Detroit motor show 2014: CAR’s A-Z guide

By the CAR editorial team Motor Shows 09 January 2014 14:00 Welcome to CAR's A-Z guide of the 2014 National American International Auto Show, better known as the Detroit motor show (or simply the NAIAS.) This year, the global automotive circus takes over Michigan's motor city from 13 – 16 January 2014, and sees the 'Big Three' automakers of America (Ford, GM and Chevrolet) lock horns with Europe's finest for show-stealing headlines. Mouth-watering debuts at this year's event include the BMW M3 and BMW M4, Corvette Z06, Lexus RC-F, and Mercedes GLA45 AMG. The new Porsche 911 Targa is also thought to be appearing.

Vauxhall VXR8 & SMART for-two CDI take MPG Marathon honours

Vauxhall VXR8 & SMART for-two CDI take MPG Marathon honours On the face of it, it’s reasonable to expect a car as small as the SMART for-two CDI to be capable of astonishing economy if driven in a certain way. And the ALD Automotive / Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon, run last week near Cirencester, proved exactly that, with a SMART driven by Mick Linford and co-driver Ella Flynn managing to use less than four gallons of diesel to cover the 370 mile route. That means the SMART fortwo CDI averaged 99.24mpg on the route on real roads, an improvement of 16 per cent on the official combined figure of 85.6.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ-400 released

Mitsubishi has released the fastest Evo in the UK market - the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ-400 And now it’s getting really serious. The 2.0 litre, turbocharged MIVEC engine in the FQ-400 will propel this four-door saloon to 60mph in around 3.7 seconds. That’s on a par with a Nisan GT-R, a Ferrari F430 and significantly quicker than an Aston Martin DBS.