Nurburgring sold to German parts maker Capricorn Group for £83.5 million

The Nurburgring has been saved from bankruptcy The Nurburgring complex in Germany – home to many a car makers test centre and beloved of wannabe racers – has been saved from bankruptcy with an £83.5 million deal. German parts maker Capricorn Group have stumped up over £83.5 million to buy the Nurburgring complex which includes the famous 13 mile North Loop Track as well as the Grand Prix Circuit and have committed to spending and additional £21 million to further develop and improve the site. The Nurburgring track fell in to bankruptcy back in 2012, and it looked for a while as if the whole thing could be closed down, but bids from Capricorn Group and one other have saved the day, with Capricorn winning out with the bigger bid.

East meets West at NDE

Nissan opened the doors to its European design studios late last month, part of the Japanese automaker's first ever participation in the London Design Festival events in London, UK. Showcasing the works of 20 designers under the theme of 'East meets West: the cultural crossroads of creativity', the exhibition also included a ‘Pecha Kucha' event with presentations from a further six influential designers. Held in Nissan Design Europe's ground floor conference rooms, the exhibition presented pieces from artists and designers around the world working across various disciplines, including photography, Fine Arts, textiles, product design, fashion and ceramics.

Fiat Qubo gets eco:Drive

the Fiat Qubo is now being fitted with eco:Drive - Fiat's economy driving monitor But as all things ‘Eco’ are the name of the game at the moment (which we’re all in favour of – just don’t use ‘Man-Made Climate Change’ as the reason) Fiat are bolting on their eco:Drive system to the Qubo – but don’t worry it will shove the price up if you’re thinking of getting one – it’s a freebie. The Fiat eco-Drive started out with a launch on the Fiat 500 earlier in the year, and is now available on not just the 500, but the Grand Punto and the Bravo. Basically, it’s a USB stick that you plug in to the car which can then be read by software to tell you how badly you’re driving.