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Mercedes launch new 9G-Tronic gearbox on E350 BlueTec

New Mercedes E350 BlueTec (pictured) gets 9-speed 9G-TRONIC auto It’s not exactly a million years ago that automatic gearboxes offered poorer performance and economy than manual gearboxes, and came as standard with just three gears. But now, automatic gearboxes are so good they can  change quicker than any driver and, with the proliferation of eight-speed auto ‘boxes, offer improved economy and performance too. The next logical step is even more ratios in an auto ‘box, and Land Rover has already revealed they’ll be fitting the Evoque with a 9-speed ZF ‘box from 2014, and the new Jeep Grand Cherokee gets a nine-speed auto ‘box too.

VW Up Taxi Concept (2010): first official pictures

Volkswagen has shown off its Up Taxi Concept at a special unveiling in London today. The Up Taxi is VW's vision of a quirky and environmental rival to the classic London black cab, the Hackney carriage, and offers a very good idea of what the Up will eventually look like. The concept has luxurious leather seats and big touchscreens in the front and rear.

Spy-Shot Bonanza

Below is a collection of reader-submitted spy shots. Frankly, we're stumped as to what these pictures show us, but speculation ranges from a BMW SUV in the first images, to a new BMW 7-series in the next set, to “your guess is as good as ours” for the last vehicle, caught testing in the Czech Republic. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to identify as many of the following images and report your guesses in the Comments section below.