Northstar Ns3300 Autopilot Compass on 2040-parts.com

BMW leads Audi, Mercedes-Benz in June global luxury-sales race

BMW AG's core brand topped rivals Audi and Mercedes-Benz, selling 134,432 cars worldwide in June, a rise of 12.3 percent over 2010 figures, the company said today. Mercedes sold a record 120,510 units in June, a rise of 6.4 percent, topping Audi, which saw June sales grew 19 percent to 117,650 cars last month. BMW brand's global deliveries, boosted by sales of the new 5-series sedan and X3 SUV, rose 17.8 percent to 689,861 units in the first six months of the year, ahead of Audi's 17.7 percent rise to 652,950 cars.

CAR interviews Le Mans-winner Allan McNish

The 2010 Le Mans Series reaches its climactic finale at Silverstone on September 10-12 when the gruelling 1000km of Silverstone race takes place. And CAR has some fabulous money-cannot-buy tickets to give away – including full VIP hospitality and pit walks – that will get you into the new Silverstone circuit and up close with the cars and the drivers. Click here to see the competition prizes Not only is the race set to be a nail-biting end to a thrilling season, but it will also act as the curtain-raiser for the new Intercontinental Le Mans Cup that will see the teams visit Road Atlanta in America for the Petit Le Mans, and a six-hour race at Zhuhai in China. The Silverstone round is going to be an epic race, which is why we caught up with Le Mans winner Allan McNish for the lowdown on tackling the new layout at Silverstone and the thrill of driving the formidable Audi R15 TDI Plus. CAR: What it’s really like pedalling the Audi R15?

Nissan 370Z Nismo cost £36,995 & rest of 370Z range gets a price cut

The extra bang you get from the Nismo isn’t that great – it gets just 13bhp more than the regular 370Z – but it does get tweaked suspension, brakes and a sports exhaust as well as a rather OTT body kit. The body kit may be a bit too brash for many tastes, but Nissan do say it gives the 370Z levels of downforce that rival the GT-R, so when your neighbours laugh at your Halfords-esque 370Z you can tell them it’s all about the go and not the show. We’re sure they’ll believe you.