Steve Davies

Earlier this afternoon Ferrari released some new images of its new 6.2-litre 651 bhp V12 flagship, including this studio shot of the FF in an elegant Grigio Ferro Metallic grey.

In an astute move by Lexus UK's sales and marketing team, buyers of its new CT 200h hybrid luxury hatchback can now specify Kylie Minogue in place of the regular car's wing mirror - drivers had suggested that they'd rather look at Kylie than at the following traffic and rather generously the pocket-sized superstar was only too happy to oblige.

Well, this is a rarity - a special edition Porsche model that costs no more than base model, so it’s little surprise that the availability will be limited. The 911 Black Edition is powered by the 3.6 litre 340 bhp (254 kW) engine from the 911 Carrera combined with a comprehensive equipment package and available in any colour you like - as long as it's black.

We were beginning to tire of Pagani's teaser videos of its forthcoming Huayra and it seems we weren't alone - a magazine spread leaked out on Friday, followed by an official photo and more spreads from the Spanish edition of CAR magazine.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most famous and desirable cars in automotive history - the Jaguar E-Type, and Jaguar will be celebrating this special anniversary year at high-profile motoring events throughout 2011.

February 2011 will mark the launch of new luxury lifestyle brand, Lotus Originals. Inspired by the Lotus DNA of innovation and design excellence, the debut collection is a range of performance outerwear, refined, luxury knitwear and leather goods that reflect the craftsmanship, heritage and spirit of Lotus. Lotus Originals will be exclusively available from the Lotus website (www.lotusoriginals.com) from February.

2010 will come to be known as the turning point for environmentally responsible, alternative-energy motoring - it was the year when high-performance sporting brands made hybrid and electric powerplants cool. Porsche revealed the 911 GT3 R Hybrid, sent it out to compete with the big guns at the Nürburgring 24 hours and in ALMS and in doing so, showed that 'green' doesn't mean slow

I've undertaken my fair share of 'teaser' or pre-launch marketing campaigns and they can be a very effective means of grasping and then holding customer attention in the build up to a major launch. But they rely on the element of surprise, of the unknown - where the audience are intrigued and curious about what will happen next and where the foreplay becomes nearly as satisfying as the main event...