It’s easy to get hung up on details. Take the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe. A longer wheelbase than the Coupe? Why, obviously that means it’s less agile.

Simple engineering principals at work there, see: the further the wheels are from the centre of gravity, the more languid the car will be in response.

Yup, because everything in life is so black and white.

I put this to Jos van Aas, BMW Group driving dynamics director (cool job title). There was no marketing-led hyperbole in his answer, just words based in, well, simple engineering principals. The details of which may surprise you.

Yes, the 6er Gran Coupe has a longer wheelbase. However, because the extra length is all added at the rear, it enjoys a better, more neutral weight balance than the standard 6 Series. Therefore, the longer wheelbase actually makes it, from simple engineering principals, a better car.

BMW is a company that takes great pride in the 50:50 weight distribution of its cars, citing it as a key brand definer. As the Gran Coupe is closer to this ideal than the Coupe, then, it is thus arguably more of a BMW than the Coupe itself.

But that’s not all. By we journos sweating on the details about length (as if that matters), we overlook another major one. The Gran Coupe chassis might be marginally less agile than the Coupe, but the difference is minute – of much more significance is the variation in engine weight between a six-cylinder and an eight-cylinder model.

The difference in weight is huge, said van Aas (on paper, the V8 is 115kg heavier than the straight six petrol, presumably mainly in its engine). What’s more, this extra weight is also centered on the front axle, far from the car’s centre of gravity.

“The difference in agility between a six-cylinder and an eight cylinder car is far, far greater than any difference between Gran Coupe and Coupe.

“The effect on the moment of inertia is much more appreciable here.”

Besides, there are benefits to the longer wheelbase, he adds. It is inherently more stable at speed, and the additional neutrality also pays dividends in terms of handling confidence. And how much extra does added confidence give, compared to some infintesimal improvements in turn-in response?

The combination of longer wheelbase and lighter engine thus makes the 640i Gran Coupe perhaps the purest, best-driving, most finely balanced 6er of all, then. Better, even, than the forthcoming new V8 M6 coop? We shall see…

Fag packet analysis suggests that the Gran Coupe will be compromised for drivers by the fact its wheelbase is longer. Only detail analysis with insight reveals the true picture though…

+ BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe: £15,000 well spent?

+ Facebook and Twitter for cars: BMW to the rescue

+ BMW 1 Series power meters

Industry

• 27/5:By 2014, the Russian new car market is expected to be the biggest in the European region, growing 28 per cent to 3.4 million units a year. (4wheelsnews)
• 19/5: Diesel is cheaper for annual mileages of 15,000 or more. Otherwise, petrol is cheaper. (Glass’s)
• 19/5: Facebook’s clickthrough rate is half that for ads on the internet. Google’s clickthrough rate is 4 in 1000. (Automotive News)
• 19/5: Employee-owned ‘grey fleet’ cars account for 4m vehicle son UK roads. Four out of five businesses do not measure the CO2 of such fleets. (Fleet News)
• 5/5: Ford CEO Alan Mulally took home $29.5m in 2011. Sergio Marchionne earned nothing from Chrysler – but took $22m from Fiat. Dieter Zetsche earned $11.4 million. Martin Winterkorn earned $23 million. (Auto News)
• 5/5: Van sales (generally considered a barometer for the state of the economy) fell 20 per cent in April, the fourth monthly slide in a row. Ford is market leader with 24 per cent market share: Volkswagen has 14 per cent, Vauxhall has 13.4 per cent. (Car and Van News)
• 2/5: There are around 300k daily rental vehicles operating in the UK. (Green Motion)

Nissan

• 2/5: Nissan sold 1.25m cars in China last year, a 22 per cent rise. (Auto News)

Renault

• The Guardian has reviewed Renault’s latest TV ad.
• 26/5: Renault is reportedly considering a premium sub-brand based on a Mercedes E-Class platform. The new brand would be called Initial Paris and be part of a four-line Renault range: Dacia (budget), Renault (mainstream), Initial Paris (premium) and Alpine (sports). (Auto News)
• 20/5: Renault expects the Twizy to sell at a similar rate to its regular cars: an initial target of more than 10k annual sales will grow to 50k. The Zoe will be Renault’s highest-volume EV, with sales of 150k cars a year. (4wheelsnews)
• 2/5: Renault sold 24k cars in China last year – a 60 per cent rise but a small proportion of its 2.72m 2011 sales total. Most sales were of the Koleos SUV: the brand has recently launched the Talisman large saloon at the Beijing auto show and is awaiting clearance for a manufacturing joint venture with Dongfeng. China is considered “very significant” for Renault. (Auto News)

Toyota

• 5/5: Toyota is reportedly close to green-lighting a new Supra. It would be all-wheel drive, produce more than 400hp and feature a mid-mounted 3.5-litre V6 with in-wheel electric motor hybrid drive. Current ETA: 2015. (Motor Trend)
• 2/5: Toyota US sales rose 11.6 per cent in April. (BBC)

Le Mans comes around every year in June, and there’s no more successful modern-day team at the world-famous French event than Audi.

The brand has won the race 10 times since it first entered in 2000. This year, it’s hoping for another overall victory, with a two-pronged attack of diesel R18 TDI and diesel-electric R18 e-tron quattro hybrid racers.

To help non-motorsport media learn more about Audi’s involvement in motor racing, the firm once again held its Racers and Drivers Dinner at Goodwood last month. Yours truly was a lucky guest at the event, also attended by Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Nick Mason and many, many others.

Here are some of the factoids I picked up on the night.

1 Le Mans is close

The winning margin of 2011 has perhaps been overlooked: it was 13.854 seconds. After 24 hours of racing: that’s amazing. Two different cars, from two different countries, engineered by hundreds of different people to completely different rules, piloted by six different drivers… and the difference between them after 1440 minutes of racing was 0.5 seconds an hour. Staggering.

So, while Le Mans racegoers may pass out in the evening, any team that so much as blinks will miss out. Even at 4am, the pressure is on to keep the pitstops tight, watch the strategy and keep the driver both informed and alert.

Another way of putting it? You snooze, you lose.

2 Engineers don’t care what fuel a car uses

Do you approach things differently with it being diesel instead of petrol, I asked Audi engineer Kyle Wilson-Clark. Nope, was the simple answer. It’s immaterial what fuels it: engineers simply look at the characteristics of the engine and optimise the car for them. An engine, to an engineer, is simply a source of power, delivered with a certain set of characteristics. Diesel does more, over a lesser rev range, so driveshafts need to be updated and the gearbox needs to be beefier, but much more detail than that is immaterial. The best engineers are not old romantics when it comes to engines.

3 Audi still smarts about Quattro

In 1997, Audi won seven national championships with the A4 quattro. That was it, as far as the FIA was concerned: it banned four-wheel drive from national racing championships. To turn the other cheek, Audi stuck it out (and won the following year’s BTCC championship in a FWD A4), but it still hurts.

15 years on. Quattro is back: the R18 E-tron quattro has a Williams-sourced hybrid device that drives the front wheels, with the engine driving the rear. The FIA still had to have a say, mind: it can only be used over 120km/h, so as not to give too much of an advantage…

4 Endurance racing prioritises people management

Asking people to do the impossible is asking them to do more than just a job. It is how well you approach this with your crew that determines how successful you will be. There’s more: it also demands there is a clear hierarchy of respect, that you know what each person can do and how best to ask them to do it.

5 Le Mans race engineers have structure

As mentioned, Audi engineer Kyle Wilson-Clark doesn’t know the vital statistics of the R18’s engine. He doesn’t need to know: he has a powertrain engineer who themselves have a number of technicians working for them, taking care of all the details. Wilson-Clark knows what he needs to know: that’s how the structure works.

This is matrix theory in practice. Information is shared where necessary but extraneous detail is not imposed on everyone. Team work in practice: each is a vital part of the system and no one person is the fulcrum that would bring down the team if they were run over by a bus.

6 Audi runs its trucks on race fuel

Is the race fuel a special blend? Nope: and if the Audi timetable can’t fit in a stop at a filling station, it’ll top the team trucks up with any spare race fuel too. The beauty of running a diesel race car…

7 It takes more to being a racing driver than driving fast

Audi drivers are chose, explained Dr. Ullrich, for their ability to fit into the team. This is such a close-knit family – and here, that really isn’t a cliché – that any conflict or character clashes would quickly become an issue and so are avoided.

Oliver Jarvis was chosen because he is young and fast, yes, but also because he gels with drivers like Kristensen, like McNish. They have banter, they respect each other, they appear to trust one another. Jarvis was chosen because the team was sure he’d fit in. Just being quick isn’t enough when a team is this close, works under such extreme conditions for so long and is so reliant on one another performing well.

Choosing the wrong driver could even be corrosive and lead to a breakdown of the team.

Le Mans 2012: this year, it’s on 16 June 2012. Will Audi be victorious once again?

+ 10 years ago

+ Geneva Motor Show 2012: media analysis

+ The agony of dropping car keys: strike a chord with anyone?

This weekend, I’ve waved the family goodbye and headed to Heathrow for a flight over to Geneva. Why? The launch of the Kia cee’d.

It coincides with a meeting of the Association of Motoring Writers Groups – so I’m driving a new car AND meeting my fellow Chairmen.

Which gives me the perfect opportunity to bring you a quasi-live blog. The new Kia cee’d has, truth be told, passed me by somewhat. The Hyundai i30 got the fanfare and the later-launched cee’d has been left out a bit. Now’s catchup time for Kia – starting this weekend.

And so, onwards…

12:15, Sunday 20 May, Geneva airport

Ah, Geneva airport. I’m usually only here in March, slightly dishevelled after a few days at the motor show. It’s odd to look outside and see summery weather. Switzerland really is lovely at this time of year, as fresh as anything Heidi and her ilk enjoyed.

I clocked up 100-odd miles in the diesel today. First impressions? It’s a bit throbby, with more metallic clatter than I expected (perhaps the 1.6 TDI in the Golf spoiled me). It’s also very reliant on the turbo: let revs drop below 1500rpm and it’s decidedly flat. With super-tall economy-focused gearing, this means swift and regular gearchanges are the order of the day.

The diesel weighs 107kg more than the petrol, all in the front end. This does change the handling balance a little: it seems to roll on turn-in a little more, doesn’t feel quite as well balanced as the petrol. It’s all degreed though: this is still a fine-driving car, with the emphasis very much on ride quality for those seeking Golf mimikery.

Economy again impressed. Following journalistic good practice, I didn’t hang about, yet still averaged 55.9mpg according to the trip. Take it steady and I’d be nudging 60mpg – just as good as I achieved in the Golf.

Overall, I’d of course take the diesel. But the engine isn’t quite as good as the rest of the car, given the high levels exhibited by so many turbodiesels. In the old cee’d, it was fine. The new one, though, is a sufficient step on to see the CRDi motor feel average-to-good. Wonder if Kia’s got something up its sleeve for the future here…

08:00, Sunday 20 May, le Mirador hotel

Some facts on the Kia cee’d, from the press pack:

• Launched 2007: 450k sold since then, nearly 55k in UK.
• First Kia with seven-year warranty.
• Peter Schreyer had limited influence on the old cee’d: his European head of design Gregory Guillaume has led design of this one.
• The new cee’d is narrower, lower and longer. The wheelbase is the same: overhangs are greater and tracks are wider. It has a Cd of 0.30.
• Torsional rigidity is up 51 per cent.
• The vents delivering air to the rear footwells are larger.
• The high-grade sat nav system is 20 per cent more powerful.
• The fuel filler flap is now ‘European style’ push-to-open, rather than the old internal lever.
• The badge at the front is set into the bonnet rather than on the radiator grille – a detail Schreyer believes is premium.
• The tailgate is easier to shut, thanks to greater self-closing force.
• The glass for the front windows is thicker.
• The 1.6-litre petrol engine now sports direct fuel injection, with a pressure of up to 150 bar using six-hole injectors.
• The accelerator pedal has a kick-down switch, which is intended to avoid full throttle acceleration unless necessary.
• The new DCT is a dry clutch setup, with a torque capacity of 275Nm. Kia did consider a wet clutch but says they are 6 per cent less efficient.
• Kia has increased the front castor angle to improve steering feel. Front and rear suspension bushes are now steel-in-rubber.
• Spring rates are lower, damper settings are softer, bump stops are shorter – all allowing more wheel travel. Side-loaded springs reduce friction and the rear anti-roll bar is thicker.

06:20, Sunday 20 May, le Mirador hotel

Kia is quite happy with the Golf comparisons, thank you. And with its value proposition: yes, this one is more expensive than the old one, said Hamilton, but it’s a much-improved car that has a lot of extra features as standard. I can’t yet reveal what and for how much – the embargo lifts tomorrow – but it will certainly be worth studying.

Hamilton said Kia also had a Golf Bluemotion, like my old long-termer, in for assessment. Great car, he said, with super quality and impressive CO2 figures – but it was £19,500 “and even had wind-up windows at the back”. Nearly £20k for a car lacking obvious features: he considers that expensive. I’m sure he also considers it with envy: the Golf is, of course, a top 10 best-seller…

In a couple of hours’ time, it’s into the diesel for the long-way-round schlep back to the airport. For now, nettery and the gym. Unless I decide to jog down that hill outside the hotel. We shall see.

18:30, Saturday 19 May, le Mirador hotel

Back at the hotel for the AMWG meeting, and now a quick update before dinner. Remaining thoughts? There are clear links to the Vauxhall Astra in the rear of the cee’d – arguably no bad thing (remember, some say the Astra was itself influenced by the SEAT Leon…) – while the headlights are definite E60 5 Series. Again, this can only be good.

I’ve just been looking through the press pack while I sort these images: I need to check on the embargo, but this cee’d is pretty damn fine value for money. It’s now not significantly cheaper than an Astra or a Focus, but it’s got a boatload more equipment – and it means you can have a car that feels like a Golf and comes with Phaeton-like features for less than the price of a comparable Golf. More on that anon.

One thing I haven’t mentioned is the engine’s lack of torque. Today, it’s been all about the 1.6-litre with direct injection, a motor that lacks significant impulse below 3000rpm and only really starts to sing above 5000rpm. At which point, it’s rather boomy. Thing is though, while the torque profile isn’t great, the pay-off is oodles of power. 133hp is jolly impressive for a non-turbo 1.6-litre, which is why the lack of low-down grunt isn’t as disastrous as it could be. There’s a lot more there if you’re prepared to work for it: if you’re not, it feels little different to the competition.

The economy is potentially quite amazing too. Yesterday, I got 49mpg. Today, on a near-three hour blast into the mountains, driving it like a hot hatch, I averaged… 41.2mpg. Yes, really. Certainly wasn’t expecting that. Another surprise from the surprising new cee’d.

12:30, Saturday 19 May, outskirts of Lausanne

First thing I scribbled in the notepad? ‘Like a Golf’. Which will please Kia no end, I’m sure. The teaser of yesterday has been borne into a very able, mature car with high levels of refinement and a great deal of comfort. Those stepping from a Golf won’t feel anything to scare them away, that’s for sure.

Several aspects stand out: the aforementioned excellence of bump absorption, the fluid damping, the clean premium-like feel to the controls. The seats are big and firm, wind noise is well isolated, the steering lacks feel but is very composed and stable. It even has the visibility-boosting low shoulderline of a Golf (albeit without quite the same smartness of A-pillar design: both this and B-pillar can get in the way at junctions. And the C-pillar proves a bit restrictive when reversing. We’ve sensors and gadgets to help there, will say Kia…).

The route took me into the mountains. Crowded House would be proud, for I saw plenty of seasons in one morning, from scorching sunshine to icy snow. On said twisting roads, the depth of the cee’d multi-link rear suspension showed itself with, again, strong composure and impressive fluidity. The same suspension settings that give such an able ride also make it a bit soft in corners though: it’s as if the inherent abilities of the suspension is not being allowed to shine through.

This became clear when the heavy rain started. Here, without such loads going through the suspension, the natural balance of the car showed through: it’s very well sorted indeed, and would benefit hugely from a sharpening up of settings for a semi-hot version. Of course, a car can’t be all things to all men. The Golf isn’t like the Focus, and as the cee’d is like the Golf, perhaps it’s unfair to grumble it’s not more focused. Then again, it’s also giving due praise to Kia’s engineers. The fundamentals here are so well sorted, there’s plenty more that can be done with them.

That’s my question for later sorted, then…

08:00, Saturday 19 May, le Mirador hotel

Quick note before I leave – yesterday’s 1.6-litre petrol-engine economy, according to the trip, was a remarkable 49.0mpg. That’s diesel-like, yet this is a petrol car, and although I was mooching relative to German autobahn speeds, I was still pedalling at a UK motorway pace. And stretching it on the twisty bits. That’s a real eye-opener.

The stop-start also has a neat trick – when it cuts in, the display shows a stopwatch timer when it’s in operation. Why don’t all car manufacturers fit this eye-opening insight?

07:45, Saturday 19 May, le Mirador hotel

So that’s the gym done, then. Nice view of the mountains I’ll be driving through in, ooh, an hour or so’s time. My plan is to get lost and then set the sat nav for home. We shall see.

Still musing on what Hamilton was telling me last night. Kia’s big opportunity, it seems, is making people better understand its brand. Once they do, they like what they see – validation comes from strong performances in satisfaction surveys – but the awareness during promoted understanding isn’t where it should be.

Solution? Well, that’s the challenge that faces him – he’s two weeks into the marketing director job. But it sounds like we’ll be hearing developments here before long: what Kia means to you now may not be the same in six months’ time.

Oh, and @joesimpson has dived into the comments, to offer the BMW E60 as influence for the DRL. He’s right, you know – more images of that later – but, on the road, there’s another influence too. Let’s see if we can’t find an underground car park to demonstrate it.

00:00, Saturday 19 May – le Mirador hotel

Fascinating chat with Lawrence over dinner. He’s genuinely interesting, speaking with authority and conviction on the opportunities Kia has and how best to utilise them.

Much more than meaningless cliches, he talked about the science behind the buying process of a Kia, where the brand does well and where it doesn’t – and how to capitalise on improving key areas to boost both sales and brand value.

Light bulb moments were plentiful. Rare have I asked marketing questions and received such considered, logical and substantial answers. He’s been in the job two weeks. Expect to see changes for the better in how Kia sells its cars and deals with its customers soon.

More tomorrow, though.. Driving early doors and before that, I’ve got a hill to run up.

18:00, Friday 18 May – le Mirador hotel

Literally just arrived, after driving the 60-odd miles from the airport. Swiss drivers, aye – they don’t half like to tailgate and get REALLY impatient if you, say, drive at the legal limit past a speed camera. My bad, clearly.

After a briefing, it was straight into the car, after clapping eyes on it for the first time. Impressions? Vauxhall Astra-like rear, a surprisingly low-looking nose by pedestrian impact-friendly modern standards, and a cool set of LED daytime running lights whose similarity I can’t quite place.

The interior has the usual modern Kia lack of initial impact, which grew on me a lot during the hour-long drive. Odd this: I noticed it with the Rio too – what at first appears dull and plasticky later emerges as something with substance and quality. Weird.

An initially whiney engine dented the first few-hundred metre impressions, but it became silent enough at speed. First thoughts on the drive: lovely ride bias, with supple bump absorption, damping with depth and very good levels of noise isolation. Clearly it’s the VW Golf that’s been the benchmark here, rather than the Ford Focus.

More later. A quick shower beckons, before meeting Lawrence Hamilton, Kia’s marketing director, over dinner. Any Kia questions? You know what to do…

The BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe costs, on paper, from £61,390. The one you want (the 640d) costs from £63,900. The one we drove on the launch, though, cost at least £79,000.

What was it – an M Sport variant? Nope: M Sport actually ‘only’ adds £4,665, which seems like a bargain when you consider it adds 19-inch alloys, M bodykit, sports seats, anthracite rooflining and lots of M styling details.

Indeed, even the range-topping 650i engine in top-line M Sport trim will only cost from around £75k when it goes on sale in June. No, what’s at work here is options. Lots and lots of options.

Not only is the M Sport trim offered from launch, but BMW’s bespoke Individual trim line is also offered on the new 6 Series Gran Coupe – and it’s choosing from this highly boutique-style range of options where the costs really start to ramp up.

Take the Frozen Bronze paint. The satin finish looks amazing, and it’s the first satin-finish car we’ve seen that’s not in black or white – but it also costs £2,305. Metallic paint is standard.

Upholstery? Of dubious taste in our eyes, but there’s no denying it has impact and is also highly bespoke. How much? £5,635 for the BMW Individual Full Merino leather.

You don’t even get a complementary Alcantara rooflining as standard: that costs £1,185 extra. The white dash trim? Another £490. The 19-inch wheels are only an inch larger than standard but still cost £1,755 more, and if the booming Bang & Olufsen speakers seem impressive, get ready to fork out £3,750 for the full stereo setup.

Excessive, and done only for the launch? Apparently not. It is actually just what customers demand. BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe buyers apparently don’t just want any car, but want the ability to make it bespoke. Average options spend for 6 Series buyers? £10-12,000.

That’s why BMW has worked hard to ensure so many packages and options are available right from standard, when people will be most open to spending big on them. Customers demand it, respond to it and actively indulge in it.

So although the 6 Gran Coupe theoretically starts from £61k, don’t expect many cars in the UK to actually cost that. Indeed, if buyers follow the advice in our first drive and add the must-have Adaptive Drive suspension pack, the entry-level price for the 6 Series Gran Coupe is actually more than £65k. Our test car had that, too. And LED headlights. And BMW Assist. And DAB stereo.

The £100,000 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe? If not, it wasn’t far off… and it’s a measure of how convincing the 6 Series gran Coupe is as an upmarket luxury GT that it still manages to pull it off.

+ BMW and the Olympics: not a new thing

+ Live blog – Mercedes SL 63 AMG

+ The agony of dropping car keys: strike a chord with anyone?

Straight in blind to a Vauxhall Zafira Tourer this week. Unlike the press images, my model doesn’t look particularly outstanding: finished in doom black (dark colours really don’t work well on big, flat-sided vehicles like this), it’s a basic spec car so has such novelties as a plastic steering wheel and a pretty awkwardly-placed manual handbrake rather than the whizzy electric item increasingly seen in rivals.

Funny how base-spec Vauxhalls seem to feel more ‘base’ than other models: some of the interior cutbacks often seems just a bit too far-stretching. Many’s the Astra press car I’ve had without a trip computer (despite having the buttons on the end of the stalk). Rivals have climate control buttons where Vauxhall has knobs and dials. Plastic steering wheels seems to stretch further up the Vauxhall price bracket than they ought.

Being as apparently mean as this hardly gets the pulse racing. Given how aged the old Zafira felt by the end of its days (it’s still on sale, but I’d recommend not), I wasn’t expecting something much better than average from its new sibling. More fool me.

The Vauxhall Zafira Tourer is a minor revelation.

For starters, it has a normal driving position, rather than the bus-like setup of the old car that boasts oddly angled steering wheel and glaringly close-set pedals. More reclined, the new car’s driving position feels like that of a normal car, just from the pleasingly higher vantage point most MPVs command.

This is buoyed by superb visibility. The massive windscreen is panoramic and clever design of the A-pillars has created huge quarterlights that you really can see out of and find useful on the road. The Citroen C4 Grand Picasso was the first car to pull this trick and it’s pleasing Vauxhall has followed suit.

It’s not just interior basics and boring-sounding but actually very relevant details that impress, though. This MPV drives well too – and that’s something I certainly wasn’t expecting.

In particular, it has a great front end, all reassuring response and firm stability. It doesn’t roll onto the outside wheel in corners but tracks with composure through them, rather like a taut quasi-hot hatch does.

The pay-off is a slightly firmer ride than normal, with a quasi-sport feel to the nibble of the wheels and the frequency of the body movements at speed. Maybe this is due to the stiffness of the roll bars: but I really don’t mind. It’s worth it, and besides, it’ll undoubtedly improve when laden, too.

So here I am, looking forward to tooling a cooking diesel Zafira Tourer auto down my favourite handling roads in coming days, to see whether it really is an Astra GTC in loft-extension drag. And if so, why so. Check in later for more.

Who knows, I may even be able to photograph it in a more exciting way.

+ Vauxhall Open Tourer

+ Geneva Motor Show 2012

+ Vauxhall Insignia VXR dial colour change

Minor detail on this weekend’s Honda Insight test car that’s been irritating me: if the stop-start has stopped it, and you go to stop, it starts.

Eh? That’s what I thought. It goes like this:

- At the end of a journey, you come to a halt. The super-efficient stop-start system cuts the engine as you roll to a halt (it works at 6mph and below), meaning your journey ends free from fuel consumption. This feels good.

- You slide the CVT shift lever from ‘D’ into ‘P’.

- The engine starts up. This feels idiotic.

Yes, really. For some bizarre reason, moving out of drive fires up the engine – despite, I’d presume, your clear intention being to switch off, park up and leave it. What sort of an oversight is this?

It’s fiendishly frustrating – all the hard work of fuel-saving, spoiled at the very end of the journey. It means you leave the Insight gnashing your teeth: there are psychologists who, I’m sure, can tell you the effect this has on your impression of the brand. In this case, it ‘aint positive.

Honda’s done so much to rectify the wrongs of the current-shape Insight in this 2012 model. But it’s details like this that really surprise, and show that the famed engineering-led development of Honda hasn’t quite been fully restored yet.

Unless you can tell me a reason why it’s right to do this? Because I’m struggling.

At least I’ve found a workaround, though. Turn the ignition off while still in ‘D’. Just remember to shift it into ‘P’, or the car won’t release the key. Maybe it knows after all…

+ How Honda justifies the Jazz Hybrid

+ Honda says now to hybrid for new Civic

+ BMW ECO PRO

Industry

• 29/4: There are 476 different models on sale in China, 120 more than the US. Head of VW China predicts over 80 more new models will launch in 2012. (CAR)
• 29/4: China’s 1.3bn population is three times that of the entire EU. Car ownership stands at 50 vehicles per 1000: in Europe, the average is 500 per 1000. (CAR)
• 27/4: The cleanest cars will be cleaner than the cleanest trains by 2020: an average of 40g/km tailpipe CO2 – 25g/km per passenger based on the 1.6 person average vehicle occupancy – will beat the most efficient trains. The 2000 figure for cars was 140g/km CO2. (Autocar)
• 26/4: The European new car market fell 7 per cent in March and registrations are at their lowest level since 1988. In Q1, Italy was down 21 per cent and France was down 21.6 per cent; Germany was up 1.3 per cent and the UK was up 0.9 per cent. (Just-Auto)
• 26/4: Car production in Mexico grew 13 per cent in 2011 to a record 2.6m units (19.5 per cent of North America output). 2.14m of them were exported. Audi’s announcement it will build a plant there joins Ford, Honda, Nissan and Mazda with plans to expand or build new plants there. (4wheelsnews)
• Mexico is expected to become the world’s third biggest vehicle exporter and its third biggest vehicle producer. (4wheelsnews)
• 25/4: Intelligent mobility – networked cars under digital control – could create a £5bn industry in the UK within a decade, and employ 20k people. (BBC)
• 25/4: 10 carmakers are among the world’s largest 100 public companies. They are: VW/17, Toyota/25, Daimler/37, Ford/44, Honda/59, BMW/61, GM/63, Nissan/85, Mitsubishi Corp/95, Hyundai/96. (Detroit News)
• 20/4: US diesel demand increased 35 per cent in Q1 2012. Many new diesel introductions are planned, including the first US diesel Mercedes S-Class in 17 years. Audi will launch four diesels in the US next year. (Auto Trends)
• 14/4: Car production in Poland was down 26 per cent, representing ‘very large risks’ for the country: car production represents 7 per cent of Poland’s industrial output. 825k cars and trucks were assembled last year in Poland: Fiat assembles the 500 and Lancia Ypsilon, VW makes the Transporter and Caddy, Opel makes a range of cars including the Astra GTC. (4whelsnews)
• 14/4: 37 per cent of potential EV buyers are put off by the car’s high prices. Less than 30 per cent are deterred by the limited range. (Glass’s)
• 11/4: Bosch has sold 75 million ESC units since launching the technology in 1995. Since 2010, it has been producing more ESC units than ABS units. The technology can prevent 80 per cent of skidding accidents and Bosch says that after the seatbelt, it is the most important automotive safety system. ESC is mandatory on all cars type approved in the EU after October 2011, and will be standard on all cars sold from November 2014: today, it is fitted to 72 per cent of all new cars sold in the EU.
• 11/4: Italy is now Europe’s weakest new car market: sales fell 26.7 per cent in March and 20.9 per cent in q1. France fell 23.5 per cent in March and 21.7 per cent in Q1 (but these figures were biased by the ending of a scrap page scheme). France’s annualised selling rate is 1.97m: Italy’s is 1.37m – a level last seen in 1979. (Automotive IQ)
• 9/4: China imports 55 per cent of its oil. Prices have recently exceeded the 8rmb barrier, a key psychological one. (China Car Times)
• 8/4: The Chinese new car market grew 2.45 per cent in 2011. Its peak growth was 30 per cent. (Car News China)
• 8/4: US makers are averaging 25 per cent fleet renewal rate as model replacement cycles shorten. A few years ago, the renewal rate was 15 per cent. (Detroit News)
• 8/4: 80 per cent of UK goods are delivered by road. (SMMT)
• 1/4: Citroen is to close its Slough HQ and move to Peugeot’s Pinley House HQ (which opening in 2008 and already houses a joint PSA training centre). No timetable has been announced for the move – and Citroen will retain separate sales and marketing teams plus separate retail networks. (Auto Retail)
• 1/4: GM CEO Dan Akerson says European production overcapacity is equivalent to 10 plans. Since the 2008 economic crisis, only three plants have closed: Fiat Sicily, Saab Trollhattan and Opel Antwerp. Mitsubishi will stop production in the Netherlands at the end of the year. (4wheelsnews)
• 1/4: Europe has 240 car production facilities in 27 countries. Between 2008-2012, Ford, Chrysler and GM closed 13 US car plants. (4wheelsnews)

The Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG is launched this week and I’m flying out with the UK group today for a first drive.

After an early start and lots of coffee, I’m attempting my first live blog from the launch itself. Internet and wifi connectivity dependent, keep coming back to see how I get on…

Back at my desk – reflections

AMG is about performance, performance, performance (Paulat’s words) – but it’s also about so much more besides. Few cars this powerful are also as friendly and as engaging. You are confident driving the SL 63 quickly and, while you’re not as engaged as you would be in a Porsche, there’s still a lot of accurate, precise, high-quality satisfaction to be had.

The engine is a dream, with its all-round abilities making up for any lack of ultimate old-model howl (and the exhaust bellow will be enough for some). The brakes are brilliant. The interior is lovely. As I said in my MSN Cars piece, the best all-round performance sports car on sale? Taking into account the full repertoire of everyday needs, including cruising down the motorway and nibbling through city centre traffic? It’s well up there…

12.00 – St. Tropez Polo Club

Just chatted to Arnulf Paulat, project manager for vehicle development. How long to develop the SL 63 AMG? Two years – and his proudest achievement is launching it on time to coincide with the series launch of the new SL model range. “Development is one thing, bringing it to production is something else entirely.”

Also spotted my first drive has gone live on MSN Cars: do please read it and let me know what you make of the new SL 63 AMG!

10.40 – St. Tropez Polo Club

Back at the Polo Club and it’s been a partly roofless morning today. Difference? A lot more noise, obviously – from the explosive exhausts that bellow and rasp when on the throttle, flutter and crackle when off it. At times, there’s an almighty BANG from the rear that’s so incredible, you wonder how it can be legal.

Here’s something though: I prefer the SL with the roof up. It’s sharper, more incisive, more accurate. The car I loved from yesterday didn’t return until I raised the roof. So, after half an hour’s exploration early on, it’s remained up ever since.

I intentionally sought gnarly, twisting, narrow and challenging roads this morning too. I wanted to doublecheck the SL AMG was as agile as I thought. Sure enough: its ability to shrink during press-on motoring is quite something. And now it’s finally stopped raining, what a demonstration of its grip and traction too.

The steering remains a touch too light and it’s hardly packed with feel either. But the front end is still very accurate and grip is also electrically sharp and powerful. Those brakes, too, are glorious – but only once the cold morning dew has been taken off…

One more thing: this car really is supercar-fast. With all this power, so easily accessible, plus the egg-you-on confidence and ability of the chassis, it’s a searingly fast backroad car.

07.00 – hotel room

First drive for MSN Cars written and sent. Verdict? After much musing, I reckon it’s a very accurate, confidence-inspiring and rewarding sports car with near-supercar levels of performance and the chassis ability to back it up. It’s easy to drive fast, but gives enough back for it not to be dull, and strikes a very good balance between handling dynamics and ride comfort.

It’s much more focused and satisfying than I was expecting, and despite the huge torque figures backing up the searing SLS-lite performance, it’s never intimidating. There’s a natural neutrality to it that I found extremely rewarding.

No, it’s not quite as involving as a Porsche 911. It’s not meant to be. This is an all-round performance car whose abilities at both ends of the spectrum stretch further than you’d expect.

My god, is it fast, too. The last fraction of throttle travel is truly explosive. Thing is, it’s all so well modulated, and delivered in such a considered way, you never feel like you’re sitting atop a ticking bomb.

And then noise? It’s still there. Less unfettered and pure than before, but it still rumbles and burbles with the best of them. Particularly roof down – and hopefully there’ll be more opportunity for that today.

Also been reminding myself about the old 2008 Mercedes SL 63 AMG. How stark the deficit in toque was even then.

22.15 – laptoptappery

Good fortune with the seating plan meant I’ve just returned from two hours sat next to Thomas Rappel, product strategy boss at Mercedes-AMG GmbH. He’s told me why AMG is a convincing manufacturer in its own right (moving away from its roots as a vehicle tuner), what the brand does to turn Mercedes into AMGs, some of the techniques it uses to engage with its extremely loyal customers, and how it reserves the right to say no to a Mercedes request to create an AMG if it feels the vehicle would not be a ‘true’ AMG.

He’s been a goldmine of information. Watch this space there. Here’s a snipped: I asked him why the SL 63 AMG has just two suspension settings – Comfort and Sport – instead of the multitude of options on models such as the BMW M5.

His reply? If you do your homework right, why do you need five settings?” Customers want comfort, or sportiness – and want perfectly configured settings for both. That’s what AMG offers.

Oh, and the number one reason for someone choosing an AMG? The engine. “Well, the engine, and the sound of the engine. They’re on the same level.” Hence, that AMG audible ID we all know so well…

18.45 – still in the hotel room

Press conference is calling, but just looking at sales stats in the press kit. Between 2008-2011, Mercedes sold 5000 SL 63 AMG – and between 2001-2007, sold 21,500 of the SL 55 AMG.

Both are higher than I thought – selling 26,500 AMG SLs over a decade, in a sports car market now worth under 65k a year worldwide, is not bad going. Particularly as this one costs €157k basic… that’s nearly £130k!

18:00 – the Sezz Hotel, St. Tropez

The weather has been truly horrendous. Flooded roads, near-zero visibility, the works. Luckily, I’d had enough hours in the SL to get a feel for it.

And it’s surprised me. With its agility, its immediacy of response, its surefootedness and mechanical balance. Despite rain-lashed roads and despite cliffloads of torque, I didn’t once had a fright. OK, ESP stayed firmly on – but the car didn’t feel handicapped because of it, despite these conditions. Impressive.

Basically, though, it’s the way the SL has flowed across all the roads it’s encountered that’s really impressed. It’s a very natural-feeling car, balanced and accurate, something that gives the driver huge, huge faith.

The engine is searingly fast, as you’d expect. But not in the explosive way of before. Rather, the turbo torque has made it simply fast, all the time and at all revs, rather than building to a crescendo of speed as before. Think the shove of a diesel, which isn’t capped by a 4000rpm rev limit.

Oh, and turbo lag? Well I didn’t really spot much.

Now to the notepad, to drill down the details for the MSN Cars first drive. Quickly, though: the press conference is in an hour and I have plenty of questions.

15:00 – somewhere en route

I’m sitting low, on delectable soft-Yet-firm seats, behind the small, chunky, part-Alcantara steering wheel of a wieldy, agile and rapid sports GT. Surprises do far? Front end bite and turn-in, the surging spread of the V8′s power, the fact it is so friendly and comfortable in town yet so alluring out of it

Of course, there’s lots to digest, compare and contrast. But it’s looking positive so far.

And, yes, it’s still raining.

13:30 – St Tropez Polo Club

Almost into the cars. Some vital stats: there are two versions, the regular 537hp SL 63 AMG and the AMG Performance Pack one wiht 564hp. Standard is 800Nm of torque, AMG PP is 900Nm. Wow.

The seven-speed ANG SPEEDSHIFT MCT has automatic double-declutching, it’s suspension by ABC active springs and dampers, the flashy sprayless Magic Vision wipers are fitted and it also has a kick-open bootlid that’s also kick-to-close. Oh, and the bootlid is made from carbon composite, saving 5kg.

The body-in-white is a massive 110kg lighter and the SL 63 AMG, at 1845kg, is 125kg lighter than before.

And it’s raining here. Which has meant no helicopter ride, but an otherwise lovely 110km in an E-Class. More on that later. There are SLs to drive…

Pre thoughts – Airbus A321, somewhere over France

Another AMG Mercedes. How long will it be before AMG actually makes a car of its own, to halo-top all the Mercedes variants it’s now worked on? With its own dealership now open in China, it’s surely only a matter of time.

And so, the new car. I don’t know what to expect from this SL 63 AMG, to be fair. I know it will be very fast, and I’m pretty sure it will burble, bellow and yowl like any good AMG should. I’ve intentionally tried to avoid driving impressions on the new all aluminium SL though, as I wanted a clear head for this event.

I spoke to James Baggott last week, who had an E 63 AMG on test. My god, he said, it’s fast. As in, wheelspin at 70mph when you boot it fast. The noise it makes is incredible, too: it’s a very special car.

That got me thinking about AMG and just what it stands for. Does it bring anything more than just speed and drama? From experience, I know the old C 63 AMG was an absolute peach of a car, with rare chassis finesse and delectably precise, intimate steering. It had spot-on spring and damper rates for properly classy poise, balance and absorbency, and was so much more than simply being the thrill-wagon you’d expect from a 6.2-litre engine in a junior executive bodyshell.

But despite this, you still don’t consider such subtleties when you imagine AMG. It’s always about the noise and the grunt. Will this SL, with its newfound lightness, it’s newly-green V8 turbo and its presumed benefit of so much more AMG engineering experience, finally telegraph this? We shall see.

To be continued!

Come back later for more…

Pinterest: of interest? That’s what I’m finding out, thanks to an invite by Neville Hobson (@jangles) following my tweeted intrigue.

That my invite to this new social media channel came via another social media channel is telling, but I nevertheless think there’s potential in Pinterest.

I just need to work out what it is and how to use it.

Pinterest itself? It’s a virtual pinboard, allowing you to share images you see online with others. It’s a bit like cutting out images from magazines and sticking them on the fridge – only here, it’s far less effort and far more flexible.

Adding images to Pinterest is called pinning them. To do this, install the plugin, which will be displayed in your bookmarks bar.

See an image you like? Hit that ‘Pin It’ button.This pulls up a separate web page with all images from the page you’ve been viewing available to ‘pin’. Choose the one you’re after, fill in the comments popup, hit go and – bingo, you’ve added to your Pinterest board. You can even tweet it if you so wish.

Hold on – board? Yup: the idea is to create a board, or multiple (pin)boards (geddit?), ordered by subject so you can build up your virtual image scrapbook. At the moment, I’ve chosen five:

Great motoring journalism

Images that caught my eye

Dials

Cars driven

Products I love

When I see stuff I like online, I’ll add it to these boards, to fulfil my geeky tendencies.

Pinterest users also get to play image editor. No matter how geeky the subject area, they can quality control what’s displayed there. I’m doing this in my ‘dials’ board, for example. Only the finest car dials from history will be displayed here. Sorry, Rover 45 design team.

So, why Pinterest instead of Twitter? Because it’s visual. The secret is in the boards, and the collection of images they hold. Choose the right subject and these can be truly compelling must-views – which, with the right Pinterest editor, will become compellingly sticky for fans of said subject.

It chimes with something others have said: the internet is becoming visual. People don’t want to read, they want to look at images, the richer the better – and it’s Pinterst’s encouragement of this, plus its ability to collate such images with immense granularity, that’s the reason why I think it has potential.

I will persist. I’ll keep on pinning and will be following others who do, too. Keep the interest up and see what happens.

>>Links to more thoughts on Pinterest>>

The Wall on Pinterest

Mashable on Pinterest

The BBC on Pinterest

Wired on Pinterest

Scott Monty on Pinterest

Blue Glass on Pinterest

Lance Ulanoff on Pinterest

Dreamgrow on Pinterest

Soshable on Pinterest (interesting take on Pinterest’s potential as a sales tool)

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+ What journalists should not do on Twitter

+ Mercedes on X-Factor

+ Facebook and Twitter for cars: BMW to the rescue