Driven: BMW X3

The BMW X3 had the premium CUV market to itself when launched in 2004. Skip forward to the launch of the second generation and not only does the new version have a whole host of competitors for company, it also has to fit around its X1, X5 and X6 siblings. We took the 2011 BMW X3 (known internally as F25) to the Austrian Tyrol and spoke to its exterior designer, Erik Goplen, to find out if it still has the segment covered.

Is Mercedes preparing to buy Ducati?

Remember the AMG-Ducati deal made at the 2010 Los Angeles auto show last month? A partnership of like-minded brands, albeit on two wheels and four. Daimler marketing types reckon that buyers of its AMG go-faster cars could in many instances be equally interested in go-faster motorbikes of the sort Ducati specialise in, and vice versa.

2012 Porsche Carrera & Carrera S Cabriolet revealed

2012 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet It’s only five minutes since the 2012 Porsche 911 arrived – well, Frankfurt in September – but already we’ve got the reveal of the 2012 Porsche 911 Cabriolet in Carrera and Carrera S guises, ahead of a debut at Detroit in January 2012. The stand-out feature of the 911 Cabrio – over and above the stand out features of the 2012 911 – is its new trick folding soft-top. Porsche has designed a new folding roof for the 2012 Cabriolet, which features a fabric-skinned composite panel for the top and back bits of the roof and magnesium in the frame, giving a much smoother appearance than a traditional folding roof.