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Renault Scenic EV takes first place as (European) Car of the Year

The automobile awards season may not be over, but two of the more prestigious annual races came closer to a climax this week. One might need a scorecard to keep track. We’re focused here on two events: the World Car of 2024, now reduced to three finalists in six categories. Then thereÂ’s the Car of the Year, known in some quarters as the European Car of the Year. Except that the car doesnÂ’t have to be European to win, only sold there. Got that? Winners out of the way first: At the Geneva Motor Show on Monday, the Renault Scenic E-Tech all-electric has been voted Car of the Year 2024. The Scenic is a fairly compact, somewhat stylish SUV for Europe only, and is the seventh vehicle from the French brand to win the award. It sells in the United Kingdom for about $47,500. The other six finalists that had made the first cut of voting in November were the BMW 5 Series, BYD Seal, Kia EV9, Peugeot E-3008/3008, Toyota C-HR, and Volvo EX30. The trophy winner was chosen by a jury of 59 motoring journalists from 22 countries. Scenic came in first place with 329 points. The Seal was the first Chinese-made car to make this awardÂ’s shortlist; it finished sixth out of seven, just up from the Toyota. One judge explained his decision to grant the Seal zero votes. Writing in Top Gear, Paul Horrell wrote this entertaining critique: “It looks good and is well specified, so makes a strong market entry. The advanced electric system and cobalt-free battery are commendable too, and it's enjoyable enough to drive quickly. That's undermined by an agitated ride over bumps, and the logic of screens and switches is pretty eccentric.” Recapping the World Car of the Year 2024 update, the sponsors shared the stage at Geneva on Monday with the Europeans as well, although they revealed only the top three finalists in six categories. For the ultimate prize, they are the Kia EV9, the Volvo EX30 and the BYD Seal. The winners will be announced March 27 at the New York International Auto Show. Here's more on the World Car finalists. By the Numbers Geneva Motor Show New York Auto Show BMW Kia Toyota Volvo Peugeot Renault Green Automakers Best Cars

BMW readies EV, hydrogen updates for 2015 Detroit Auto Show

BMW's stand at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show will be the place to go for updates. News about advances in electric vehicle infrastructure, hydrogen fuel cells (maybe) and BMW's suite of connected vehicles app things will all make an appearance at the show next month. Let's start with what we know for sure. Both the i3 and i8 plug-in vehicles are supremely connected cars. A new announcement from BMW (available below) says that the suite of "Now" – ChargeNow, ParkNow and DriveNow – apps will be extended and available internationally. The updates include things like being able to find new new fast-charging stations and ParkNow LongTerm, which will let drivers find a permanent parking space where they can fill up their batteries. As Jacob Harb, BMW of North America's head of electric vehicle sales and strategy, told AutoGuide, "2015 is the year of infrastructure." While there is no official mention of a fuel cell stack in the official release (and we've asked BMW to see if there's anything to this news), Inside EVs says that BMW will also show off its new fuel cell stack in Detroit. That's the one that Toyota and BMW are working on together, as announced back in January 2013. If it makes an appearance, then it'll be our first look at the powertrain that's one generation beyond what Toyota has now in the Mirai. BMW at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) 2015 in Detroit. On 12 January 2015, BMW will welcome in the new car year by unveiling a raft of new products at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. A fixture on the calendar since 1907, the event originally known as the Detroit Auto Show has a long tradition in the USA. This year will be the 27th time it has been held on an international stage, and more than 200 exhibitors will gather at the COBO Center on the Detroit River to present their latest offerings to a large audience. More than 18 million people have visited the show since 1989. The public days take place from 17 – 25 January. Celebrating their world premieres in Detroit are the new BMW 6 Series Convertible, Coupe and Gran Coupe, as well as the new BMW M6 Coupe, BMW M6 Convertible and BMW M6 Gran Coupe high-performance models. They will be joined at the NAIAS by the cutting-edge BMW i models and innovative services encompassing the world of electric mobility. And BMW ConnectedDrive will be showcasing its over-the-air regular automatic map updating technology.

Kitten rides 300 miles in Royal Navy pilot's BMW

The Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, has a new recruit–a tiny kitten named Tigger. According to the Royal Navy Online, Lieutenant Nick Grimmer flew in to Birmingham Airport after a vacation refreshed and ready to return to duty. Grimmer, who flies sub hunting Merlin Mk2 helicopters for the Fleet Air Arm's 814 Squadron, then hopped in his BMW and drove 300 miles to his post at Royal Navy Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall. The next day, he heard a quiet, feeble meowing coming from somewhere in his car and began to investigate. "I looked in the boot, under the bonnet, and climbed all over and under it and still couldn't find what was making the noise," Grimmer told Royal Navy Online. "I called up some of our air engineers who came and helped me to start dismantling my pride and joy. On taking off the rear bumper we were greeted with a tiny tiger-striped kitten." Since he was already dangerously close to being late for duty, Lt. Grimmer had no choice but to take his new friend with him to work. His squadronmates, delighted by their newest recruit, named him Tigger in honor of the squadron's nickname–the Flying Tigers. After his harrowing journey in the BMW, Tigger has been a little anxious and unwilling to leave his savior's side. "The place he has felt most comfortable is in my flying helmet, which is the only place he is able to sleep," said Grimmer. "We are more than happy to adopt Tigger as a mascot," Commander Brendan Spoors, CO of the squadron, told Royal Navy. "After all, it's a tradition for Royal Navy units to have a ship's cat!" The 814 has launched a campaign to locate Tigger's owners called "Operation Tiger Kitten". If the 814 can't find Tigger's owners, the kitten may end up serving aboard HMS Ocean along with the rest of the squadron, as they are due to deploy for training exercises in the Baltic and Mediterranean. Tigger's story isn't unusual. We've seen a few stories of kittens surviving rides after crawling into cars to keep warm during the night. Sometimes they drop out of cars at inconvenient times, like when this kitten fell into the middle of a busy intersection. Sometimes rescuing the kitten can cause costly damage, as this man found out after he cut his truck's body to save a trapped kitten. Many more, however, go undiscovered and can die after getting trapped in a wheel well or engine compartment. To prevent unwanted stowaways, give you horn a quick honk to send them running.