Dymag Vintage Magnesium Racing Wheel on 2040-parts.com

MINI miffed at Spy Photos of 2014 MINI Hatch

MINI has released their own ‘Spy’ shot of the 2014 MINI hatch (pictured above) The rise and rise of the internet in recent years has seen the once niche market for spy photos of unreleased cars go mainstream, and whether car makers like it or not they can be sure the moment they take their new pride and joy on the road it will be papped and online. Most unrevealed cars go out testing covered in swirly camouflage and padded add-ons to disguise shape and form, but this week a 2014 MINI hatch was snapped with no disguise at all, and it didn’t look great. It didn’t look great because the photo was taken from such a distance it distorted perspective and made the new MINI look a very odd shape.

German brands off to strong start in 2011

Robust U.S. car sales this year are helping drive German automakers to significant gains. The Volkswagen division did especially well in April, with 28,542 vehicles sold--a 23 percent increase from the year before.

Jaguar C-X75 supercar program halted

Jaguar has dropped plans to put the C-X75 hybrid-powered supercar into production, according to a report Tuesday by Autocar magazine in the UK. The reason is struggling economies around the world, the magazine said, citing Jaguar brand director Adrian Hallmark. Jaguar planned to launch the C-X75 next year and had partnered with the Williams Formula One team to help develop it.