Car News

Welcome to the CarAdvice.com News Desk, a regular video wrap of the latest happenings in the automotive world and Australia's new-car market. Keeping you in the loop, Tegan Lawson presents a weekly video from the CarAdvice Garage,with everything you need to know about the week in news and reviews. What happened in the week ending December 16, 2016? Catch our video above, and links to the full stories below. THE WEEK IN NEWS:

The BMW X7 has been spied undergoing testing ahead of its sales debut in 2018. Although we can see the overall shape and size of the X7, we can't make out too many of its finer styling details as BMW has fitted false body panels to the fenders, doors and bonnet of this prototype. We can see, though, that the new SUV will feature a set of tall kidney grilles. When it goes on sale, the X7 will be pitched into battle against the Mercedes-Benz GLS and Range Rover, amongst others.

The motorsport-themed BMW M4 DTM Champion Edition has been confirmed for the Australian market this week, with only 10 of the 200 global units allocated to our market. Essentially another version of the limited-edition M4 GTS launched earlier this year, the M4 DTM is even more exclusive, and celebrates the company's 2016 drivers' championship win in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM).

Authorities in the US state of Michigan have passed a package of automaker-backed bills that will allow autonomous vehicles to drive on public roads without steering wheels or pedals. According to a new report by the US's Fortune, Michigan's Governor, Rick Snyder, passed the legislation in an effort to re-establish the state as the leader in driverless vehicle development.

The new-generation 2017 Subaru Impreza has been named the Japanese car of the year for 2016-2017. It's the second time one of the brand's models has received the award in its home country, with the other title won by the Liberty (known in Japan and the US as the Legacy) in 2003.