Taking the stage at...
Taking the stage at this month"s Shanghai Motor Show was a new four-door version of the Aveo small family car. Codenamed T250, it won"t go on sale in the UK - but three and five-door hatchback variants will arrive here late next year. Aveo is the name given to the Kalos in overseas markets, and we"ve discovered it"s likely to feature in British showrooms, too. A company insider told us: "We said when we transformed the brand from Daewoo we would carry over existing model names, but as cars are replaced we would move to Chevrolet ones.
It makes its debut at...
It makes its debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show this week, and Auto Express already has the inside line on Nissanò€™s new Z-car.
This is the best look yet at the cabin of the 370Z. Itò€™s an evolution of the current modelò€™s dashboard, with a sleeker centre console thatò€™s topped off with three large dials. Nissan will be keen to improve cabin quality ò€“ the 350Z was heavily criticised for its poor plastics.
There are further improvements under the bonnet. In comes a 3.7-litre V6 engine with 332bhp, which is 26bhp more than its predecessor. The unit gets a new variable valve control system, which is said to improve throttle response.
Nissan has made some big changes to the transmission, too, as European models come with the option of an automatic gearbox for the first time. There have also been some neat tweaks made to the six-speed manual. It is now capable of blipping the throttle automatically when a downshift is made, which smooths out the gearchanges.
Sales of the 370Z start early next year.