Autoblog UK

Formula One continues to make the headlines. Mercedes are taking over a majority holding in championship-winning Brawn GP and will be lining up on the 2010 grid under their own name. In a telephone conference today (Monday 16th November), Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche announced that Mercedes will have their own team from the start of the 2010 season. It will contest next year's Formula One championship under the soubriquet of Mercedes Grand Prix. The Stuttgart-based automotive giant are taking a 75.1% share in the team that Ross Brawn rescued in a management buyout in March of this year following Honda's decision to quit the sport. Mercedes will be purchasing 45.1 percent themselves and a further 30 percent indirectly via Daimler shareholder Aabar. At the same time, former F1 partners McLaren will be buying back Mercedes' 40% holding over the next two years but still continue to use them as a supplier of engines.

Two cars shared this year's eco prize – the Toyota Prius and the VW Blue Motion. Toyota's most fuel efficient hybrid car and Volkswagen's world-beating fuel economy car took the honours for this award, which has been in existence for only three years. The two winners beat the other finalists, the Ford Mondeo LPG, the Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid and the Smart Car2Go, to the prize.

The Lexus LFA is to make its long-awaited debut at the Tokyo Motor Show. Built by Toyota's luxury subsidiary Lexus, the LFA is intended to set a new benchmark for Japanese super sports cars. In Japan, of course, the main competitor is Nissan, but in Europe, they plan to cock a snook at the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini. The LFA has been ten years in the making. The result is a supercar powered by a high-revving 4.8L V10 engine capable of delivering 540 horsepower and a top speed of 200mph (325 km/h). Particularly impressive is its performance over the 0 to 62mph sprint – a mere 3.7 seconds. The production run will extend to only 500 units and purchasers will need to be patient, because only 20 of these hand-built cars will leave the factory gates each month. The LFA weighs in at just 1,480 kilos and has a price tag of 375,000 euros.

The Lotus Exige has developed a certain cult status amongst a dedicated fan base because it transfers the technology of the racetrack to the ordinary highway. In the new Lotus special edition Exige Scura, the British constructor has shown that its cars also have a wicked streak. Only 35 Scuras are to be built. They will have a matt black finish with glossy black go-faster stripes down the side. The visual impression is further accentuated by components made of dark carbon fibre. This diminutive yet aggressive-looking Lotus is powered by a 260bhp engine capable of propelling the less than one-tonne lightweight from 0 to 62mph in 4.1 seconds. The vehicle is beautiful in a spine-chilling sort of way and is sure to raise a few goose pimples at the forthcoming Tokyo Motor Show.

As early as the seventh race out of 17 inked in on the 2009 F1 calendar, all the experts had concluded that Jenson Button had the title in the bag. The Brawn GP driver had already accumulated 61 out of a possible 70 points and established an apparently unassailable lead in the standings. In the eight races that followed, though, the Englishman's points haul was a meagre 24; in fact, his performance during this period was measurably inferior to no fewer than five other drivers: Sebastian Vettel, Rubens Barrichello, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Räikkönen and Mark Webber. But in the Brazilian GP at Interlagos, Button finally snuffed out the hopes of the chasing pack by picking up the decisive few points to clinch not only the drivers' championship for himself but also wrap up the constructors' title for Team Principal Ross Brawn. As F1 champion elect, he can now enjoy the grand finale to the season at the new circuit in Abu Dhabi. Recipe for success for the 29-year-old was the reliability of his car and consistently finishing amongst the points: the Belgian Grand Prix was the only one from which he went home empty-handed. Congratulations from autoblog, Jenson!

Lexus unveiled a world first at the Frankfurt Motor Show: a full-hybrid premium compact model. According to the Japanese upmarket constructor, the Lexus Future Concept hybrid (LF-Ch for short) lays down a clear marker concerning their resolve to get a foothold in the European compact segment. Up to now, Lexus have been active only in the US market with an extensively modified Toyota Prius. The LF-Ch, which appeared in Frankfurt only as a prototype, offers clear insight into the direction that Lexus design will be taking in the future.

At the IAA, the British luxury carmaker Aston Martin is exhibiting the Rapide, which is to be released next year. The car certainly lives up to its name: under the bonnet of the four-door hatchback nestles a 6.0L, twelve-cylinder engine rated at 477bhp. The new Aston Martin will sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 5.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 190mph (303 km/h). The Rapide is almost 30cm longer than the DB9 Coupe and affords a lot of space for four people. Due to the car's sporty lines, the boot compartment is a little on the small side at only 303 litres. Aston Martin has done a fine job of combining the performance of a thoroughbred sports car with the luxury of a top-of-the-range four-seater at a cost of around 180,000 euros, £162,500. The Aston Martin Rapide is aimed squarely at competing with the Porsche Panamera and the Maserati Quattroporte.

No fewer than 53 press conferences were held on the first day of the Frankfurt Motor Show, one of which proved so popular that they almost had to lock the doors of the Frankfurt Festival Hall. Fifty camera teams were on hand at the Mercedes-Benz press gathering to record the moment when the latest supercar from Affalterbach would be driven onto the stage – the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. For AMG boss Volker Mornhinweg, it was an emotional moment which left him struggling for words: "The whole team has been working really hard on this project for the past three years, so it's just a fantastic feeling to be presenting the vehicle to a worldwide audience here at the Frankfurt Motor Show. I won't try to hide just how proud we are of what we have achieved."

Since 11am on Tuesday, the red SLS AMG has been the centre of attention in the Mercedes hall. Camera crews have been queuing up to film the car from inside and outside, while photographers have been prostrating themselves to capture the full visual effect of the distinctive front end or chunky rear. The SLS is a real beauty. So much so that even Daimler CEO Dieter got a little carried away when the supercar rolled onto the stage shrouded in mist and illuminated by flashing cameras: "For someone like me who has petrol flowing in their veins, the fascination of a vehicle such as this is quite irresistible. It's a fantastic new product that obviously fills me with immense pleasure and pride: I also think it has been attractively presented." If you're one of those people for whom the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is a must-have, you're in for a long wait: the first SLS isn't due for delivery until 27th March 2010.

Obviously, the cars are the real stars of the Frankfurt Motor Show. The visitors have already chosen their favourite in the shapely form of the Mercedes SLS AMG. But what's at Number Two? We'll find out in the next few days. Until then, we have the opportunity to eye up the models that many visitors are secretly more interested in – the glamorous girls whose charm and looks enhance the beauty of the vehicles on display.

BMW has launched yet another SUV to join the X3 and the X5. At first glance you might not know it is the new BMW, as it looks so like the X3. In fact, the X1 has a wheelbase just 3.5 cm shorter than the "larger" car. The plan is that the next X3 will grow in size to give the X3 a bit more room but, in the meantime, the X1 and X3 look like they are competing with each other. However the X1 18d is a rather tempting £4,000 less than the X3 18d.
The other issue with the X1 is perceived quality. A few people had already questioned the interior, so we took a close look. As well as a rather spartan dashboard, it was noticeable that some of the interior plastics felt a bit thin. Around the centre console, a moderate press with a finger produced rather more movement than you would expect.