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This year, the judges bestowed the awards on the Kia Sportage compact CUV and Kia Optima sedan. The new mid-size Kia Optima sedan was also awarded the 2011 red dot “best of the best” title.

These latest wins bring the number of Kia models to receive a Red Dot award to four — with the Kia Venga winning in 2010 and the Kia Soul in 2009. The Kia Optima and the new Sportage also won 2011 iF product design awards in December.

Happenings

Kia Wins Two Red Dot Design Awards

IN Kia, Optima, K5, Magentis, Sportage, Red Dot, Awards, 2011

Kia Motors was awarded top honours in two categories at this year’s Red Dot product design competition in Germany.

The Crossfire's striking exterior is the epitome of Chrysler's corporate styling DNA, sharing traits that can be found on the PT Cruiser. One particular highlight of the car is its central spine which runs from the front bumper, via the grille running all the way through the long bonnet, roof line and into the rear bumper - a signature design of the Crossfire that has worked to great visual effect.

Readers' Rides

Caught In A... | Chrysler Crossfire

IN Chrysler, Daimler, Crossfire, SLK

A stunning looking car that looks gorgeous from any angle, the Chrysler Crossfire has certainly won Susan and Mark over. But why?

This will be the first visit to the circuit by an FIA GT Championship, with the GT1 World Championship joining the highly successful ADAC Masters Weekend, which is one of the most popular national GT events on the German motorsport calendar, attracting over 32,000 spectators in 2010.

Motorsports

Sachsenring To Host German Round Of The FIA GT1 World Championship

IN Sachsenring, Germany, FIA, GT1

The German round of the FIA GT1 World Championship has been confirmed and will take place at the 3.6km Sachsenring circuit, the home of the German MotoGP event, from 13 to 15 May 2011.

After a highly successful first season, the 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship will begin as it did in 2010, in Abu Dhabi at the end of March. As well as the event in the United Arab Emirates, the events in Algarve, Silverstone, Navarra, Paul Ricard and San Luis are all carried over from the inaugural season. The four new tracks on the 2011 calendar include Zolder (Belgium), Sachsenring (Germany) and Curitiba (Brazil), with the GT1 World Championship heading into new territory in September with a race in China, at the Ordos International Circuit.

Motorsports

China And Russia Added To The FIA GT Championships for 2011

IN China, Russia, FIA, GT1, GT3

The 2011 calendars for the FIA GT1 World and GT3 European Championships have been announced by the FIA World Motor Sport Council with two new events in key markets for luxury and sports car manufactur

The main factors assessed in the Safety category are the availability of active and passive safety systems and the degree to which vehicles are fitted with these systems as standard without any surcharge. Mercedes-Benz took first place in this category. The Product Strength/Vehicle Quality category incorporates the results of 500 recent vehicle tests, includes those of external safety organizations such as the TÃœV and DEKRA reports and of the ADAC breakdown statistics. Mercedes-Benz also did outstandingly well in this category.

Happenings

ADAC AutoMarxX: Mercedes-Benz Is GermanyÂ´s Strongest Brand

IN ADAC AutoMarxX, Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is most successful brand since the introduction of AutoMarxX, capturing first place a total of 12 times.

Since it was inaugurated in 1953, the iF Product Design Award has been a trademark distinction bestowed on exceptional design. As an internationally recognised “seal of approval”, the iF label honours outstanding design achievements and as such provides a platform for companies to submit their products for a professional assessment of their design quality by an international panel of experts. The 2011 award attracted a total of 2,756 products submitted by 1,121 participants from 43 countries, all vying for the prestigious prize. In the Transportation Design category, the BMW 5 Series Sedan and BMW 5 Series Touring managed to sway the judges. This means that both models have qualified for the contest to win the iF Gold Award, which selects the 50 “best of the best”. The design of the new BMW 5 Series Sedan skillfully translates the car’s attributes into an authentic formal language. The sheer presence and elegance of its design express the Sedan’s premium quality and outstanding ride comfort, while its sporty driving characteristics are reflected in dynamic bodywork lines and the overall evocation of a distinctly athletic car. The superlative aesthetics of the new BMW 5 Series Sedan are further borne out by its perfectly harmonious proportions and meticulously finished details.

Happenings

BMW 5 Series Wins 2011 iF Product Design Award

IN BMW, 5 Series, Sedan, Touring, M5

The new BMW 5 Series continues its success story with the coveted award from the International Forum Design.

The final group of the first round featured an incredible combined 11 F1 world championships and Schumacher beat Alain Prost by just over a second in a closely-fought contest in the ROC Car. Schumacher won all three first-round races with Parente going through as runner-up. Current British touring car number one Jason Plato missed out, as did Prost, who spun out of his last race in the KTM X-Bow.

Motorsports

Race Of Champions 2010 Grand Final

IN Race Of Champions, ROC, DÃ¼sseldorf

Filipe Albuquerque lifts The Race of Champions trophy on his debut in the Grand Final in DÃ¼sseldorf while while Team Germany triumphs in the ROC Nations Cup.

The MPV’s new styling sharpens the character of the new generation Touran. Except for the four doors, every other body part of the MPV was restyled.

Happenings

VW Singapore Launches The New Touran

IN Volkswagen, Touran, Launch, Singapore, DSG, TSI

Volkswagen Singapore has launched Germany's best-selling MPV, the New Touran. Packed with a punchy turbocharged engine and more than 500 creative space configurations, it's sure to be a hit.

In Class B, Francis Tjia took his second series victory of the weekend and his career, with Pauian Archiland Team’s Jeffrey Lee of Chinese Taipei and Team Kangshun’s Ringo Chong of Singapore following him across the line. Chong was a man on a mission, and he managed to keep up in second position behind Tjia by the end of the opening lap. But alas, Jeffrey Lee was hot on Chong's trail, and the Taipei driver got by the Singaporean and held on to second until the flag. Having wrapped up its most successful season since its debut in 2003, with record grids and the signature on-track excitement which has earned it an unrivalled reputation, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is already planning to build on its phenomenal success in 2011.

Motorsports

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia - Rounds 11 & 12

IN Porsche, Carrera, PCCA

Menzel clinches 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia title in Zhuhai!

Happenings

Nissan GT-R Egoist

Nissan reveals new GT-R face-lift for 2011, and the model to note is the luxury clad GT-R Egoist.

Without the weight burden of a four-wheel drive train, a lower centre of gravity and a track wider than the Golf R’s, the Scirocco R handles corners with aplomb and speed, with only the slightest hint of torque steer on uneven road surfaces, this in my opinion is a trait displayed by well balanced high performance rides. Like the Golf R, the Scirocco R is also equipped with the standard chassis control system that allows a driver to adjust the damper, steering weight and throttle response in three different mode settings, as usual I had it in Sports on the test route we often patronise. In Sports mode, the Scirocco R handles ably with the suspension well modulated to tight corners and bumpy surfaces. Like the Golf R, speed retardation is also excellent, with the very same 345mm front and 310mm rear brakes working up a treat with great immediacy.

New

Rated 'R' Superstar | Volkswagen Scirocco R

IN VW, Vee Dub, Volkswagen, Scirocco, R

Making it's way to the ring from Wolfsburg, Germany, weighing in at 1,364 kilograms, its the Rated R Superstar, 'The Roc' Scirocco!

New

Flash Forward | Opel Insignia 2.0 Turbo

IN Opel, Insignia, Auto Eurokars

The lightning bolt symbol on the Opel logo finally makes sense with this quick and potent executive sedan, aptly named the Insignia.

Readers' Rides

Grey Hound | Scirocco 2.0TSI

IN Volkswagen, Scirocco, Turbo, DSG, Grey

This monochromatic Scirocco is sleek and quick. With some add-on bits and an MTM Stage 1 tune, it's pretty much all you'll need to 'roc and roll.

Next was the slalom course in the mid-engined Boxster S. Each driver was timed and the winner walked away with a prize at the end of the day.

Happenings

Porsche World Roadshow (PWRS)

IN Porsche, Driving experience, Defensive driving, Advance driving, Stuttgart

There is no better way to experience the excitement of a Porsche than to drive one. For the Porsche World Roadshow, one gets the chance to drive, not one, but a wide range of Porsches for a day.