Car News

A female-only motorsport championship dubbed the W Series will kick off in May next year, aimed at narrowing the gender gap in the male-dominated world of motorsport. The last woman to compete for championship points in Formula 1 was Lella Lombardi. She raced in 1976, and was just the second female driver in the sport's history, Six half-hour races will take place throughout Europe when the W Series gets rolling, with events in Australia, America and Asia on the cards down the road.

This could be your first look at the all-new Lexus IS, thanks to a pair of speculative renderings recently published in Japanese media and posted online by Arabic publication, Almuraba. According to the report, these images were created by Japanese artists given an early look at the new IS by Lexus. Going by the artist's impression, the next-generation sedan is in line for a massive makeover.

BMW and Brilliance have just signed an extension to their joint venture operations in China, with the new contract seeing the two automakers working together until 2040. As part of the contract renewal, BMW will grow its stake in the joint venture from 50 to 75 per cent. When this change occurs is unclear, as the move still needs to be approved by Brilliance's shareholders and the Chinese authorities.

Students at Clemson University in South Carolina, USA, have developed a 447kW Honda Civic racer dubbed Deep Orange 9. The concept is part of an annual project for graduate students at the American university, which has seen cars like the Mini Deep Orange 7 and Mazda Deep Orange 3 developed.

German manufacturer Opel and its British sister Vauxhall have committed to no less than eight all-new or refreshed models before 2020, with a focus on growth segments. Of these eight models, three will be all-new versions of the Corsa light hatch, Vivaro van, and the successor to the Mokka X small crossover, the former two scheduled for launch next year, while the latter will hit the European market in 2020.