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Crashing the Pixar Motorama car show

The animated film studio Pixar sits behind newly aged brick walls on a sprawling campus in the East Bay that looks and seems a little like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, especially since you can't get inside. But we've been inside, and it is a pretty wonderful place. On July 12 Pixar's Jay Ward, guardian of the "Cars" franchise and all the wheeled wonders that entails, organized the latest Pixar Motorama, the greatest car show you'll never see.

Mercedes GLA goes subterranean

FOR SUV owners looking to test their cars’ off-road credentials, the obvious place to put them to the test probably isn’t nearly 200 metres underground. But that’s exactly where the new Mercedes GLA found itself as it descended into Winsford Rock Salt Mine, 620 feet beneath the Cheshire countryside. The working mine, which supplies much of the UK’s gritting salt for wintry roads, played host to four standard (apart from extra driving lights) GLA models, which were lowered down into the mine nose first before being let loose in the 130-mile network of tunnels.

BMW 9 Series Concept heading for Beijing Motor Show debut?

a BMW 9 Series Concept debut at beijing? We’ve only just had confirmation that a new BMW 7 Series SUV is on the way as BMW continues to push at both ends of their range, with the X7 aimed at the new Range Rover and Mercedes GL. Now it seems BMW are also looking to build a car that can take on the very high-end Mercedes S Class – especially the S Class Maybach when that arrives – and maybe scoop up a few sales from lower-end Rolls Royce and Bentley buyers.