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Land Rover Defender V8, next Range Rover, new BMW M3 share the Nurburgring

From open-track days to 24-hour races, so many events are held on Germany's Nurburgring track that carmakers need to share the tarmac with their rivals to put new models through their paces. Industry pool days are normally closed to the public, but a seven-minute video reveals what Land Rover, BMW, and several others are testing. Posted on YouTube by StatesideSupercars, the video shows prototypes racing around the track in the mid-summer heat. Land Rover's engineers are busy putting the final touches on the V8-powered variant of the new Defender, which our spies have previously spotted testing in its home country of England, and they're developing what looks like the high-performance, SVR-badged version of the next-generation Range Rover due out in 2020. As we reported earlier in 2020, the hot-rodded Defender packs a 5.0-liter V8 between its fenders, though its horsepower and torque outputs remain under wraps. Unverified rumors claim it will arrive as a limited-edition model to avoid sending Land Rover's fleet-wide CO2 emissions through the roof. And, the video confirms chassis engineers have made extensive modifications to the SUV's suspension, partly to keep body roll in check. Walking down the pits, members of BMW's testing team are getting up early to put track miles on an enigmatic variant of the face-lifted M5, and on the next-generation M3. We've already seen the M5 in the metal, so why is it still camouflaged? One possible answer is that we're looking at the rumored CS version, which should receive a 641-horsepower V8 thanks to software tweaks and a better cooling system. The simpler (and more boring) possibility is that BMW isn't quite done testing the M5, and it doesn't want to waste time removing the black and white wrap. Your author regularly spotted i8 prototypes in full camouflage regalia months after its debut. As for the M3, much has already been said about its mammoth grille, which seemingly mirrors the one worn by the new 4 Series. Autoblog drove a pre-production prototype in June and walked away impressed. It receives an evolution of the X3 M's 3.0-liter straight-six turbocharged to 473 horsepower, though selecting the optional Competition package will increase that figure to 503. And, fear not: The six-speed stick is coming back. Land Rover and BMW aren't the only companies playing on the 'Ring.

Toyota, Mercedes, BMW top automakers included in List of Best Global Brands

Interbrand, a consultancy firm, has published its 13th annual list of the best global brands. Besides seeing some shakeups at the top - Apple and Google unseated Coca-Cola (a company that has dominated the survey since its birth), the 100-item list features 14 automakers, most of which enjoyed double-digit gains in brand value.
Toyota managed to retain its spot as the study's top automaker. It finished the survey in 10th position overall (the same as last year), despite a 17-percent improvement in its brand value, from $29.33 billion to $35.34 billion. Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Honda all made the top 20, at 11th, 12th and 20th place, respectively. Hopping a ways down the list, we come across Volkswagen in 34th place, up from 39th in last year's study, with a brand value of $11.12 billion, a 20-percent improvement over 2012. Ford and Hyundai round out the automakers in the top 50, at 42 and 43.
Porsche made the largest year-over-year gain of any automaker, with its brand value increasing 26 percent to $6.47 billion. Chevrolet meanwhile, cracks the list for the very first time at 89th place. As Interbrand notes, Chevy's inclusion is notable because of the sheer number of vehicles it moves for General Motors and its recent push in developing markets. The final interesting note on this survey is the position of an automaker that takes its name and logo more seriously than perhaps any other - Ferrari. The Italian exotic manufacturer finished 98th out of 100, with just $4.01 billion in brand value, a six-percent improvement over 2012.

Recharge Wrap-up: BMW i3 gets Super Bowl bump; CA funds EV readiness

Super Bowl ads sparked interest in the BMW i3 for car shoppers at Edmunds. Analysts at the automotive website reported that traffic increased for the BMW i3 by 583 percent by the end of Super Bowl XLIX, second only to the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT (up a whopping 2,189 percent). Having aired its ad in the first half of the game, the BMW i3's traffic increased 1,807 percent during halftime, while the BMW i8 saw a 501-percent spike during the same period. Read more in the press release below. Mahindra is making progress with the GenZe electric scooter and electric bicycles in Portland, Oregon. While no official launch date for the GenZe has been set for Portland, Mahindra is holding events and offering test drives. The GenZe 2.0 will start at $2,999, and offers over 30 miles of range per charge. Mahindra sees Portland as a good resource for technology and design partners as it pursues electric urban mobility. Read more in the interview with Mahindra's Yesim Erez at Portland Business Journal. The California Energy Commission will award nearly $1.3 million in Zero Emission Vehicle Readiness grants. The grants will go toward three categories: Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) Readiness Plan Implementation, PEV Readiness Plan Development and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Readiness. The funds will go towards projects like installation of EV chargers, permitting and inspections, developing local codes, EV promotion and creating hydrogen infrastructure plans. Each grant awarded will be worth between $50,000 and $300,000. Read more at Green Car Congress. Super Bowl Advertisers Mercedes-Benz and BMW See Biggest Increases in Car Shopper Interest on Edmunds.com SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercedes-Benz and BMW saw the most significant spikes in traffic on Edmunds.com after their ads ran during Super Bowl XLIX, according to a real-time analysis by the car shopping website. By the end of the game, the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT had the biggest cumulative spike in traffic, with a 2189% jump over previous Sunday averages on Edmunds.com. The BMW i3 captured the second most buzz on Edmunds.com; its cumulative traffic climbed 583%. "Even though these two advertised vehicles are likely to be sold in small volume to niche audiences, the BMW and Mercedes brands will enjoy the overall buzz they have generated, especially as both continue their efforts to grow their overall reach into new car shopper segments," said Edmunds.com Sr. Analyst Jessica Caldwell.