Our reporters empty their notebooks to round up this week's gossip from across the automotive industry
This week's snippets of automotive news include the chances of a Bentley rival to the Porsche 911, Nissan's 370Z replacement, Mazda's renewable fuel and Skoda's alternative car ownership schemes.
No Bentley 911 rival to come:
Bentley has no interest in creating a Porsche 911 rival, company boss Wolfgang Dürheimer has stated. Although Bentley's Continental GT3 competes against the 911 GT3 R in race series such as the Blancpain GT Series to "underline that we do performance", Dürheimer added that its model focus is elsewhere: "We don't see any reason to create a 911 fighter. That would not be a good move for us."
Nissan 370Z replacement:
Nissan design boss Alfonso Albaisa is all for a new Z car in the brand's line-up to replace the 370Z. He admitted the sports car market was a challenging one, but said he was "personally advocating" a new Z car. "We haven't given up on it," he added.
Mazda's micro-algae fuel:
Mazda is working with the Tokyo Institute of Technology to develop a renewable liquid fuel made out of micro-algae, which could provide a sustainable and environmentally friendly fuel course. Kiyoshi Fujiwara, Mazda's research boss, said they hoped to have a working fuel by around 2035-40. "Especially for the UK government," he added.
Skoda alternate car ownership schemes:
Skoda is targeting younger customers who have little interest in actually owning a car with different user schemes, according to Jarmila Plachá, head of the Czech brand's digital innovation facility. "Many youngsters do not even want to own a car – we want to make their lives easier and more friendly," she said. Ride sharing and car-sharing schemes are seen as possible solutions to young customers less focused on ownership.
Related stories:
Bentley Continental GT review
Nissan 370Z review
Skoda Superb review