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Ferrari 456: why Maranello is considering a V6 entry-level supercar

By Georg Kacher Motor Industry 25 August 2014 07:00 Ferrari is readying the next generation of supercars – and we’ve already reported how it’s about to start turbocharging the majority of its sports cars. But there’s another corner of Maranello’s R&D skunkworks which is developing V6 power for future sports cars. We do not have official confirmation yet, but intelligence indicates that the new twin-turbo V6 is a 2.9-litre unit, designed to be long-term street-legal and affordable in big growth markets such as China.

China to boost electric cars with 30% Government EV fleet

The BYD E6 EV (pictured) will benefit from China’s push on EVs The UK government has just announced its commitment to use electric cars for its own vehicles in an effort to boost the take-up of EVs, but China is going even further. China has ordered government officials to start buying electric cars (that means BEVs, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell cars) in a big way, with instructions that 30 per cent of government cars must fall in to the ‘New Energy’ category by 2017, and an even higher percentage going forward. The aim is to cut pollution, and China expects to have 5 million New Energy cars on the road by 2020 and it is urging it government agencies and some city governments to start buying New Energy vehicles from Chinese makers like BYD and SDAIC, but also instructing them to build more charging stations and supporting infrastructure.

2014 BMW X5 35d spotted high-altitude testing

BMW has dropped details on its next X5 SUV, but somehow a new model just feels more real once it's been spotted out and about during final shakedown testing. That's what happened here as eagle-eyed reader Todd H. caught up with a test-fleet 2014 BMW X5 35d diesel making the high-altitude test rounds in Colorado.