To take part in the MINI Lunatics comp MINI fantatics must enter their mileage and a bit about their car and those who register will be in with a chance to win a number of prizes, including a family trip to Cape Canaveral in Florida.

There are more than 300,000 MINIs on Britain’s roads, who have recorded a collective 15 billion road miles- apparently that’s 33,000 return trips to the moon! Drivers who have clocked up 252,000 miles or more will also be in with a chance of winning special limited edition MINI memorabilia. You’d have to drive your Mini to Scotland and back every day to clock up that many before the comp is over! Check out www.mini.co.uk/lunatics to register your MINI!

It wasn’t only pointless trivia that the brainy van man triumped on though, eight out of ten knew there were 12 inches in a foot and they scored highest in categories such as geography and art. They weren’t as hot with the history questions though.

Taxi drivers, cyclists, BMW drivers and 4X4 owners were also quizzed as part of the survey of 2,000 road users.Taxi drivers proved to know the least in all subjects, whilst 4×4 drivers weren’t too clued up with the Highway Code.

Over three quarters of the van drivers surveyed knew that motorway signs were generally blue. Interestingly most also knew how many points you’d need to lose your licence! Important to know if you are a drive used Vauxhall vans in Edinburgh.

“The ‘Best of Best’ title for Kia’s new design identity in the Brand Design category is a great endorsement of the creative and professional work done by our entire international design team,”  said Peter Schreyer, Kia’s Chief designer.

The former Audi designer is responsible for Kia’s new signature ‘tiger nose’ front grille that characterises all of Kia’s new models. The Sportage, Optima and new Rio were all winners in the exterior design category; this is the first award for the 2011 Rio.

All the winners will be presented with their awards at the IAA in Frankfurt on Automotive Designers’ Night on the 13th September 2011

In 2006 Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne announced that Alfa would be returning to the US in 2007, and sold through Maserati dealers. This of course never happened, but hope was reignited in 2009 when it was announced the Alfa 8C would re-launch the brand. Sounds familiar to the promise that the new Alfa 4C would be the first model released in the US for the 2012 launch.  

It’s about as complicated to follow as an episode of Lost! According to the recent reports Alfa’s full US launch has now been pushed back to 2013, with a compact crossover supposeably spearheading the comeback.  The Giulia SUV is expected to follow later in the year. It’s the Giulia that has been the source of the delay though, Marchionne has rejected the 159‘s replacement’s styling for a third time. The brand has struggled to sell larger cars in the past, with the Mito and Alfa Romeo Giulietta in Bristol currently proving popular in Europe, so Marchionne is right to be cautious.

It’s also been reported that Alfa are looking to launch five new models at the Detroit Motor Show in 2013. It’s likely Alfa will be sold through Fiat dealers in the US; Fiat re-launched in North America with a US spec Fiat 500 back in March. Will it be Alfa’s third time lucky? We’ll have to wait and see!

“Ford will obviously continue to offer CD players while there is demand,” said Ralf Brosig, multimedia manager, Ford of Europe. “However, over time we expect customer preferences will lead us quickly into an all-digital approach to in-car audio entertainment.”

Ford have dropped the multi-disc CD players from the all-new Ford Focus in Slough as 95% of buyers opted for models with MP3 connectivity. Digital radio (DAB) is now standard with Focus models in the UK and Ford’s multimedia infotainment hub- SYNC with MyFord Touch- will be available in the European Focus from next year. It’s already available in the US and Ford are predicting two million vehicles kitted out with SYNC technology will be on European roads in the next four years.

And another technological improvement for the new Nissan LEAF; Nissan have confirmed from 2013 the EV will be fitted with a 6.6kW charger, as opposed to the current 3.3 kW. The more powerful charger is expected to cut charging time by a half, from 8 hours to just 4. This will put the LEAF in line with the Chevy Volt which already charges in 4 hours at 240V.

BMW recently unveiled the prototype of an electric bike that will also form part of the 4,000 strong fleet of vehicles destined for use at the Olympics. The bike dubbed ‘Pedelec‘ is the first of its kind for the manufacturer and is expected to hit the market soon.

BMW are keen to promote their environmentally friendly credentials and the majority of BMWs at the Games will be low emission diesels, hybrids and EVs. The Mini E and BMW 1-series ActiveE electric cars will be joined by the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics saloon and the Mini Countryman Cooper D. No sign of a gas guzzling BMW X5 from Scotland then!

Design by Illustrator and teacher Mee Wong

Five Chinese artists have got handy with their pens and paintbrushes and created five unique designs for the Fiat 500 to help launch the mini car in the biggest car market in the world.

Just 100 ‘First Edition’ 500’s will be created as part of a promotional campaign ahead of the launch of the model in China on September 15^th.  The special edition models aren’t available to buy as such; customers who place an order for a Fiat 500 from July 12 to the launch date will be placed into a prize draw to win one of the special editions. Fiat haven’t yet said if winning comes with an additional price tag!

The ‘First Edition’ 500’s paintwork is pearlescent white and design elements include a panda, which is a symbol for Chinese culture. Fiat’s Vice President for International Operations Lorenzo Sistino explained how the designs embody the relationship between China and Italy and how the 500 expresses the values of Fiat. Avant-garde artist Leilei (who is apparently well known in China), illustrator Mee Wong and international artist Benny Luk are amongst the designers.

The special editions will be available with just one powertrain- the award winning 1.4-litre MultiAir engine and an automatic six-speed transmission.

Sistino also revealed that the 500C and the new Fiat 500 by Gucci will be launched in the Chinese market next year, with a sedan, exclusive to the Chinese market to follow.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the new MG6 in Kent this is your perfect opportunity. Over the 3 days MG lovers can participate in the ‘Tour de Silverstone’, take a spin in their own MG on the full GP circuit , check out the latest and past models and browse MG parts others are selling at the Autojumble.

The MG Car Club, who are running the event, insist you don’t have to be a petrol head to enjoy it though as there is something for all the family including fun fairs, air displays and a family friendly MG Party on the Saturday evening. If your little ones are interested though they will get a chance to drive a MG ZR Group N Rally car (12 to 16year olds)! Tickets are available on the gate and under 16s get in free.

Check out the official MGLIVE! website for more details on the event.

Goodwood will be the UK debut of the Alfa Romeo Mito Quadrifoglio Verde

Alfa Romeo is celebrating 101 years of Italian excellence this month and plan to showcase their past, present and future creations at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Alfa will be bringing together the future 4C Concept, current models and iconic cars from the Alfa Romeo museum collection in Italy at the motoring festival which runs from the 1^st to the 3^rd of July

It will be the UK public debut of the Alfa 4C Concept, which was first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The mid-engined sports car is in Alfa’s words- “the true essence of an Alfa Romeo sports car: performance, Italian style and technical excellence.” Lightweight materials and a powerful 200bhp 1.75-litre turbocharged engine help push the 4C from 0 to 60mph in just 5 seconds.

The new Alfa Mito Quadrifoglio Verde will also be revealed for its UK debut. The new Alfa Romeo Mito in Bristol will be joined by the Alfa Giulietta Cloverleaf , Alfa 159 Sportwagon and five iconic cars from the past including the Fangio Alfa 6C 3000CM, in the Paddock. The Alfa’s 8C Spider will take pride of place in the Supercar Paddock before taking on the challenging hill climb.