MERCEDES-Benz will pull every single new-generation C-Class sedan in Australia back to workshops after its German headquarters flagged fears that their steering systems could unexpectedly lock up.

The luxury German car maker will contact owners by mail – as well as dealerships with new cars still on showroom floors – over the coming weeks, asking them to have the steering unit inspected and, in a worst-case scenario, replaced.

According to Mercedes-Benz, steering coupling locks in 946 new-generation C-Class sedans either sold or on sale in Australia may not have been correctly engaged, resulting in a “rattling noise” from the steering column.

In extreme cases, though, the car maker has warned of a “possible loss” of steering, increasing the likelihood of a crash.

Mercedes-Benz said it had not heard of the problem surfacing in Australia, but as a precaution it would be inspecting all C-Class sedans free of charge to ensure no cars sold here were affected.

The Mercedes-Benz recall follows another one issued overnight for the Jeep Grand Cherokee – the seventh time this year the large US off-roader has flagged safety concerns.

However, this latest Jeep recall affects more than 4700 vehicles sold almost a decade ago, and relates to an ignition barrel that could have an “unexpected change” in its switch position, killing the engine unexpectedly.

As well as a loss of power steering and braking assistance, Fiat Chrysler Australia warns that the loss of power could also affect safety systems such as airbags, which may not fire in a crash.

The latest recall for the Jeep Grand Cherokee gives it the title of Australia’s most recalled vehicle so far in 2014.

Ironically, Mercedes-Benz’s C-Class is in a fierce battle with the Jeep Grand Cherokee for a place in the top 10 list of Australia’s best-selling cars.

The Jeep, a consistent top 10 performer, snuck into September’s list of Australia’s best-selling models in 10th spot, with the C-Class in 11th place and only about 150 sales behind it.

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The Bathurst 1000 is a bloody hard race to win. Some fast and experienced drivers have tried year after year without making it.

So kudos to those drivers and teams who’ve managed the deed more than once.

If mechanical issues don’t interfere – and this is less likely in this era of electronics-monitored naturally aspirated V8 reliability – there are always race-ending possibilities like a self-inflicted crash, or a tyre failure-related shunt, or being an innocent caught up in silliness triggered by others.

While in this modern V8 Supercars era speed differences are tiny and fewer cars are on the track – a small but very competitive 26-car field is set for October 12 – speeds are generally higher and lap times lower.

During the 161 laps, there are also the possibilities of nasty surprises provided by an errant rock or wheel. Or kangaroo or horse. Bathurst is a rural area after all.

It can also be subjected to the vagaries of weather – blazing hot days, and perhaps the twist of the knife … drenching rain. It has even snowed.

There’s no surprise perhaps that 2014 Sandown 500 winners Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell are the favoured duo. Again.

While a Sandown win doesn’t necessarily point to a triumphal drive at Bathurst, more importantly Whincup (and Dumbrell) know how to drive to win in the 1000, and they’re backed by the classiest team of recent times, Triple Eight.

Ominously for the rest, though the Holden Racing Team’s double podium in the traditional Bathurst tune-up, with James Courtney/Greg Murphy second and Garth Tander/Warren Luff third, sent a strong reminder that this outfit will again be a massive threat on the Mountain.

Lots of pace and experience in the other Red Bull Holden too with Craig Lowndes and Steve Richards pairing up. Both are multiple winners of the 1000.

Holden drivers have been the front runners in the 2014 championship with only last year’s Bathurst 1000 winner Mark Winterbottom in the mix. Though perennially complaining about a lack or grunt in the Ford, Frosty – with his offsider Steve Owen – loom as possibilities on Sunday.

From the same Ford Performance Racing camp, David Reynolds/Dean Canto were stiff at Sandown but have the potential and the machine to nail a podium finish at Bathurst. Still, it’s impossible to ignore one salient fact, that FPR does have a reputation of shooting itself in both feet at Mount Panorama, last year excepted.

The other Ford with a chance of getting a trophy if all goes nicely is the Dick Johnson Racing Falcon shared by David Wall and Steve Johnson.

Of the newer brands on the scene, it’s hard to see the Nissans and the Erebus AMG-Mercedes winning, but the Volvo of Scott McLaughlin/Alexandre Premat will be damned quick, if a little thirsty. On his 2014 form to date, McLaughlin may be a real chance at pole.

Kiwi speedster Shane van Gisbergen mates up with Jonathon Webb to form another Holden combination not to be ignored. Tekno is another well-drilled team too.

Another Holden contender is Brad Jones Racing’s pacy Fabian Coulthard with his strong co-driver Luke Youlden.

Drivers from outside Australasia are rare in modern V8 Supercars and the Bathurst entry reflects this paucity; other than Sweden’s 2014 full-timer Robert Dahlgren, the line-up includes only the returning Frenchman Premat, and well-credentialed Brit, the lanky Oliver Gavin, who is co-driving a Commodore with the similarly lofty and lean Nick Percat for Walkinshaw Racing.

Dragon Motor Racing has officially withdrawn its two Holden entries leaving New Zealand’s Super Black entry as the only wildcard and the field pegged at 26. Dragon’s Tony Klein conceded his team would be under-prepared for the challenge of Bathurst.

Bear a thought for Super Black drivers Andre Heimgartner and Ant Pedersen, who are being thrown in the deep end; the Kiwis are on the biggest stage of all in their first outing in the main game…

Cost, rather than opportunity and hardware, appears to be the most obvious deterrent preventing more wildcards tackling the Bathurst 1000, which at its zenith attracted overflow grids of 66-plus touring cars.

A minimum number of seven compulsory pit stops has been mandated by the V8 Supercars Commission, to minimise the impact of fuel economy variations throughout the field.

Championship, or not?

Does Bathurst 1000 have the same lustre as in the past, when it stood above the touring car championship on the wish list of every driver?

Every year at this time, when the race rolls around, someone raises the old question of whether The Great Race should again be a stand-alone event independent of the V8 Supercars Championship as it was in earlier times.

Bob Forbes, a runner-up in the 1974 Bathurst classic and later a V8 Supercars team owner and board member, is adamant that the Bathurst 1000 should revert to stand-alone status, and that more should be done to encourage second-tier Dunlop Series teams to enter as wildcards. “It’s not a good look that Australia’s greatest domestic motor race has only 26 cars on the grid,” Forbes said.

Surely the Bathurst enduro should be outside the championship, allowing every driver and co-driver to focus on one aim – winning the race, rather than prioritising varying title aspirations. Co drivers, in particular, bear the onerous pressure of logging consistently fast lap times while avoiding a mistake that might crush the lead driver’s title chances.

On track

Track action starts on Thursday October 9 with V8 Supercars practice and supports. Qualifying takes place on Friday afternoon, with the Top Ten Shootout late Saturday afternoon.

The Bathurst 1000 starts at 10.30 Sunday morning.

The Seven Network will mount its usual massive live coverage across three days – from noon to 4pm (Eastern) on Friday, from noon to 6pm Saturday and, then from 7am through until 6pm Sunday.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

The Porsche 911 GTS has been announced for both the coupe and cabriolet, following in the footsteps of the Porsche Boxster and Cayman GTS models launched earlier this year. Previously a limited edition model for the previous 997 911, the Panamera and Cayenne, the 911 GTS continues the roll-out of the spec level as a full-time trim level across Porsche’s range.

Two versions of the 911 GTS will be offered when the car arrives in Australia in February, one based on the Carrera S, the other on the Carrera 4S, while it will also be available as a coupe or convertible. Regardless, all GTS models use the Carrera 4’s wider, more muscular body. Power has been upped from 294kW to 316kW, and the addition of the Sport Chrono and PASM stability systems as part of the GTS kit lowers the ride by 10mm.

There are also bi-xenon headlights and the Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS), with black 20-inch alloys, smoked headlamps and black window surrounds distinguishing the GTS over the regular 911. Black surrounds the air-intake in the rear haunches, too, while the sports exhaust, which gives the 3.8-litre flat six a meatier timbre, and is finished in ‘black chrome’.

Porsche says that when optioned with the double-clutch transmission (PDK) the 911 GTS cracks 0-100km/h in 4.1-sec – one-tenth faster than the Carrera S when it’s optioned with the Sports Chrono pack – with the Cabriolet version’s 4.2sec time a whopping 0.8sec better than the drop-top Carrera S’s time.

Yet the extra grace and pace doesn’t come from free: the GTS starts at $268,700 for the manual coupe, a cool $23k more than the Carrera S’s starting price, yet configure a Carrera S with all the GTS goodies and you’re at the same cash without the wide-body and the extra dose of power. That alone makes the GTS a more desirable model than the S in terms of value for money when it arrives in Australia in February 2015.

THE big Aussie V8 ain’t dead yet, with Opel engineers revealing plans to shoehorn an eight-cylinder engine under the bonnet of the new, imported Commodore due in 2017.

The new Commodore is hotly tipped to be a rebadged version of the next-generation Opel Insignia, under development in Germany with Australian input.

Hatch, sedan and wagon versions of the current Insignia are built at Opel’s Russelsheim factory in Germany and come in front- and all-wheel-drive configurations.

But where upgraded versions of the petrol and diesel engines used in the current Insignia range in Europe will power volume models of the next-gen car, Opel performance manager Wilfried Diehl has revealed a planned performance hero could use a high-output V6 or even a V8.

“We’re starting work on the VXR version of the new Insignia now, and there are big discussions about the engine,” said Diehl.

“We have no plans for a V8 for the European market, but there could be a discussion with North America to get one for Australia. It’d have to be organised through America, where they would offer us a V8 engine on an appropriate platform and it would then go on sale there as well.

“I understand it [a V8 engine] is very important for the Australian market.”

He’s not wrong, with the 6.0-litre V8 engine in the current Holden Commodore line-up even today accounting for about three out of every 10 sales.

Despite the comments, Holden insiders told Wheels that while a V8-powered Insignia was not impossible, it was highly unlikely given Opel’s small penetration into the US market.

The more likely outcome is a 260kW high-performance V6 or 300kW four-cylinder turbo, currently under development for the European market.

“The new program is a 3.6-litre naturally aspirated V6 engine or a 2.0-litre turbo,” said Diehl.

“We are in discussion about this but part of the program is the V6, which currently produces around 260kW/450Nm, but will make more.

“We just started with this engine because it is pretty new, and we have to think about what we can do with it performance-wise.”

There is also speculation that a turbo version of the V6 could eventually produce as much as 370kW – an output that dwarfs even the V8 performance of the current Commodore range.

But while the next-gen range-topping Insignia VXR (badged OPC in Germany) won’t appear until January 2018, Diehl confirmed Aussies would get their first look at the next Commodore in mid-2017.

“The standard Insignia will come in 2017, around August or September and the OPC will be about half a year later,” he said.

Diehl also dismissed speculation the next Insignia would increase in size, meaning the next Commodore would be smaller than the VF. The current Insignia is close to a Subaru Liberty in size.

“It will be built on a modified version of the current Insignia platform,” said Diehl. “And the dimensions will be the same as they are today, not larger. There’s talk it is going to be bigger, but it’s not.”

Holden will begin to reacquaint Aussie buyers with Opel products early next year when it imports the Astra VXR, current Insignia VXR and Cascade convertible.

As previously reported by Wheels, Holden has confirmed that Opel products will account for more than a third of its future product portfolio, with the German-engineered products key to helping Holden reach its ambitious target of becoming Australia’s top-selling brand by 2020.

CITROEN will release a second small-car series in the unlikely shape of the C4 Cactus hatch/crossover.

The Holden Trax and Nissan Juke rival is due in the latter half of 2015, as the high riding chunky five-door with air bubbles on the side (to help protect against parking dings) has struck a chord with European consumers, prompting the Australian importers to fast-track its arrival.

According to Citroen’s marketing manager for Australia, Dimitri Andreatidis, the Cactus has the X factor to change the way buyers see the brand – particularly if its price stays south of the $20,000 mark as some pundits are predicting.

“We think the Cactus would really appeal to Australian consumers,” he said. “It has the potential to lift the image of the brand significantly.”

The somehow-retro styling is repeated inside with lounge-style front seat cushions, a very low dashboard header (the upshot of moving the airbags from behind the fascia to the roof), quaint door pulls and old-fashioned pop-open rear-door windows. The latter two items – while looking cool – are also money-saving items to help keep that price down.

Yet the digital instrumentation, tablet-like central touchscreen with its ‘MirrorLink’ smartphone mimicking interface, automatic parking system, reverse camera and hill-hold braking feature are all nods to modernity.

Which drivetrain derivatives end up Downunder is uncertain, but in Europe two 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol units (in naturally aspirated and turbo) and a 1.6-litre HDi four-pot turbo-diesel are available.

Part of the Cactus’ initial European success is down to keen pricing – a move afforded by the low-cost 208-based front-drive architecture consisting of MacPherson-type struts up front and a simple torsion beam rear end – even though the hatch is roughly the same size as the regular C4.

Like what you see? Watch this space.

CITROEN will release a smaller version of its acclaimed seven-seat Grand C4 Picasso people-mover in Australia early next year to take on the likes of the Mazda 6 and Hyundai i40 Tourer.

Dropping the “Grand” prefix but scoring a sleeker rear-end silhouette, the C4 Picasso also ditches the third-row pew for a stylish, yet practical, five-seat wagon alternative.

Although the newcomer sits on a shorter wheelbase, the Citroen C4 Picasso and Grand C4 Picasso will share everything forward of the B-pillar as well as underneath, including the all-new EMP2 front-drive modular platform that also underpins the second-generation Peugeot 308 out soon.

One big change, however, is the switch from a diesel to petrol powerplant in the more petite C4 Picasso, courtesy of the PSA Group’s e-THP turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine that develops an impressive 121kW/240Nm.

Mated exclusively to a six-speed automatic transmission, it will major on low fuel use and emissions, aided by idle-stop technology. The Grand’s e-HDi turbo diesel may come later if demand exists for it.

Sime Darby Group Australia marketing manager Dimitri Andreatidis told Wheels that the success of the seven-seater Picasso had paved the way for the baby Grand’s arrival in the first quarter of 2015.

“We’re very excited about the Picasso,” Andreatidis said. “The Grand Picasso has been very well received in Australia. The dealers and consumers have responded very positively. It is being well supported.

“It’s also a brand halo vehicle for us, in that it brings to life our brand signature of creative technology. It has been designed for families. The only difference between the Grand and regular Picasso is the number of seats.”

Andreatidis said both C4 Picassos would target families seeking European style, technology and efficiency, but at different stages of life and transport needs.

Since its February launch, the latest Grand C4 Picasso has become the bestselling Citroen passenger vehicle in Australia – although its paltry 173 sales year-to-date is a drop in the ocean compared with the 1644 units recorded by the people-mover market-leading Honda Odyssey over the same timeframe.

The first-generation C4 Picasso was only sold in seven-seater guise in this country from 2007, though a smaller version was always available elsewhere.

The latter’s direct predecessor – the Peugeot 306-based Citroen Xsara Picasso – was released in France in 1999.

F1: Hamilton wins Japanese GP, marred by Bianchi accident; Vettel move stuns pitlane

LEWIS Hamilton has won a shortened Japanese Grand Prix, extending his lead in the driver’s world championship, with the race finishing on a sombre note after Marussia driver Jules Bianchi was injured in a heavy collision.

The incident occurred on lap 46 of the grand prix, with the race red-flagged before its original 53-laps could be completed. The podium – led by Hamilton, who passed and easily outdrove second-placed Mercedes team-mate and race pole sitter, Nico Rosberg, with Sebastian Vettel finishing in third place. It was Vettel that was the talk of the pit lane ahead of the race…

F1: Vettel quits Red Bull for Ferrari

AFTER 15 years with Red Bull, starting in its nursery and rising through the ranks to Formula One and winning four world championships, Sebastian Vettel has decided his future is with Ferrari.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner revealed that Vettel only told him of his decision to leave on Friday night – bang in the middle of a race weekend – and just hours before the move was announced. Outshone this year by Aussie team mate Daniel Ricciardo, the German exercised a clause in his contract to get out.

So much for loyalty. He’s the latest in a long list of drivers who have walked from the teams that gave them their big break in F1 ‑ the ungrateful Lewis Hamilton for starters…

Vettel’s jump to Maranello is a strange one on several levels, unless he believes Red Bull has peaked, and Ferrari is poised for the mother of all comebacks.

One thing is certain; Ferrari doesn’t need three world champions on its roster for 2015.

Vettel’s replacement, Russian Daniil Kvyat, now 20, became the sport’s youngest ever points scorer at the age of 19 in Melbourne last March. A year ago such a move from a raw young bloke from Russia was unthinkable, but Kvyat has been a revelation.

So Red Bull is counting on two young bucks.

“I was very honoured, very surprised,” the BBC quoted the Toro Rosso driver after the announcement at Suzuka. “The people around me know I like to work hard and do my best.”

Ricciardo once again threatened Vettel’s chance of a podium at a rain-soaked Suzuka circuit that was red-flagged after young Frenchman Jules Bianchi speared off the track under the safety car and hit a tractor.

The incident-marred race was stopped on lap 46 after Vettel, who dropped to fourth behind Ricciardo after he speared into the pits under the safety car for a new set of intermediate tyres, was elevated back to third in a one-lap count back.

Vettel’s move heightened the already rampant speculation surrounding Fernando Alonso’s future.

In his fifth season with Ferrari, Alonso has grown increasingly disillusioned with the legendary Scuderia’s lack of success – there have been no race wins in more than a year. If the losing streak continues throughout 2014, it will be Ferrari’s first winless season since 1993.

Alonso still had two more years to run on his contract but he and Ferrari have agreed to part. The betting is that Alonso is heading back to McLaren, which next year will have the returning Honda powering its cars. Honda wants Alonso as badly as does McLaren so money ‑ and Alonso wants a pile ‑ won’t be an issue.

In a poll of team bosses, Fernando Alonso would come out tops as Formula One’s best all-round driver.

In the time he has been at Ferrari, on countless occasions Alonso’s spirit and speed has flattered a fairly ordinary succession of red cars.

There have been signs that the restless star has been increasingly fed up with Ferrari’s lack of pace, and the absence of optimism at Maranello.

Alonso’s once-strong power base has been eroded with the recent departure of Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, and team principal Stefano Domenicali.

Alonso hasn’t been feeling the same love from Fiat Group overlord Sergio Marchionne, who now also looks after Ferrari, and new F1 team chief Marco Mattiacci. Both have expressed a determination to push Ferrari back to dominance but they have been honest enough to suggest this won’t happen in a heartbeat.

With this noble target unlikely to be achieved next season, the edgy Alonso has been looking at alternatives. To stay, and to assuage the pain of racing an uncompetitive car, he has been angling for more money ‑ money that we now know may have been spent on getting Vettel.

At 33, Alonso senses time is against him and he yearns for a winning car. With his current contract in place until the end of 2016 and no available seats at Red Bull and Mercedes, only McLaren and Lotus are open, each representing massive risks.

Not so long ago, Alonso seemed set to finish his career in a Ferrari. Now, it seems the increasingly brittle relationship will see him depart.

Ferrari wants more than they sense Alonso is struggling to give right now – total commitment to the cause.

In his recent flinging of Ferrari icon Luca di Montezemolo, the always frank and sometime brutal Marchionne made it clear, in words as well as actions, that nobody at Ferrari was indispensable. “When the company changes its mind, or at least when objectives aren’t shared anymore, things change,” he said.

To be fair, the car is letting down Alonso this season, and his call for the team to improve its on-track performance is not unreasonable. But the Italians are proud and sensitive, some say precious, souls.

Ignoring the Spaniard’s acrimonious previous stint at Woking, the Brit press sees Alonso heading back to McLaren, with Honda hybrid power. Honda was a great partner of McLaren in the turbo era but there are no guarantees the Japanese car maker will quickly get on top of the complex hybrid technology and give Alonso a winning package.

To complete a complex jigsaw of crazy conjecture, the German media insists the drums are beating for Fernando to go to Lotus, which gets Merc power from next year. Lotus has been struggling on and off the track this year, needing drivers Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado to bring sponsorship to keep it afloat.

Alonso says the Vettel move to Ferrari won’t force his hand, and that he still holds all the cards.

He may be right.

INDY CARS: New challenge from within for Power

INDY Car champ Will Power gets a new Penske team-mate next season ‑ Simon Pagenaud ‑ and the chances are he won’t be thrilled with the choice.

Frenchman Pagenaud has been signed by Team Penske under a multi-year agreement that will expand the squad to four quality international drivers, the others being Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya.

But there is some history between Power and Pagenaud that Roger Penske and his drivers will need to manage.

The two were teammates in 2007, when they drove for Derrick Walker in the Champ Car Series. But, more pointedly, Power and Pagenaud clashed on track at Long Beach and Detroit early this year, stretching their otherwise good relationship.

Neither expects those incidents to become at issue at Penske, an outfit that exerts firm control over its drivers.

“He’s the champion,” observed Pagenaud. “He’s a tremendous driver. Our job is to make it work.”

Pagenaud is a good acquisition for Penske. He scored four race wins across three seasons with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

After several near misses, Toowoomba’s Power this season finally scored his first IndyCar Series championship and is intent on repeating the achievement when the new season gets under way next March.

FORMULA 4: Attractive incentives … for the winner

THE winner of the inaugural Australian FIA Formula 4 championship will receive up to $250,000 in value from the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport to help the new champ take the next big step along the path to Formula One.

CAMS chief executive Eugene Arrocca has confirmed the F4 champion’s bounty will come from sponsors and will not be a cash prize.

CAMS says the prize fund for the new Formula 4 champion will be used to help take the next step on the motor sport ladder in an approved open-wheeler development category.

The new national F4 series, which uses a common chassis and yet to-announced control engine and tyre, will be run over 21 points races starting in June/July next year. F4 will be a major support act to the V8 Supercars Championship.

Here’s the crazy bit though… drivers who end the inaugural 2015 F4 season second, third and fourth in the points will be offered Dunlop Development Series V8 Supercar tests. Que?

Since when has an involvement with a struggling second-tier sedan category been the pathway to F1? The answer is plainly “never and not ever”.

The F4 championship’s full calendar is yet to be announced.

Wheels is walking the floor of the Paris Motor Show as the world’s biggest car makers launch a host of exciting new metal – everything from fuel-sipping commuter fare to ground-shaking supercars.

As well as our stories below, you can catch regular updates from Paris in our live feed. Here’s a summary of what you’ve missed so far.

Lamborghini Asterion debuts: http://goo.gl/jHqN48

Volkswagen XL Sport revealed: http://goo.gl/RSQgjM

Audi TT Sportback Concept unveiled: http://goo.gl/IY7tSk

Honda Civic Type R revealed: http://goo.gl/O644V2

Lambo hybrid supercar will not be built: http://goo.gl/Q9AJLz

Bentley Mulsanne Speed is fastest office on wheels: http://goo.gl/UgTZ4Z

Porsche Cayenne S e-hybrid plugs in: http://goo.gl/1aq6p1

Volvo confirms ‘XC40’ baby SUV: http://goo.gl/ZDkALy

Next Holden Commodore will be built in Germany, designed by Australia: http://goo.gl/eFMmGK

Range Rover Sport SVR to take on aftermarket tuners: http://goo.gl/QlROzj

Holden seeks Opel’s help to get back to #1 in Oz: http://goo.gl/D8ZNdg

Holden Barina replacement revealed by Opel: http://goo.gl/OWHqof

Kia Picanto likely for Oz: http://goo.gl/z2vofM

Land Rover Discovery family set to grow: http://goo.gl/lQsWQk

Infiniti Q80 Hybrid revealed: http://goo.gl/OjaOV5

Mercedes-Benz commits to ‘DiesOtto’ fuel miser: http://goo.gl/JzhVvB

Audi TT family expands: http://goo.gl/H2H281

AMG aim for beyond 400kW: http://goo.gl/sKofh7

Ferrari winning in F1 is ‘non-negotiable’: http://goo.gl/VFVy7f

Skoda Fabia gets youth target tech: http://goo.gl/FXSXRh

2015 Volkswagen Passat range launched: http://goo.gl/MOhf3J

Land Rover Discovery Sport fully revealed: http://goo.gl/O8hKc7

Ferrari 458 Speciale A makes powerful entrance: http://goo.gl/ljJjYy

Second-generation BMW X6 revealed: http://goo.gl/MZG2G1

Open hostility at Ferrari: http://goo.gl/IMbIfW

AS LUCA di Montezemolo delivered his last sermon to invited journalists at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, in a grey suit with his legs crossed, his black socks visible as he sipped Italian mineral water from a wine glass, the tension between he and the man who was his boss, Sergio Marchionne, was evident in a remarkable display of hostility.

Marchionne – who will replace Montezemolo as chairman of Ferrari in addition to his responsibilities as head of Fiat-Chrysler – walked into the presentation late, across his subordinate with no acknowledgement or sense of occasion, before sitting at a desk next to him.

Marchionne’s posture was of a bored child, his chin resting on his elbow as Montezemolo addressed the mainly adoring journalists in attendance.

“This is at least for me an important day, as it is my last meeting with you,” Montezemolo said. “And, you know, the life is strange, and life makes surprises to each of us. What is important is to learn and look ahead.”

Marchionne didn’t know where to look, and in a display of blatant disrespect, turned his back to Montezemolo and began examining a book of leather samples with Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa. The journalists were astonished.

The controversy was fuelled when Montezemolo responded to a question about why he is leaving Ferrari by winking and gesturing towards Marchionne.

“If you have three hours, I will explain,” he joked.

“After 23 years, we are in front of a new era, because for sure this will be a new era with the group, with the flotation, it is time to leave, even because at the end of the day I am at the end of my long and fantastic trip inside Ferrari.”

Not really an answer…

Yet Marchionne butted in when the issue of Montezemolo’s departure continued to be discussed.

“There is not a single doubt in my mind that his departure is not as glorious as you want to make it,” Marchionne told the media.

“We can build a whole pile of hypothesis and conjecture; at the end of the day, I think Luca and I have come to the conclusion that, as a result of the flotation of Fiat-Chrysler in the US, this is opening up a new page in this organisation.

“Luca has had a phenomenally impressive career within Ferrari; he’s been the chairman of Fiat for a period of six years; was on the board with me for 12; he has been an integral contributor to the resurrection of Fiat, and has done a tremendous job of leading Ferrari.

“Whatever it is that you’re hearing, these whispers – absolute bullshit. Shut off the radio cause you’re listening to the wrong station.”

While Di Montezemolo said he did not know what he was going to do after leaving Ferrari, it’s clear that neither he nor Marchionne – who is providing him with a €23 million severance package – were willing to give a direct answer as to why, and how, the seasoned Italian ended up departing.

BMW has ripped the covers off its new second-generation X6 at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, with the sporty SUV due to hit Aussie roads in December.

Following the reveal of the third-gen X5 earlier this year – with which the X6 shares most of its chassis and drivetrain hardware – the sleeker, design-orientated X6 now sports more bang for your buck.

Standard equipment is up across all grades and now includes bi-xenon headlights, 19-inch wheels, auto tailgate, leather trim, an eight-speed automatic, lane-departure warning and autonomous city braking.

All-wheel drive is standard across the range, with BMW deciding against giving the X6 an entry-level rear-drive sDrive variant (as on the X5) due to its sportier character.

Three engines will be offered, including a twin-turbo in-line six-cylinder diesel powering the 30d and a 280kW triple-turbo diesel in the M50d.

The sole petrol offering is an updated version of BMW’s 4.4-litre V8 tuned to produce 330kW in the X6 50i.

Fuel consumption is improved across the range by as much as 22 percent.

Performance lovers will be able to select an M Sport package to add a more aggressive look, while a fully blown X6 M is also in the works and could produce as much a 450kW – up significantly on the 408kW of the current model.

Pricing is yet to confirmed, but expect an announcement closer to the December launch.