Car News

Porsche has announced it is bringing an all-CFRP (carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic) wheel to market in 2018, debuting as an option on the current 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series. Each wheel weighs 8.6kg, which is 20 per cent lighter than the equivalent aluminium alloy version, but is also 20 per cent stronger – improving both acceleration and braking performance, according to Porsche.

Local pricing and specifications for the 2018 BMW M2 range have been announced this week, with the updated performance coupe gaining enhanced styling and technological features for the new model year. The update forms part of BMW's LCI program, or 'life-cycle impulse', which is the German car maker's term for a mid-life update. Tweaks to the wider 2 Series range were announced earlier in August.

The new BMW 8 Series is inching its way towards production, with the latest prototype spied sporting production-ready head- and tail-lights. The new range-topping coupe should look broadly similar to the 8 Series Concept unveiled at this year's Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Although the boot, flanks and doors all feature false body panels stapled on top of the real things, we expect the styling of the production car to be toned down significantly from the concept.

Ford has revealed patent drawings envisioning an autonomous-capable vehicle with removable driver controls - such as the steering wheel, instruments and pedals. The images allow for safety equipment like airbags to operate with or without the driver's controls in place, using sensors to detect whether these components are installed - therefore firing the appropriate airbags in either the steering wheel or dashboard.

A new value-packed model has arrived as part of the 2017 Mercedes-Benz C-Class range in the form of the new C200 Sport Edition. This newly-added version comes kitted out with plenty of additional extras over the regular entry-level petrol C-Class sedan model, yet with only a $4900 premium over the standard model, which lists at $61,900 plus on-road costs.