A1 to become Audi's most compact Quattro

Audi famously chopped more than a foot out of the wheelbase of the original Quattro coupe to make it a more agile rally car, creating the roadgoing 1984 Sport Quattro in the process. A similar cut and shut will clearly not be necessary for the latest car in the same lineage, the already very short A1 Quattro.

VW Up! to keep insurance costs down

Volkswagen’s smart new city car, the Up (or “up!” as VW would have it) will bring some semi-premium class to the lowest insurance group on the market (as well as a very silly name) when deliveries begin in March 2012.

Mini Roadster: looking good for the spring

BMW threw a party for members of the UK media last night, borrowing a spacious arched glasshouse in the shadow of London’s Canary Wharf for the occasion. And behind a set of discreet screening curtains, the production version of the Mini Roadster was revealed for the first time, ahead of the official unveiling at next month’s Detroit motor show.