M3 to get seven-speed DSG 'box

According to an internal BMW communications document, the new M3 will be available from the spring of next year with a VW-inspired dual-clutch paddle-shift gearbox that will provide near-seamless gearshifts.

Designed and built for BMW by legendary 'box builder Getrag, the new gearbox will be known as M-DCT and is being seen as a response to heavy criticism of the jerky, awkward sequential manual gearbox fitted to the M5 and M6. It's expected that the super-efficient new gearbox will make the M3, which goes on sale in September, significantly quicker and more fuel-efficient to boot.

There will also be a DCT version of the gearbox, designed for less extreme applications than M-Series cars, and will form part of BMW's Efficient Dynamics programme, that seeks major gains in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions without resorting to heavy, expensive hybrid technology.

MG returns to Birmingham

Two years on from the traumatic close-down of MG-Rover, TF roadsters are once again coming off the lines at the (in)famous Longbridge factory, once Europe's largest car plant.

Chinese owners Nanjing Automotive Company has restarted limited production of the sports car (originally designed in 1995) and also plans to use Longbridge as a base for its plans to commence sales of the China-built MG 7 saloon (formerly MG ZT, neé Rover 75).

Seat scoops itself

Seat has taken the rather unusual step of releasing an initial sketch of a car that is at least 18 months away from production.

The so-called Seat B-Segment car will be the Sapnish firm's first foray into the Mondeo-Passat-Avensis end of the market. No technical details of the car are available yet, other than that it will be built at Seat's main Martorel factory near Barcelona.

It's pretty safe to assume that it will use engines and running gear from the VW Golf and Passat, although it's too early to tell just how big a car it will be. Full size saloon on a Passat chassis? Or stretched Golf platform to straddle the Focus-Mondeo sized footprint, a la Skoda Octavia.

We'll know more closer to the as-yet unnamed model's launch date in 2009.

Mini beats Prius

BMW has announced details of a Mini Cooper that matches the Toyota Prius for emissions levels, but does without the need for a hefty battery stack or expensive hybrid engine.

The new Mini Cooper D will use the same stop-start and regenerative braking technology that BMW has recently debuted on the updated 1 Series diesel. By shutting off the engine when stationary in traffic and using scavenged energy from braking and coasting to run the car's electrical systems, BMW is claiming that the 110bhp diesel Cooper will return an exceptional 3.9-litres per 100km fuel economy (72.2mpg) and emit just 104g/km of CO2.

7-Up for VW's DSG

Volkswagen's now-famous DSG paddle-shift gearbox has just received a seventh gear, and it will be slotting into various Polo, Golf, Jetta and Passat models shortly, as well a numerous other Audi, Seat and Skoda products.

Like the first generation six-speed DSG, the new gearbox is as much about improving efficiency as it is about providing the driver with some F1-style gearshift thrills. The new 'box takes advantage of its extra cog by shortening the first six gears for better acceleration while a long, stretchy seventh takes care of improving economy on long runs.

Remarkably, the new DSG is actually 7kg lighter than the old six-speed version and VW isn't expected to raise the price, either.

Incidentaly, VW has also confirmed that its new 1.4 TSI 120bhp engine (which uses the same technology as the 140bhp and 170bhp versions but makes do with just a turbocharger and does without the more powerful versions' supercharger) will gradually replace the long-lived 1.6-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. The TSI version is more powerful but also more economical and emits less CO2.

New face for Picanto

Kia's Picanto small car has just had its mid-life facelift, which brings a new grille, lights and bumper to the Picanto party. The new bumpers (front and rear) mean that it's now 40mm longer than before, but the wheelbase remains unchanged so there's no improvement on interior space.

In spite of which, the interior has had a major makeover, with a new fascia, new instruments and new steering wheel meant to ape the look of its bigger brother, the Ceed. It'll arrive on Irish shores by the autumn, with the same 1.0 and 1.1-litre petrol engines, and prices should remain pretty much the same.

VW Ireland boosts GOAL charity funds

Volkswagen main dealers from all parts of Ireland have donated some
€33,800 to the Irish charity GOAL. The money, made up from dealer
donations backed by matching funds from the Volkswagen organisation, will
go towards funding work being undertaken by the Third-World relief agency
amongst disadvantaged children in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Under this programme, the money provided by Volkswagen and its dealer
organisation - whose purchasing power on the ground in Ethiopia is
calculated at more than twenty times its face value - will help finance a
programme that supports up to 700 children in the 5/17 years age group in
any given year.

As part of an even larger budget, it will help provide basic needs such as
shelter, food, health care and primary education plus the provision of life
skills training, sports and recreation facilities aimed at reintegrating
street children back into their communities.

A second strand of the programme focuses on older boys and girls living on
the street through the development of their entrepreneurial skills or
vocational skills training and the provision of peer housing accommodation
and a small living allowance.

Pictured presenting the cheque to GOAL founder John O’Shea were (left to
right) Tom O’Connor, sales manger Volkswagen, with dealer representatives
Ron Hogan (Frank Hogan Limited, Limerick) and James McCormack (Western
Motors, Galway).

Nissan wins NCAP's highest-ever score

Nissan's compact SUV, the Qashqai, has scored the highest-ever marks for adult occupant protection in the Euro NCAP crash test programme.

The Qashqai scored maximum points for the side impact and offset pole tests, and a near-enough maximum score in the frontal impact test (above) giving it a total score of 37 points, five stars for adult occupant protection, four stars for child occupant protection and two stars for pedestrian protection.

Euro NCAP’s Secretary General Adrian Hobbs said ‘Congratulations Nissan! This is a particularly impressive result for this manufacturer since the Qashqai is a new vehicle in this category. Nissan’s last entry into the small family class was in 2001.’

The Kia Carens MPV, tested at the same time, scored a respectable four stars for adult occupant protection, three stars for child protection and one star for pedestrian protection.

California clamps down on car makers

Surprisingly, considering that 'The Governator' Schwarzenegger is still in charge, the state of California has applied to the US Congress for permission to create new state laws that will compel car companies to hit stringent new emissions and fuel economy laws before they are allowed to sell cars within the state.

If permission is granted (and would you say no to Ah-nuld?), then other US states such as New York and Virginia are expected to follow suit. The move comes as Congress is mulling over a plan to increase the federally-required CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) barrier from 25mpg across a manufacturer's range to 35mpg.

Needless to say, this has sent shudders of doom through Detroit boardrooms, with both General Motors and newly-independent Chrysler claiming that such moves will force them to pull out of selling cars in the states that apply them (and California is the biggest single state market for cars), and may bankrupt them entirely if the 35mpg CAFE regulation is introduced.

There could be a loophole though; Washington insiders are saying that the CAFE limit will be waived if t a sufficient number of a manufacturer's range is bio-fuel compatible.

As to what that means for European cars? Not a lot on a technical level, as almost every European maker already meets or beats such standards, but let's not forget that Opel, Jaguar, Saab, Land Rover and Volvo are American-owned, and that's leaving aside such obviously-American brands as Ford, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Cadillac. California's moves, just as they did in the early Seventies, could have dramatic implications for all the cars we drive.

Yellows go green

New York's famous yellow taxis are going green, as mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to convert all the city's public hire cars to hybrid engines by 2012.

At the moment, only 375 out of 13,000 New York cabs run hybrid engines, but it's planned to increase that number by 20% every year until all cabs are converted.

The New York mayor's office reckons that this move will cut the city's CO2 emissions by 200,000 tons a year.

Seat's first 4x4

As previewed by the Freetrack concept car at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, here is the production Seat Altea Freetrack, the Spanish company's first ever four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Based on the Altea XL MPV, it uses a Haldex-designed electro-mechanical four wheel drive system that sends all power to the front wheels in normal driving conditions, but diverts power aft if it detects the rear wheels losing grip.

Outside, plastic panels and aluminium bash-plates under the nose distinguish it from lesser Alteas, as does the extra 40mm of ground clearance. Engines will be at first limited to the 2.0 TFSI petrol turbo with 200bhp or the 2.0 TDI diesel with 170bhp, but if sales take off, you can safely expect to see other, more affordable, engines entering the range.

No word yet on Irish prices, specs or arrival dates.

MG to re-open Longbridge factory by end of the month

In a statement that reads a bit like a script page from Night Of The Living Dead, the resurrected, Chinese-owned MG has stated that it will restart production of the MG TF roadster in the mysterious cemetary... sorry, MG Rover's old factory in Longbridge tomorrow week, Tuesday May 29th.

Nanjing, the Chinese company that bought the MG half of MG Rover (Shanghai Auto got the Rover 75 saloon but not the Rover name. (confused? You should be.) has said that TF production is just days away and that 98 dealers across the UK have shown an interest in taking on the (re)revived sports car brand. No mention has been yet made of Ireland or Irish dealers, but you can bet that someone, somewhere wills how an interest.

Nanjing has already shown production of its MG 7 saloon (neé MG ZT, formerly Rover 75) which is being built in China, and which is also likely to make a return to Europe. Lotus Engineering has worked for Nanjing on getting the creaking, ancient K-Series petrol engines to meet Euro IV emissions standards, and it's likely that MG will approach Volkswagen for supplies of its 140bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine.

Meanwhile, Shanghai Auto has gotten its ex-Rover 75 into production and it's now known as the Roewe 750. Shanghai was prevented from using the Rover name because Ford bought the rights from BMW to prevent anyone trying to produce a potential Land Rover rival with the word Rover in the name. It's thought that Shanghai Auto will also try to enter the European market with the car, probably through Ssangyong dealers, which Shanghai has a stake in.

Got all that? Good. Now go have a lie down.

Car makers need more time on emissions standards

Europe's car makers are asking the EU for more time to meet stringent new emissions standards, due to come into force in 2012.

The European Union is proposing that all car makers will have to meet a tough average of 130g/km across their product ranges by that date, as Europe seeks to cut CO2 emissions from transport to attempt to put a brake on rising global temperatures.

But in a statement from Fiat boss and president of the cross-industry European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) Sergio Marchionne, the car companies need more time, or at least need the EU to make up its mind on the matter sooner.

"The motor industry must be granted sufficient lead time to meet any new requirements. The first feasible date for that to be accomplished is 2015.

"The announced legislative framework will most likely not be ready before 2009," he said. "By then, the cars of 2012 will have left the drawing tables."

The EU has so far, made no official response to Marchionne's statement, but the meeting he gave it at was attended by EU Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, so Brussels is at least listening.

But is this a case of legislators being unreasonable or car companies being too lazy and inefficient? You tell us...

Stunning TT concept could make production

Unlike the nutter-Golf shown below, this stunning Audi TT Clubsport is likely to see a very limited production run, complete with chop top and aero screen.

Obviously based on the production TT, the Clubport does away with a roof and windscreen and instead adds massive bucket seats (from the RS4 saloon) and gets a tweaked version of the regular TT's 2.0-litre 200bhp TFSI engine, which now produces over 300bhp. Quattro four wheel drive is fitted too, as are ceramic brakes.

Officially, this is just a way that Audi is using to stir up interest in the forthcoming TT S, wich will get the Clubsport's 300bhp engine and ceramic brakes. But senior Audi people are saying that if public reaction to the Clubsport is strong enough then it is production feasible.

In other words, get your deposits in now.

Hottest Golf ever

No, not Padraig Harrington in Carton Manor on a sunny day, but this, a one-off super Golf that VW has built for annual GTI Festival in Austria. Just to show off a bit.

Now, the basic shape might be stock Golf, but trust us, what lies beneath is astonishing. As if the air intakes and bulging side skirts hadn't already given it away, this Golf is mid-engined. And not just any engine. It uses a twin-turbo version of the 6.0-litre W12 engine that's also found in the Phaeton saloon and various Bentleys. It's an astonishingly compact engine, made of two narrow-angle V6s bolted to a common crankshaft, and in this GTI W12 G50 design study, it pumps out a sensational 650bhp.

VW reckons that's good enough for 0-100kmh in just 3.7 seconds. In a Golf. What a shame there are no production plans...

Kids should face rear till they are 3, says Volvo

Children traveling in cars should sit in rear-facing child seats until they are three or four years of age. This is the advice from Volvo, which has been conducting some in-depth research into the dangers and safety aspects of kids in cars.

"Rearward facing child restraints are designed to support the neck and help spread the forces over a larger area in frontal impacts. Frontal impacts are the most frequent and usually the most severe impact situation" said Lotta Jakobsson, Child Safety Specialist at Volvo Cars.

"In a frontal impact a rearward facing child's whole body is supported, which minimises relative movements between the head and torso.

"For more than 35 years, Volvo Cars is doing extensive research based on real life accidents. These studies show beyond doubt that the safest way for small children to travel in cars is facing the rear."

But that runs contrary to the advice issued by the Road Safety Authority here in Ireland, which states that rear-facing seats are appropriate for children weighing up to around 13kg, which equates to around 15 months. Forward facing seats, according to the RSA, are appropriate for children once they hit around 9kg, depending on their height. No mention is made of a rear-facing seat for children older than 15 months, and a trawl of retail outlets failed to turn up one that would be suitable for a child of that size and age.

But the Volvo people are adamant. "Forward facing in a frontal impact, the body is restrained by the safety belt while the head moves forward and puts load on the neck. Depending on crash severity and size of the child, this load can be injurious.
- In one severe frontal impact in central Europe two girls were sitting forward facing in the rear seat. The five-year-old sustained a broken leg and spent two weeks in hospital. Her little sister, just ten months old, died from neck injuries. This is a clear example that it is much too early for a ten month old child to travel forward facing" says Lotta Jakobsson.

New 9-3 shown

Well, when we say new, we actually mean facelifted, because in spite of the rather dramatic new nose job, under the skin, the 9-3 remains very much as it was in 2002.

The new look is set to tide the car over until 2009, when an all-new 9-3, based on GM's new Epsilon platform will be launched.

This updated version will carry on with the existing 1.8 and 2.0-litre turbo petrol engines, and a new range-topping version will be introduced; a 300bhp version of the current 250bhp 2.8-litre V6 turbo, which will also feature four wheel drive, a first for Saab in Europe.

That also clears the way for a 'Crossover' 9-3 estate-based 4x4, likely to be called 9-3X, which should make its debut alongside the refreshed saloon, estate and cabrio at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

Would you like a car to go with that?

The gearknob in the photo above has just been sold for the rather surprising price of STG£41,000. That's rather a lot of money for something that would cost €5.99 down at Halfords, so you're probably suspecting at this point that this is no ordinary gearknob.

And if the little red button visible under the cap hasn't already given it away, this is the knob from one of the Aston Martin DB5s used in the filming of vintage Bond movies Goldfinger and Thunderball. Yup, that's the little button that fires the passenger ejector seat. Joking? We never joke about our work...

BMT 216A (for that was the registration number of the famous DB5) returned to Aston from Eon Productions after filming and, according to Aston, Work Order 39237 'REMOVING NON STANDARD EQUIPMENT AND REBUILDING AS STANDARD DB5' happened. The knob then sat in a cupboard at Aston for nigh on forty years before coming to light recently.

Chrylser goes for less than a third of what Mercedes paid in 1999

The numbers for the Cerberus buyout of Chrysler are out and they don't make for pretty reading.

The New York-based equity group has purchased Chrysler from Daimler-Benz for a total of $7.4-billion. Taking Daimler's continuing 20% stake, that values Chrysler (including Jeep and Dodge) at $9.25-billion. In 1999, Daimler-Benz forked out $36-billion for Chrysler. That's some depreciation curve.

Two new companies have been formed from the break-up fo DaimlerChrysler; Chrylser LLC and Daimler AG, efectively returning to the status quo ante of 1999. The Cerberus investment includes taking on Chrysler's $18-billion healthcare and pensions costs, but it's sweetened a little by a $1.5-billion payout from Daimler that should clear most of Chrysler's current debts.

According to Daimler spokespersons, Chrysler and Mercedes will continue to collaborate on existing technology and purchasing agreements, but crucially, there was no mention of any future projects, meaning that Chrysler must fund its future model development programme itself.

New Opel Agila breaks cover

Opel has just shown the first photos of its all-new Agila city car, which will be shown at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

The old Agila, a car shared with the Suzuki Wagon R+, has been pretty well ignored in Europe thanks to its cheap-feeling cabin and geeky exterior. The new Agila, which shares its chassis with the next-generation Chevrolet Matiz, will seek to turn that opinion around, and join the ranks of cool small cars like the Fiat Panda and Toyota Aygo.

Engines will be a 65bhp 1.0-litre petrol and an 85bhp 1.2-litre petrol, with the possibility of a Fiat-sourced 1.3 MultiJet diesel making an appearance too. Opel will be revealing full prices and specs closer to the on-sale date of Spring 2008.

Chrysler deal done, says WSJ

According to the Wall Street Journal, capital investment group Cerberus has won the bidding to buy Chrysler from Daimler-Benz, although it looks as if the Germans will retain a percentage stake in the embattled American car firm, to ease the path for current and future platform and technology sharing.

Cerberus looks to have beaten out fellow asset management group Blackstone and Magna, a Canadian-owned components supplier.

The official announcement will have to wait until final wrangling has taken place over the final price, which will no doubt be affected by the suspected $18-billion employee healthcare package which Cerberus will have to take on.

Interestingly, Cerberus already owns General Motors' former finance arm, GMAC, and it's expected that GMAC will now be combined with Chrysler's own finance and leasing department. What does it all mean for future Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge models? No idea, but we'll let you know as soon as we hear anything.

Hyundai shows i30 estate

Also showing off a new compact estate is Hyundai, which has released the fist details of its new i30 estate, based on its forthcoming new Focus rival hatchback.

Like the hatchback, it has been designed at Hyundai's European design office in Frankfurt, and will make its official global debut at the Frankfurt motor show later this year.

It gets a longer wheelbase than the i30 hatch (by 90mm) and overall it stretches by 230mm. And being as the hatchback is hardly what you'd call short of space, this promises to be a seriously practical car.

We'll see the first i30 hatches arriving in Ireland by the end of the summer, and the estate shouldn't be far behind.

An extra round of Golf

This car wasn't supposed to exist. The Golf estate was never supposed to survive the introduction of the spacious, MPV-ish Golf Plus, but calls from customers all over Europe has persuaded VW to relent and so here it is in all its glory, the Golf estate.

It's 46mm wider and 159mmm longer than the old Golf estate and the boot capacity has gone up to an Audi A6-rivalling 505-litres with the rear seats in place. The rear seats fold utterly flat, creating a 1,550-litre loadspace.

Engines are as per the rest of the Golf range, minus the 2.0-litre TFSI GTI turbo engine, but you can expect it to get VW's new super-frugal 1.4 TSI 120bhp petrol shortly. The most popular versions here will likely be the 102bhp 1.6 petrol and the still-game 105bhp 1.9 TDI diesel.

No prices or arrival dates yet, but you can expect Golf estates to be between €750 and €1,000 more expensive than an equivalent hatchback model.

New Fabia launches in Ireland today

The all new Skoda Fabia has been launched in Ireland today, and the good news is that it picks up just where the old one left off.

The better news is that even though interior space, economy and performance have all improved, prices are still looking distinctly Skoda-shaped. The basic 60bhp 1.2-litre petrol Fabia will retail at €14,250, which is about a grand short of what Ford asks for the cheapest 5-door Fiesta.

Other engines are a 70bhp 1.2, an 85bhp 1.4 and a 105bhp 1.6. Diesel Fabias come in 1.4 70bhp, 1.4 80bhp and 1.9 105bhp flavours. Standard and optional features available across the range (depending on choice of model and trim level) include electronically controlled Climatronic air conditioning, six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic function, tyre pressure monitor, cruise control, on-board trip computer, front fog lights with ‘corner’ function, radio with CD/MP3 and
iPOD socket, white top roof and a sports package that includes alloys and a leather bound steering wheel, gear shift and brake lever.


Safety features include ABS, front and side airbags with roof airbags on Sport and Elegance models, passenger airbag switch-off function, pedestrian impact protection and seat belt warning for driver and front passenger.

We had a big place in our hearts for the old Fabia, and from what we've seen of the new one, we don't expect that to change much. A full road test will be up on the main Drive site shortly.

Ireland among the worst for ESP takeup

According to an article in today's Irish Independent, Ireland ranks at the bottom of the 25 EU member states for takeup of life-saving Electronic Stability Program technology.

The system, first developed by Bosch in the eighties, uses the car's anti-lock braking system to help the driver control the car in the event of a slide. According to the FIA, the driving and motor sport organisation that administers the Euro NCAP crash tests, 35% of all single vehicle accidents could be avoided if ESP were fitted.

The technology is relatively cheap, with ESP costing from as little as €150 to fit to a car, but Irish VRT and VAT can push that price far, far higher, and Irish importers have thus far been reluctant to fit ESP as standard to many popular models. Indeed, this publication has seen instances where a model fitted with standard ESP in Europe has arrived in Ireland with ESP as an option to keep the base price down.

And Irish buyers, it seems, are more interested in speccing up the sound system than fitting an electronic safety net that could save their lives. That could all be about to change, however. Ford recently announced that the new Mondeo will come with ESP as standard, as will, by the end of the year, the S-Max and Galaxy. The popular VW Passat already has ESP as standard and the technology is fitted to all Mercedes-Benz and BMW models as standard. It was Ford which pioneered the standard fitment of a drivers' airbag on the first generation Mondeo in 1993 and it would be unthinkable now to purchase a new car without one. Hopefully, the example of the new Mondeo and others will lead to an industry-wide standard fitment of ESP.

However, fitting ESP as standard would inevitably lead to the cost of new cars rising yet further, unless the next government heeds the calls of the AA and others to eliminate VAT and VRT on such life-saving technology.

300kmh McMerc Roadster unveiled

Mercedes has released first details of the much-anticipated roadster version of its awesome SLR McLaren supercar. Using the same 626bhp supercharged V8 engine as the coupe, the roadster features an electric part-aluminium roof that retracts seamlessly behind the seats to allow you to dry your hair at nearly 200mph.

As with the coupe, the body is entirely made of carbon-fibre and is produced alongside the Mercedes-engined F1 cars at McLaren's Paragon facility in Woking, England.

Christmas, by the way, is just seven months away, so get those letters to Santa off now...

Least surprising news of the decade

In news that will shock you to the core, Ferrari has been voted the Best Place To Work in Europe by the imaginatively named Great Place To Work Institute.

"Over a thousand companies throughout Europe participated in the survey which measures the degree of satisfaction of employees with their place of work and picks out the best working environments. This alone makes Ferrari’s achievement particularly impressive. In 2003, the then Ferrari Maserati Group was voted the Best Place to Work in Italy but this latest award is the ultimate acknowledgment of the company’s ongoing commitment to the personal growth of its staff" said the Institute in a statement that will surely become one of the most unlikely ever issued.

As the news that the hugely successful Formula One constructor and sexy sports car maker (based in Italy where the food is fabulous and the women look like Sophia Loren when Sophia Loren was young) is the best workplace on the Continent, further shocking news has arrived from scientists that bear droppings have been found in a nearby wood!

(We apologise for the excessive sarcasm in this last news item. Normal less-sarky service will be resumed as soon as the editor stops crying into his chipped tea mug.)

New Renault turbo for better economy

For some of us, the words Renault Turbo conjours images of Rene Arnoux and Jean-Pierre Jabouille trying to tame their tricky turbocharged beasts around the tracks of seventies F1, with blistering speed their friend and alarming reliability and handling their enemies.

But now, Renault wants us to think of turbos as eco-friendly things, rather than quali-lap weapons. To that end, the Clio is about to get a new turbocharged 1.2-litre engine that will eventually replace its conventional 1.4-litre petrol.

It produces 100bhp, and will propel a Clio form 0-100kmh in 11.1 seconds, while returning 5.7-litres per 100km economy and emitting 140g/km of CO2.

No word yet on Irish arrival or prices, but we'll keep you posted. What chance a Rene Arnoux limited edition then?

Porsche bids for VW, but does it want full ownership?

The latest, complicated twist in the Porsche-VW saga is now underway, as the german financial watchdog has okayed Porsche's bid for outright control of the House Of Golf. The Weissach sports car maker was obliged to make the bid once it had purchased 30% of VW.

However, the bid is fraught with difficulty, not least the fact that the EU may frown upon it, and the fact that the German State Of Lower Saxony still owns a 21% stake. But being as the EU also frowns on state aid for independent companies, maybe they'll consider the Porsche bid to be the lesser of two evils.

Whatever, it's not even certain that Porsche wants outright control of VW. The buying up of VW stock has been seen, variously, as an attempt by Porsche to access better prices from suppliers by using VW's buying power, a prudent investment of Porsche's new-gotten wealth by chairman Wendelien Weideking or a despotic takeover of his old firm by Porsche nephew/chairman Ferdinand Piech.

It now seems more odd than any of those things though. More and more, the Porsche takeover seems like an attempt to ensure that a majority of VW stock can't be purchased by any other than a German company.

Mondeo to undercut Passat, Avensis

Ford Ireland has announced that the new Mondeo's starting price will be €24,995; €1,015 cheaper than the cheapest VW Passat and €45 cheaper than the basic Avensis 1.6.

The crucial new mid-size Ford will be in Irish dealerships at the end of this month, and Ford has committed to fit Electronic Stability Control as standard across the entire Mondeo range. The Passat also has ESP as standard, but on the basic Avensis, it's an optional extra.

The cheapest Mondeo will have a 110bhp 1.6-litre petrol and also features seven airbags as standard, as well as air conditioning, heated windscreen and an iPod socket. Other engines will include 1.8 and 2.0-litre diesels, 2.0-litre petrol and a range-topping 2.5-litre 220bhp five-cylinder petrol turbo. Later in the year, there'll also be a new 2.3-litre petrol and early in 2008, the Mondeo FFV will be available, with a 125bhp 1.8-litre engine capable of running on E85 bio-ethanol.

But Ford isn't stopping there. The Mondeo will eventually be equipped with an all-new 1.6-litre petrol turbo engine, which will eventually replace the conventional 2.0 and 2.3-litre petrol engines. It should produce between 120bhp and 160bhp, offer 2.0-litre performance but with economy and emissions equivalent to a small diesel.

Kia recalls Sedona

If you bought a Kia Sorento 4x4 since last November, better get down your Kia dealership fast; your airbag isn't working properly.

Kia has just issued a recall on all 856 Sorentos registered since November 2006, as the wiring for the aribag circuit has been found to be incorrect. Kia isn't saying exactly what the problem is, just that "The wiring to the Airbag Control Unit has been transposed on right hand drive vehicles built between May 4 2006 and March 28 2007. (The vehicles affected in Ireland are New Model Sorento registered from November 2006.)"

All the remedial work will be carried out free of charge.

Toyota to take on Smart

Rumour has it that Toyota is planning a small, cheap city car to rival the Smart ForTwo, and it could be on the road within the next 18 months.

This is in spite of the fact that Smart owners DaimlerChrysler had to work very hard indeed to keep the business case for Smart alive last year. The French-based micro-car builder had to dump its slow-selling ForFour and Roadster models, and abandon plans for a ForMore small SUV. The two-seat ForTwo city car is the last Smart standing.

But Toyota, like DaimlerChrysler, realises that the demand for small, CO2-efficient urban runarounds is likely to grow. According to insiders, the new city car would be based around the architecture of the Endo concept (above) and feature 3+1 seating; in other words, decent space for three adults (two up front, one in the back) with occasional space for a fourth. All seats would be adjustable to allow owners to juggle the available space for passengers or luggage, unlike the Smart which seats strictly two.

It's likely that the new car would share major components with the Yaris and Aygo, to keep the base price down to around the €10,000, although that could fall if the expected sub-100g/km CO2 rating earned it a discount on VRT when Irish car taxation rules change. Like Smart, there will probably be much scope for modifying and personalising the car.

If the Toyota board gives it the go-ahead, production and sales could start as early as 2009.