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Early Mercedes sells for £720,000

ONE OF the oldest surviving Mercedes cars has sold at auction for an astronomical fee. The Mercedes Simplex 28/32 HPs Phaeton eventually sold for £720,000 at the Coys auction house True Greats sale in London. Still in complete and roadworthy condition, the car was reported to be in superb, drivable condition before its sale, which was the first time it had been auctioned in its near-109-year life.

Lamborghini Urus SUV confirmed to arrive in 2017

The Urus will be VW Group’s lightest and quickest SUV – expected to best even the Porsche Cayenne Turbo – and will be built on VW’s new large SUV platform – the same platform that will underpin the Bentley Falcon SUV, Audi Q7 (and Audi Q9) and Porsche Cayenne – and will use a forged carbon composite structure from the central tunnel to the rear suspension to save weight. Power for the Urus is expected to come from the twin-turbo V8 we’ve already seen in the Bentley Continental GT and Audis, producing something in the region of 600bhp and perhaps even more if Lamborghini add a hybrid option to throw some electric assistance at the V8′s 600 horses. It seems likely the Urus concept will remain largely unchanged for production, although we could see some toning down of its more extreme elements, as Lamborghini look to add 3,000 sales a year to their annual total when the Urus hits showrooms.

Kia Picanto three-door (2011): first pictures

Kia is launching a three-door version of the Picanto for the first time. The new entry-level supermini arrives in showrooms on 1 September 2011, priced from £7795. It's a wedgy, attitudinal hatch designed to broaden the appeal of the Picanto.