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FIAT

Jenson Button’s...

Jenson Button’s hopes of F1 success have been boosted with the launch of a multi-million-pound wind tunnel at his Honda team’s HQ in Brackley, Northants. Opened last week by Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling, the facility (image) can recreate track speeds of up to 180mph. It will help technicians in their quest for straight-line pace.



Following the Punto-based...

Following the Punto-based X1/99 concept seen at March"s Geneva Motor Show, the new two-door signals Fiat"s intent to corner the sports car market again. Along with its eye-catching body, the coup탩 - dubbed the Sportiva Latina - is a launch pad for some advanced electronic systems.


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Not only did it reveal...

Not only did it reveal its new BMW M3-rivalling IS-F, but the covers were also pulled off the next evolution of the LF-A supercar concept.

New Technologies

It"s the car you wouldn"t...

It"s the car you wouldn"t want to be driving in an accident, if the shocking pictures in this week"s mag are anything to go by.

The pictures show the Chery QQ, China"s copycat Chevrolet Matiz, being put through its European crash test paces. And, as these chilling images illustrate, the impact on UK drivers could be fatal if the city car was imported here.

The vehicle looks as if it"s managed a low or no-point score as it was independently tested for front and side impact using crash dummies. The pictures clearly reveal that the engine bay crumple zone has completely collapsed and the front wheel has been forced back into the footwell. As a result, the model"s legs have been crushed.

It"s not the first Chinese lookalike to fail Europe"s stringent safety standards, either. In Issue 877, we reported how JiangLing"s Landwind, a Vauxhall Frontera copy, scored zero in crash tests by ADAC, Germany"s equivalent of the AA.

Both cars raise concerns over build quality on future MG Rover-badged models, which would be assembled by Chinese owner Nanjing and may be imported to the UK from the Far East.

A Chevrolet spokesman told us: "The QQ results are horrific. China clearly isn"t ready to sell cars in Europe." After complaining about copyright infringement, Chevy"s parent firm GM made an out-of-court settlement with Chery which agreed not to sell the QQ outside China.




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