The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is holding meetings that could put the hammer down on getting more zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) on the road – or so it seems at first glance.

CARB, which always looks far down the road, is discussing how it will change the ZEV program that concerns model year 2018 vehicles and beyond. The proposal (PDF, but watch out: it’s 670 pages that are not searchable!) could force automakers to add half a million pure electric or fuel cell vehicles and another 900,000 plug-in hybrids by 2025, writes The New York Times. Overall, CARB’s proposal would increase the market segment of advanced clean cars from four percent in 2025 to 15 percent in the future. CARB is also asking for more hydrogen stations to be built. Read more »

For 2012, the funky little Nissan Note is getting some upgrading for its top two trims, the oddly named Acenta and N-TEC+, while the Note lineup itself is getting some downsizing. Outside, the Acenta sits on 16-inch wheels now and gets “chrome-effect” caps on the side-view mirrors and around the front fog lights. Inside, items like climate control and automatic headlights are standard, as is a blue cross-stitching on the seats for “a more premium feel.”

Above that, in the UK, the new N-TEC+ trim is now the top-of-the-line model, as the former top-tier Tekna is going away. The N-TEC+ gets rear parking sensors, privacy glass and Nissan’s “Connect” touch-screen satellite navigation.
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Love it or hate it, the automotive industry of today is not lacking for its exercises in reviving old nameplates. The trend ranges from Mini to Maybach, from Dodge Dart to Dodge Challenger. And the French are certainly not immune. Citroën revived its fabled DS moniker for a range of premium hatchbacks, and Renault – most of all – has been mulling bringing back the Alpine for years now.

Arguably just as central to Renault’s performance heritage as the recently revived Gordini line, Alpine made mid-engined sportscars with Renault mechanicals starting in the 1950s and discontinued four decades later. Its most famous model, however, was the A110 (pictured above), which is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. And if a new report from Autocar is accurate, Renault has no intention of letting the occasion slip by unnoticed. Read more »

The turn of the year didn’t merely lead us into the Year of the Dragon, but also the year of the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque. Halewood’s small softroader won a boodle of awards: Autoweek’s Best of the Best, Top Gear magazine’s and Jeremy Clarkson’s choice for Car of the Year, Motor Trend magazine’s SUV of the Year and the North American Truck of the Year. For starters. Consumer Reports, however, isn’t as swayed, saying that the new BMW X3 “handily outpointed its European rival” in a head-to-head between the two compact luxury crossovers.

We expect there’s an Evoque out there with a sore backside because CR did not spare the rod, saying the Evoque scored near the bottom of its category because of “a cramped cabin, stiff ride, artificial-feeling steering and troubling emergency handling.” On top of that, its “rear view is poor,” its “cargo area is small” and its interior is “noisy” albeit “well finished,” and was outdone by the X3′s “lavish interior.” The baby Land Rover finished so far in the hole that CR couldn’t give the vehicle its coveted Recommend rating.
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It’s that time of year, ladies and gents, when Formula One teams begin unveiling their new cars for the upcoming season. But while top teams like Ferrari and McLaren usually compete for the first slot, this time it’s Caterham that has beat them all to the punch by revealing its new CT01.

Caterham, as you may recall, is the new name of what was known until now as Team Lotus, a name which has now been reclaimed from the Malaysian outfit that was using it through a contentious licensing agreement by the British automaker and engineering consultancy (which has now taken over the team formerly known as Renault). Got all that?
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Rumors of BMW M launching a diesel model have been circulating for over a year, and confirmation has finally arrived in the form of not one, not two, but four M-fettled oil-burners, each sporting all-wheel drive and the oft-rumored tri-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six. And before you get excited, none of them are slated for sale in the U.S. – this is a Euro-only affair.

So with that unfortunate fact out of the way, let’s get to the details.

The new M models come in the form of the M550d xDrive sedan, M550d xDrive touring, X5 M50d and X6 M50d. Each makes use of a 3.0-liter inline-six common-rail diesel with the aforementioned trio of turbos specifically developed for the M Performance range. Output is rated at 376 horsepower at 4,000 rpm and 545 pound-feet of torque available from 2,000 to 3,000 revs. If you’re keeping track at home, that’s a bump of 80 hp and 103 lb-ft over the 535d and 74 hp and 103 lb-ft more than the 3.0-liter mill fitted to the diesel X5 and X6.
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BMW, which still insists on using the term Sports Activity Coupe to describe its least practical ‘ute, has updated its X6 for the 2013 model year. And with good reason – BMW says it has sold over 20,000 X6 crossovers in the States since its launch three years ago and over 150,000 worldwide, making it an important model for the German automaker.

First and foremost, the 2013 X6 offers available power from both the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline six and 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 through its M Performance Package (which is not the same thing as the X6M that carries on for 2013 with its 555-horsepower V8 and six-speed automatic transmission).
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