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German Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton beats Vettel to pole

Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes (pictured) takes pole at 2013 German Grand Prix It looks like ‘Tyre-Gate’ has been quashed before it started at the German Grand Prix, with a new tyre from Pirelli, no punctures and teams under order for minimum tyre pressures. But new tyres or not, it’s still Mercedes and Red Bull at the front of the grid, with Lewis Hamilton snatching pole position from Sebastian Vettel in the last throw of the dice in final qualifying by 0.103s. Behind Vettel was Mark Webber in the second Red Bull, followed by Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean in Lotus and Daniel Ricciardo in the Toro Rosso.

One Lap of the Web: High plains drifters, Vettel FX and supercars in London

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. YoTtube user Munch997 uploaded eight minutes of supercar glory, filmed on London streets.

Concept Car of the Week: Saab 9X (2001)

With a glorious heritage, a strong and understated design philosophy combined with a focus on technology and innovation, it is sad to have witnessed how GM's questionable management led to Saab being completely wiped off the map in just a decade. The vision of what this iconic brand could have been still haunts many car enthusiasts around the globe. The 9X concept is, along with the AeroX, one the most exciting concepts produced by the Swedish manufacturer.

Opel to revive Monza line with Frankfurt-bound concept

Opel will unveil a new concept aimed at reviving the Monza line at September's Frankfurt motor show, according to reports emerging from Germany. The concept is believed to be a large coupé showcasing the brand's latest in lightweight materials and in-car technologies. Details are scarce, but it is allegedly based on a shortened Cadillac ATS platform with a rear-wheel drive layout and will include a range of four- and six-cylinder engines with displacements between between 2.0 and 3.6-liters.

New Mercedes S-Class Plug-in Hybrid to debut at Frankfurt Motor Show

The new Mercedes S-Class (pictured) will arrive with a plug-in hybrid version in September We’ve known Mercedes were planning a plug-in hybrid version of the new S-Class as far back as 2009, and it now appears it will debut – as a 2014 model – at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in September. When Mercedes revealed the Vision S500 Plug-in Hybrid Concept at Frankfurt in 2009, they had fitted it with a V6 petrol engine mated to a 44kw motor and a bank of lithium-ion batteries, and promised the hybrid S-Class would do 90mpg, have emissions of under 75g/km and manage 18 miles in EV mode. That means the hybrid S-Class would have performance comparable to the V8 petrol-engined S500 but attract no BIK or VED in the UK.

2014 Volvo XC90 to get a raft of new safety technology

The 2014 Volvo XC90 (pictured) will get a whole raft of new safety technology We know that the Volvo XC90 will be replaced (finally) next year with a new XC90 using Volvo’s new SPA platform and powered by their new range of 4-cylinder, high efficiency engines. We’ve also got a clue or two about how the new XC90 will look thanks to a design exercise by Volvo’s designers in 2011 to create their vision of the next generation XC90. Now we get details of some of the technology we can expect in the new XC90 as Volvo works towards their target of making sure no one gets killed in a Volvo involved in an accident by 2020.

Hyundai move from Baboons to Kids to test quality

Hyundai let a troop of 4 & 5 year olds loose on an i30 to test quality Last year, Hyundai let a troop of 40 safari park baboons loose on an i30 to see if, left to their own devices, they could trash Hyundai’s very well bolted together (just ask Martin Winterkorn) i30. It was a clever way to demonstrate that the i30 doesn’t just look good, but is made of a bit more than recycled baked bean cans and Fairy liquid bottles. The i30 came through the baboon test with flying colours (even the company tasked with cleaning it up after the baboons commented on the story that they were impressed by how unscathed the i30 was), but Hyundai has now come up with a quality test that makes the baboon adventure look like a walk in the (safari) park.

Caterham planning SUV & City car

It’s not just an Alpine Sports car (pictured) that Caterham will sell – it’s an SUV & City car too We already know that Caterham and Renault are working together to build a new sports car to be marketed as both a Caterham and an Alpine. But there’s already more in development. When we revealed the joint venture between Caterham and Alpine/Renault it was clear that Caterham wanted to develop a broad range of cars with Renault, and now Caterham boss Tony Fernandez has revealed to Reuters there’s a Caterham SUV and Caterham City car in development.

Volvo announces 2014 XC90’s world-first safety tech

The next Volvo XC90 SUV will arrive in 2014 with loaded with world-first safety technology to take on the Audi Q7 and Land Rover Discovery. The safety arsenal will include after-dark pedestrian detection, road barrier detection, as well as fully autonomous cruise control  and parking capability.  It’s the latest salvo from Volvo’s crack team of safety-obsessed engineers in the fight to realise the company’s ‘Vision 2020’ target – that no occupant of a new Volvo will be killed or seriously injured in an accident by 2020.

The 10 most patriotic car-buying states

With a holiday coming around the bend with the main premise of patriotism, ’Merica and fireworks, here is a compilation of analytics to show off which states remain loyal to the domestics. Santa Monica, Calif.-based TrueCar reports that the most patriotic state, most likely to buy a new domestic car or truck, would be the Motor City. These statistics were compiled using transaction figures based on domestic vehicle sales.

2014 Range Rover Sport dynamic debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed

The new Range Rover Sport (pictured) makes its dynamic debut at Goodwood FoS It feels like the 2014 Range Rover Sport has been with us for quite a while already, but apart from it’s brief sojourn through New York in the hands of James Bond, it’s not really be seen in action in public. At least not in the UK. The new RRS has been seen strutting its on-road prowess at the Pikes Peak hillcimb in the States, but next weekend visitors to the Goodwood Festival of Speed will get to see the new Sport as it tackles the hillclimb to demonstrate that it has not just shiny off-road credentials, but impressive on-road ones too.

MINI miffed at Spy Photos of 2014 MINI Hatch

MINI has released their own ‘Spy’ shot of the 2014 MINI hatch (pictured above) The rise and rise of the internet in recent years has seen the once niche market for spy photos of unreleased cars go mainstream, and whether car makers like it or not they can be sure the moment they take their new pride and joy on the road it will be papped and online. Most unrevealed cars go out testing covered in swirly camouflage and padded add-ons to disguise shape and form, but this week a 2014 MINI hatch was snapped with no disguise at all, and it didn’t look great. It didn’t look great because the photo was taken from such a distance it distorted perspective and made the new MINI look a very odd shape.

Winners of Kia 'My Style, My Design' Chinese design contest announced

The winners of Kia's ‘My Style, My Design' design competition have been announced at a ceremony at Beijing's Yue Art Museum. This second annual event saw the number of universities involved rise from 40 to 86 with over 500 projects submitted which the organizing committee whittled down to just 30 finalists. Shangdong Transportation College student Du Wenchang's 'Honglin' project was presented with the award for first place by Seon-Ho Youn, vice president of Kia Design Center.

Great Americans: 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T

The classic Dodge Challenger's most famous movie role was the 1971 box-office success "Vanishing Point." A pastiche of man vs. society, a legendary staple in classic narrative -- as exemplified by such works as "1984," "Fahrenheit 451," "Charlotte's Web," Idiocracy -- "Vanishing Point" was a movie made by those who commonly styled themselves as "auteurs," making a "film" for the corporate overlords at Warner Brothers, who just happened to land themselves some brand-new Chrysler products and ultimately went on to create, as the DVD reissue box art that I found in the $5 movie bin at Wal-Mart claims, "the ultimate car chase movie!" The movie is rife for philosophical introspection, performed as it is by Philosophy 132 majors needing to pass their Humanities requirement and who couldn't find any more copies of "American Beauty" at their local Best Buy. So, ignore the movie.

Top Gear Russia outs the 2014 Mazda3 Saloon – probably not coming to the UK

The 2014 Mazda3 saloon (pictured) has been outed by Top Gear The UK and Europe have eschewed small saloon cars for hatchbacks in recent years. But in other parts of the world its the small saloon that’s big news, so many will be interested in the new Mazda3 saloon, revealed by Top Gear in Russia ahead of an official debut. Looking exactly like the new 2014 Mazda3 hatch revealed last week (there’s a shock), Mazda has managed to make the translation from hatch to saloon seamless, with proper flowing lines and no sense of a ‘notch’ grafted on the back.

Vuhl 05 supercar (2013) first official pictures

The Vuhl 05 has been revealed to the media in London, making its world premier at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall. Designed to take on the likes of the KTM X-Bow and Ariel Atom as a road and track toy, the 05 is the work of two Mexican brothers who have backing from the Mexican government. It’ll be on sale in Europe, expected to be its biggest market, from early 2014.

Hyundai global design teams develop 'My Baby' internal project contest ideas

Hyundai has revealed the designs submitted for its 'My Baby' global internal design project. The project – a biennial contest that started in 2008 – asked the carmaker's design teams to use ‘new thinking' to preview a future without technological or manufacturing limits. Hyundai designers from bases in Korea, the USA, China, Japan, Europe and India were also tasked with reinterpreting and developing the carmaker's ‘Fluidic Sculpture' design language.

Ford invents agile, low-cost solution for prototyping, customization and limited production [w/video]

A new metal forming technique pioneered by Ford that drastically reduces the time and cost of producing low-volume and one-off body parts may lead to cost-effective customization, redesigns, one-offs and limited production runs. Ford Freeform Fabrication Technology (F3T) forms sheets of metal by two stylus-like tools, one on each side of the surface. Using CAD data they form the part to the exacting strength and finish tolerances usually associated with stamping dies.

Jaguar F-Type Coupe caught on video at Nurburgring

The Jaguar F-Type Coupe (pictured) testing at the Nurburgring The new Jaguar F-Type is a fine looking car, but the F-Type Coupe looks set to be the real looker, and we shouldn’t have to wait too long before the coupe hits a motor show (probably Frankfurt in September). Ahead of that reveal – with a likely on-sale date of early 2014 – Jaguar are out playing with the F-Type Coupe at the Nurburgring, blatting it round the ‘Ring’s unforgiving surfaces and bends to shake the last niggles out before launch. This particular F-Type is undoubtedly the V8 S – which we expect will get the same 495bhp output as the V8 S Roadster – and it sounds great; a wonderful V8 roar as it pounds round the track.

Honda replaces Jazz ES with ES Plus – puts price up

The Honda Jazz ES Plus (pictured) replaces the old ES trim Mid-summer (if, indeed, this is summer) is not the best of times for car sales, so we get used to car makers offering enhanced specs to get punters through the door. Which is why Honda has revealed the Jazz ES Plus. Replacing the current Jazz ES, the ES Plus gets extra toys such as a set of 16″ alloys, privacy glass, cruise control, armrest for the driver and leather on the steering wheel and gear knob.

One Lap of the Web: Peking to Paris Rally, classic car inspection guide and pointless cars

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Join the Hooniverse debate as they ask: What's the dumbest car sold on the market today?

Vuhl 05 is a Mexican Ariel Atom – costs from £66,000

The Vuhl 05 (pictured), track-focused road car, has been revealed The Vuhl 05 – which has been teased recently – was unveiled this afternoon in London as Mexico’s answer to the Ariel Atom. The Vuhl 05 uses a bonded monocoque with honeycomb panels and aluminium covered on plastic panels to keep weight down to just 695kg. That means that even though the Vuhl 05 has only 285bhp available from its mid-mounted 2.0 litre turbo Ford EcoBoost engine, it can still get to 62mph in 3.7 seconds thanks to a power to weight ratio of 400bhp per tonne.

Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

The Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer is a more rugged crossover version of the regular Insignia Tourer estate that we saw in facelift form last month. We’ll find out how much extra you’ll pay for the Country Tourer when it’s shown off at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2013. We're expected a price tag of £31-32k, compared to £28.5k for a standard Tourer with the same engine.

Opel/Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer arrives to take on the Allroad

The Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer arrives (Opel version pictured) to take on the Allroad It  always seem likely that Vauxhall and Opel would add some butch bits to the Insignia Sports Tourer at some point to create an ‘Allroad’ version. And here it is – the Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer. Actually, Vauxhall hasn’t managed to get their Box Brownies out yet so what we’ve got are photos of the Opel version of the Country Tourer, but bar the badges they’ll be the same.

Unique Ford Mustang GT celebrates 60th anniversary of U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

Ford has just produced a one-of-a-kind U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Edition 2014 Ford Mustang GT. This unique Mustang features an exterior design inspired by the 60th anniversary of the U.S.

Video: Yasushi Nakamuta on Mazda 3's 'unique' design process

It may be leaden with PR-talk but this short presentation by Yasushi Nakamuta, Mazda's director of advanced design studio at the press unveiling of the new Mazda 3 in Melbourne is still worth a couple of minutes of your time. But while the 3 is undeniably attractive we can't help but feel that the 'unique' design process Nakamuta describes (which appears wholly conventional to us) has resulted in little more than a thoroughly normal product. Take a look for yourself at the video to your left.

Range-topping 2014 Buick LaCrosse debuts in China

Shanghai GM has just unveiled the top version of the popular Buick LaCrosse sedan in China, with its debut of the LaCrosse 3.0-liter V6 SIDI IntelliTech Flagship model. This move now brings the total number of trim levels available on the LaCrosse to seven. The Chinese-market LaCrosse is a locally produced sedan that is visually identical to the American model on the outside.

Jaguar shuffles executives as it goes for growth (2013)

Jaguar-Land Rover has a new engineering boss and product delivery enforcer, as it gears up for an unprecedented new model push. Announced today and effective from 1 August 2013, Dr Wolfgang Ziebart becomes group engineering director, replacing Bob Joyce who moves into the new role of product creation and delivery director. Ziebart worked in R&D at BMW for 23 years, before moving onto key suppliers Continental and semi-conductor maker Infineon.

Honda & GM to work together on next generation Hydrogen Fuel Cells

GM’s history with hydrogen fuel cell development Hydrogen Fuel Cells are, in many ways, the answer to our dependency on oil. But any future that uses hydrogen fuel cells to power an electric motor in a car means that not only must the fuel cells be more economical to produce than they now are, but that a refuelling infrastructure is developed. To help achieve that end, Honda and GM have announced that they are to collaborate on developing not just the next generation fuel cells for vehicles but to advance a refuelling structure too.

Sebastian Vettel takes delivery of his eponymous Infiniti FX Vettel Edition

Sebastian Vettel `(pictured) takes delivery of his Infiniti FX Vettel Edition The Infiniti FX50 is Infiniti’s take on the Porsche Cayenne, so we suppose the FX Vettel Edition, with extra power and titivations, should be compared to the Cayenne GTS. But unlike the Cayenne GTS, the Infiniti FX Vettel Edition is a very limited edition car – just 200 are being built – and costs an eye-watering amount of money – £100,000. For your £100k you get an Infiniti FX50 that’s had a raft of titivations to let Vettel reach a higher top speed on his regular joints up the Autobahn in Germany, as well as cosmetic additions to justify the price.