Wheelers Blog & News

Renault has announced the Twizy EV can now be driven by 14-year-olds. The French manufacturer explains that under a new legislation 14-year-olds with BSR (Brevet de Sécurité Routière) road safety certificates are authorized to drive “light motorized quadricycles”, previously reserved for individuals aged 16 and over. Thanks to this, the Renault Twizy 45 can be used by 14-year-olds, standing as “an alternative to scooters with levels of safety and comfort superior to those offered by...

Yazeed Al-Rajhi stormed to an emphatic fourth victory in the Ha’il Nissan International Rally, which finished in the north-central region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Sunday.   The Hummer driver was the class of the record entry from the start with German co-driver Timo Gottschalk and celebrated a fourth win in four different makes of car with a winning margin of nearly 70 minutes.   “It was a fantastic event and I am delighted to have won here with the Hummer,” said Al-Rajhi....

Mercedes offered to help keep the German grand prix alive in 2015.   On Friday, the FIA revealed that it has removed the scheduled July 19 date from this year's calendar because Bernie Ecclestone and a German circuit "did not reach agreement".   Earlier, as F1 supremo Ecclestone discussed the crisis with the financially embattled Nurburgring as well as the potential substitute Hockenheim, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said: "As far as we are able to, we will try to help.   "It is an...

Germany's other F1 circuit has joined Hockenheim in pulling out of the running to host the scheduled July 19 race.   Earlier this week, Hockenheim chief Georg Seiler told Bild newspaper: "We have no more hope that formula one will take place here" in 2015.   And now the Nurburgring has followed suit, as DPA news agency quoted spokesman Pietro Nuvolini as saying: "We have reached the decision that it makes no more sense to wait any longer for timing, organising and economic...

Sauber has admitted it was "surprised" to read ousted driver Giedo van der Garde's media statement on Wednesday.   After the courtroom battle of Melbourne, the two sides have reached a settlement that reportedly involves the return of the Dutch driver's sponsorship payments, legal fees and compensation to the tune of EUR 15 million.   But in a statement on Wednesday, van der Garde was heavily critical of the Hinwil based team, accusing Sauber of ending his "dream" of racing in...

Lewis Hamilton kicked off his world championship title defense in style as he won the opening round of the 2015 Formula 1 world championship in Australia today.   The pole-sitting Hamilton controlled the race from start to finish to beat his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg who was never able to mount a serious challenge for the race lead.   Sebastian Vettel began his Ferrari career with a podium as he beat the Williams of Felipe Massa to third place, with the Brazilian finishing fourth,...

Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, the defending FIA Middle East rally champion, leads 19 rivals into the start of the Kuwait International Rally on Friday morning.   The event is being organised by the Basil Salem Al-Sabah Motor Racing Club (BMRC) in conjunction with the Kuwait International Automobile Club (KIAC) and day one action revolves around two loops of three desert special stages and a late afternoon sting in the tail.   > Nasser Al Attiyah jets in from Mexico to top impressive Kuwait...

Lewis Hamilton has slammed a newspaper report that suggested he was demanding $1.5 million per week to sign a new Mercedes deal.   Boss Toto Wolff has already rubbished the claims, telling a reporter "You must question where you get your drugs from".   The original report, labelled as exclusive by the London newspaper The Times' correspondent Kevin Eason, cited sources who said Hamilton "has decided that he must be the best-paid man on the grid".   Indeed, Hamilton's negotiations with...

Much has been written about the Toyota 2000GT, as it was one of the single most important cars in the automotive history of Japan. It was the first time that anyone outside of Japan had taken notice of a Japanese sports car, even though only 351 units were ever built. The car was built with a large amount of input from Yamaha, most notably in the design of the twin-cam head of the inline-six engine. But even the interior wood trim comes from Yamaha's piano division. This particular 2000GT...

As much as you might like to dream about what you want in a car, it's best to think more practically about your needs — not just at present, but in the future, too. Functionality should trump flash. Here are some practical considerations to keep in mind:   How many passengers do you need to carry? What type of driving do you do: highway, surface streets, off-road? Will you drive in ice and snow? Do you have a long commute and, because of that, is fuel economy important to you? Do you...