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2012 European Car of the Year shortlist announced

The shortlist for the 2012 European Car of the Year award has been announced today. There were 35 cars on the original list, but the first round of voting from the 59 jury members (including CAR Magazine’s editor Phil McNamara, and our European correspondent Georg Kacher) has whittled the list down to just seven. They are… • Citroen DS5• Fiat Panda• Focus Focus• Opel (Vauxhall) Ampera/Chevrolet Volt• Range Rover Evoque• Toyota Yaris• Volkswagen Up There will now be a second round of test drives, before the European Car of the Year jurors submit their scores and a winner is announced live at the Geneva motor show on 5 March 2012.

2014 EyesOn Design Vehicle Categories Announced

The vehicle categories for this year's EyesOn Design exhibition have been announced. Each of the seventeen categories has been selected to complement the theme of this year's – 'Automotive design's influence on popular culture'. The organizers have chosen the theme and the cars on display to provoke 'a nostalgic reflection about cars that have, through their design, affected the popular culture of their day.'More than 250 vehicles will be shown, representing the following categories: 50th Anniversary of the GTO – celebrating 50 year's of Pontiac's muscle carClassic Era – high culture becomes pop culture, from the mid-20s to WW2 100 Years of Dodge – a century of survival and success storiesColor, Chrome and Fins – symbols of post-war American optimism 1964 New York World's Fair – 50-years on from the event in Queens 50th Anniversary of the Ford Mustang – the original pony car Tuners – the evolution of car personalization from 1967 to todayMuscle Cars – high horsepower straight from Detroit Working Class of 1928 – American car culture is born Pure Michigan – a celebration of some of the lesser-know makers from Flint, MI Personal Luxury Coupés – a look at the high-end mid-size coupés of the 1970s Movie & TV Cars – including four-wheeled stars from the big and small screenMaserati – highlights from 100 years of the Italian makerStock to Rock – standard models paired with their heavily customized twins Collector's Circle – supporting car collectors and their hobby Military Vehicles – from war-torn roads to off road heroesIndian Motorcycles – an enduring and endearing tribe founded back in 1897 This year's recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award – Peter Schreyer – will also receive his accolade at the event.

Seat Leon Cup Racer revealed

Volkswagen’s Spanish daughter company, Seat, has unveiled the new Leon Cup race car. Set to get a public airing at this week’s Woethersee fan meet in Austria, the new front-wheel drive hatchback runs a heavily tuned version of parent company Audi’s EA888 turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine developing about 325 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. In standard guise, drive is channeled through a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox.