DTM coverage in 141 countries.

In Germany, as usual, ARD will broadcast live on “Das Erste:” Qualifying on Saturday (August 3) starting at 14:30, the race on Sunday (August 4) starting at 13:15.

AUDI looks to victory in the next DTM round.

• DTM round about 130 kilometres south of Berlin
• Audi driver Mike Rockenfeller in second place of the standings
• DTM more thrilling than in a long time thanks to DRS and option tyres

Three races, three winners, eight different drivers on the podium: The 2013 DTM season has so far surpassed all expectations. From June 14 to 16, Europe’s fastest touring cars, including the Audi RS 5 DTM, will visit the Lausitzring, which is located about 130 kilometres south of Berlin.

72,000 spectators watched the DTM round at the Lausitzring last year. This year, the crowd may even be larger, as option tires and DRS wing flaps add further spice to the race. The DTM has not seen such a large number of really fierce duels, overtaking manoeuvres and tussles in a long time.

Particularly coveted are the seats in the grandstands at the end of the start-finish straight. At a speed of 240 km/h, the driver’s possibility to flatten the angle of the rear wing by pushing a button during the race should be particularly effective and make for plenty of overtaking action. The increase in speed that can be gained by the Drag Reduction System (DRS) amounts to around 6 km/h, according to simulations performed by the engineers at Audi Sport.

Among the eight drivers who are competing for Audi in the DTM this year are the three that have been on podium at the Lausitzring before: Mattias Ekström (winner in 2004 and 2005), Timo Scheider and Jamie Green. Mike Rockenfeller, the runner-up in the standings with his Schaeffler Audi RS 5 DTM after three races, was the best Audi driver in qualifying at Lausitz in 2012. His Audi Sport Team Phoenix, in 2011, celebrated one of four DTM victories so far.

Tickets for all DTM races of the 2013 are available at www.audi-motorsport.com/dtm. Fans around the world can watch qualifying and the race live on the DTM’s new YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/dtmint live. A total of 39 TV channels air live DTM coverage in 141 countries.

In Germany, as usual, ARD will broadcast live on “Das Erste:” Qualifying on Saturday (June 15) starting at 14:30, the race on Sunday (June 16) starting at 13:15.