New CAFE proposal would add $5,000 to sticker price, dealer group says

An Obama administration proposal to nearly double today's fuel economy standards could end up tacking on $5,000 to the sticker price of a new vehicle, a top official with the National Automobile Dealers Association said Tuesday. The proposal, which seeks to raise the corporate average fuel economy to 54.5 mpg by the 2025 model year, would force automakers to adopt costly fuel-saving technologies that could eventually price some buyers out of the new-car market, said Don Chalmers, chairman of NADA's government relations committee. NADA, a dealer trade association, represents 16,000 new-vehicle dealers who operate 32,500 franchises.

Mercedes R-class facelift (2010) first official pictures

This is the facelifted Mercedes R-class, unveiled today at the 2010 New York auto show.  It lives, and in the UK the new model will only be available as an entry level, rear-drive R300 CDI and a top-spec, long-wheelbase R350 CDI. The R300 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY 2WD (to give this big beast its full name) is 7% more efficient than before but still offers the same power and performance. The more snappily titled R350 CDI 4MATIC is also more economical (its 33.2mpg bettering its predecessor by 2.8mpg) but also more powerful, with outputs of 261bhp and 457ft up from 218bhp and 376lb ft.

Rolls Royce Wraith interior first photos & RR V16 Roadster planned

We have the first interior photos of the Rolls Royce Wraith Coupe, and RR seem to be planning a V16 Roadster for 2017. This tease from RR on the Wraith is a pair of interior photos that don’t give away much, but do show the levels of elegance RR is working in to the Wraith, despite its sporting pretensions. We get a photo of the clock in the Wraith, a simple analogue white face with Blood Orange needle tips,  a chrome bezel, Piano Black surround all housed in a chrome plate with ‘WRAITH’ and ‘RR’ prominently displayed.