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SEAT is continuing its relentless 2010 new product offensive with another stylish and svelte newcomer to the Ibiza range. The Ibiza ST is the third silhouette to join the Spaniards’ supermini line-up and significantly expands SEAT’s presence in this important market segment. The new arrival from Martorell debuts with no fewer than five modern engines and an extensive array of equipment and new technologies. SEAT’s renowned design team, led by Luc Donckerwolke, has taken the highly functional concept of the Ibiza ST and clad it in the Spanish brand’s unique design language.  Despite the estate layout and generous load capacity the newcomer retains the youthful, sporty character of the rest of the Ibiza range.

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As the first examples of the scalp-bronzing Audi R8 Spyder head for the UK to enliven spring 2010, two rather more knuckle-whitening versions of the celebrated Audi supercar are preparing to compete in the 2010 FIA GT3 European Championships in the hands of a new home-grown racing team. The latest R8 road car is based on the 525PS, 5.2-litre FSI model, but features a bespoke body incorporating additional weight-saving carbon fibre composite panels as well as the all-important fully automatic lightweight fabric hood. Good for a 4.1-second 0-62mph sprint and a top speed of 197mph, the R8 Spyder is available to order in the UK now in six-speed manual and six-speed R tronic automated manual forms priced at £111,955 OTR and £117,155 OTR.

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With its fourth-generation Haldex clutch four-wheel drive, the new Skoda Superb Estate 4×4 offers award winning comfort and safety, whatever the weather. Available with 1.8 TSI 160bhp and 3.6 V6 260bhp petrol engines as well as the 2.0 TDI CR 170bhp diesel, the Superb Estate 4×4 can tackle the sort of slippery conditions that would leave its two-wheel drive competitors stranded.  The system transfers torque to whichever wheels have the most traction by taking signals from the ABS sensors, greatly increasing driving safety in the type of snowy and icy conditions that have gripped the UK this winter.

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Continuing the relentless product offensive that in 2009 helped SEAT to an all-time record UK market share of 1.50% (source: SMMT) the sporty Spanish car maker is starting 2010 with yet more exciting new models. First among these and sure to pique the interest of style- and cost-conscious drivers alike comes an important addition to the Ibiza range in the shape of the Ibiza FR TDI, available in either sporty SC or practical 5dr bodystyles with prices starting at just £16,465 RRP. Available to order now at SEAT dealerships nationwide with deliveries set to begin in March, the diesel-powered extension to the already impressive Ibiza FR offering underlines SEAT’s commitment to the burgeoning diesel hot hatch class.

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Audi is showing an uncompromising purist compact sports car with all-electric drive at the first major auto show of 2010. The Detroit showcar Audi e-tron is the name of this 3.93 metre long and 1.78 metre wide but just 1.22 metre tall two-seater; just a few months after the debut of the Audi e-tron at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, this is now the second electric concept vehicle from the brand with the four rings. Coupled with the Detroit showcar Audi e-tron’s low gross weight of around only 1,350 kilograms, high-torque power units driving the rear wheels guarantee commensurate road performance. Two electric motors with a combined output of 204PS and 2,650 Nm (1954.54 lb-ft) accelerate the coupe with ASF-design aluminium body from 0 to 62mph in just 5.9 seconds. The Audi e-tron accomplishes the sprint from 37mph to 75mph (60 to 120 km/h) in a mere 5.1 seconds.

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Volkswagen has unveiled the New Compact Coupé, a concept that delivers the seemingly contradictory mix of a petrol-engined, practical, performance-orientated coupé with extraordinary economy and sub-100 g/km CO2 emissions. The New Compact Coupé, unveiled for the first time at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, is capable of delivering economy and performance at the same time thanks to the adoption of a highly efficient 1.4-litre TSI engine developing 150 PS and 177 lbs ft of torque linked to a seven-speed DSG gearbox and an electric motor powered by a lithium ion battery.  The electric motor, which generates 27 PS, can either work independently of the engine to make the New Compact Coupé a Full Hybrid or in tandem to provide a useful boost for overtaking.

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Bentley Motors, the only ultra-luxury manufacturer with a stand alone display at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, pulled the wraps off the all-new Bentley Mulsanne flagship sedan and ‘Series 51′ designer edition of the Continental GTC convertible during the vehicles’ first motor show debut in The Americas. The new Mulsanne, designed and engineered at Crewe from the ground-up, reaffirms the marque’s intent to create a new flagship Bentley with refined performance and unparalleled levels of luxury with the coach building elegance for which the marque has long been renowned. The Series 51 Continental GTC represents Bentley exterior and interior styling at its most vibrant and will enable customers to order ‘off the peg’ from an exclusive range created by Dirk van Braeckel’s renowned team of Crewe-based designers.

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A new, ultra-efficient version of the Audi A3 1.6 TDI – already the most economical premium sector car with the lowest CO2 output – is available to order from this week, extending the compact hatchback’s lead by paring back CO2 output even further to just 99g/km and boosting combined economy to up to 74.3mpg. This exceptional frugality is available in one specific A3 configuration – the three-door body style equipped to Standard specification – priced at £18,005 OTR. All other variations of the 1.6 TDI continue to offer the class-leading combination of 68.9mpg potential and 109g/km CO2 output. The key elements responsible for the efficiency gains in the most focused 1.6 TDI to date include a modified final drive ratio for the standard five-speed manual transmission, a reduced ride height, under-body revisions to reduce aerodynamic drag and the use of slightly smaller 15-inch alloy wheels shod with low rolling resistance tyres.

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Vorsprung durch Technik will come to the fore yet again in 2010 as exciting new technological advances make their debut in the new Audi A8, not least of which being the option of Google information services channelled to the new luxury flagship via the internet. The state-of-the-art online services allow the new A8 to retrieve up-to-date information from the internet via an optional integrated GPRS/EDGE modem in the latest generation MMI navigation plus. The user can search online with Google for points-of-interest directly from within the MMI, the versatile search engine accepting such free text search queries as "delicatessen" or "shoe boutique". The results are then displayed on the onboard map or used as destinations for route calculation. A8 customers can also plan their navigation destinations in Google Maps or the Audi web portal at home or in the office and retrieve these on demand in the car.

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SEAT is getting straight to the ‘point’ with a cheeky new advertising campaign which appears online, on TV and across the printed media from 19 December. The dramatic new ads see SEAT put a typically irreverent spin on the classical legend of Cupid, with a winged archer flying above the stunning new SEAT Ibiza Cupra and targeting people as they see the car for the first time. The heart-shaped arrows he fires cause everyone who sees the car to fall in love with it ‘ a natural reaction, of course, that’s already happening in SEAT showrooms across the country.

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