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Skoda has officially unveiled the top-of-the-range vRS version of the all new Octavia, which is planned for a public debut on 10th July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed held in England. The 2013 Octavia vRS will be available in both sedan and combi body styles. Engine options include the 220bhp 2.0-litre TSI gasoline engine and the 184bhp 2.0-litre TDI. Skoda offers a six-speed DSG transmission as an option for both engines. For the standard six-speed manual version, the petrol vRS does the century sprint in 6.8 seconds while the TDI needs 8.1 seconds. The 2013 Skoda Octavia vRS lineup comes with a sports suspension and sits nearer to the ground. Other goodies include an electronic XDS differential, start/stop function and Brake Energy Regeneration. There is a choice of four alloy rims with sizes ranging from 17 to 19 inches. Behind the rims are red brake calipers. The new vRS has a blackened grille, revised front and rear bumpers, chromed dual exhaust pipes, rear spoiler and bi-xenon head lights. On the inside, the sports sedan comes with a leather-stitched sports steering wheel, stainless steel pedals, sport seats and a redesigned instrument panel.

Opel has just announced that it will be replacing the core of its petrol and diesel engines within the next year with three brand new engine families. For the time being, Opel has revealed details on one engine family which is a 1.6L turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline unit with direct injection and start/stop technologies. Opel says the new SIDI (Spark Ignition Direct Injection) ECOTEC petrol unit will be offered across several car lines in various states of tune with the most potent version delivering 197hp at 4,700rpm and 300Nm from as low as 1,700rpm. This version produces more torque than Ford