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Mini nears big sales record

BMW's Mini brand will reach an all-time sales record this year, BMW sales and marketing chief Ian Robertson said. BMW sold 132,000 Minis in the first half. "If you double the half-year total, you aren't far off results for the year," Robertson told Automotive News Europe.

Guess Jethro's lap time and win a £550 Suunto watch

CAR journo Jethro Bovingdon drove the Lotus Exige 260 Cup around the track at Lotus HQ in Hethel, Norfolk, for a story in the new August 2010 issue of CAR Magazine, out on 21 July. But how fast was he in the latest track-day tool of choice?If you can correctly guess Jethro's lap time, you could win this brilliant Suunto Elementum Ventus watch. It's worth £550 and is yours to keep if you come up with the nearest time to Jethro's fastest lap.The 260 Cup is a £45,950 slice of Lotus: a beefed-up, supercharged and super light at 890kg coupé version of the Elise, honed and fettled for track action.

BMW, Daimler experiment with upscale rent-by-the-ride

Two European luxury brands are tiptoeing into car sharing, a radical move for carmakers whose business for the past 100 years has been selling to individuals. German archrivals Daimler AG and BMW AG have launched sharing programs. The automakers say the move was prompted by changing attitudes about car ownership, especially among young buyers, and increased urban congestion.