Driven: new Bentley Bentayga

When do we get it: First deliveries will arrive in early 2016. Prices start at £160,000 and rise quickly north.

What we say: “If the Veyron was the VW Group at the top of its performance game, and the XL1 its eco-masterpiece, this is Europe’s great automotive empire doing luxury better than anyone else.”

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David Beckham’s old Range Rover Sport is up for sale

If you’d like to recreate precisely one element of the glittering, high-celeb lifestyle of England’s most capped outfield player, today’s your lucky day. Ol’ Goldenballs’ ol’ Range Rover Sport is up for auction.

In no way confirming everything we thought we knew about Premiership footballers, the Range Rover Sport – the V8 petrol version, obviously – features ‘a striking Kahn body kit’, black alloys and ‘every optional extra conceivable’ including quilted seats, twin rear screens and Gary Neville.

We made the last one up.

We’re told the Rangey has done 62,000 miles, and is expected to fetch around £25,000 when it goes under the hammer. Though no longer wearing its original ‘DB1001’ number plate, it DOES include a log book detailing ‘a speeding summons in the name of David’s sister Joanne’.

Will the glamour never end?

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A Chinese Gallardo driver was pulled by police... with a massive teddy on his roof

Regular readers will know Ten Things’ love for animal-car stories is second to none, even if said animal happens to be stuffed and broadly fictional.

Which is why Ten Things was squeaking in happy delight at reports emerged from China that appeared to show the owner of a Lamborghini Gallardo being stopped by police for having a GIANT TEDDY strapped to his car’s roof.

The driver, it’s said, had bought the behemoth bear as a gift for his girlfriend. Chengdu’s traffic police, however, failed to see the romantic side, viewing the toy as a potential hazard to other road users. By which, presumably, they meant, “parents now being given a hard time by their toddlers for buying them such a very small teddy”.

Dangerous? Romantic? Clearly there’s only one way to settle this. Ask the bear. He looks happy enough, doesn’t he?

Actually, no. No he doesn’t. Untie the poor lad!

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Citroen DS Divine Concept

Like the city itself, the Paris Auto Show is all about making design statements. For the recently launched DS brand -- an offshoot of parent company Citroen - the French venue provided a perfect showcase for a high-profile one-off that its chief exec claims represents the essence of what DS is and where it will be heading in the years ahead. That journey will reportedly include a trip to the U.S. in 2020. Roughly the size of a VW Golf and powered by a 270-horse/1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline 4-cylinder, the Divine DS Concept is a sleek front-drive/5-door hatch that matches avant-garde styling and advanced technology with interior personalization that establishes a new benchmark

Bold graphics are everywhere on the Divine DS, starting with detailing that sets off its sleekly sculpted bodywork. Up front, laser-guided "smart" LED headlamps embellished with Swarovski crystal accents flank a grille studded with diamond-shaped inserts that reflect light to create a 3D effect. At the rear, full-LED lamps incorporate retracting "scales" and sequential directional signals that further reinforce the car's dynamic character. Textured to resemble the skin of a reptile, the main roof panel on the Divine DS is composed of matching matte/satin and opaque/transparent panels. Articulated elements in its back glass continue that theme and can open to enhance the car's aerodynamics at speed. Even its custom 20-inch alloy wheels are crafted with a distinctive detached-spoke design

The same daring character permeates the cabin of the Divine DS, although state-of the art tech touches like a 10.4-inch HD TouchDrive interface, screen and holographic head-up display are overshadowed by its ability to be visually transformed using what DS calls "Hyper-Typage." This innovation in personalization allows the main interior trim elements on the dash and doors to be easily swapped in 15 minutes. For its maiden outing, the Divine DS offers three choices, each influenced by haute couture fashion. The semi-brooding Mäle mixes carbon fiber cloth with dark burnished leather while Parisienne Chic teams full-grain ivory leather with pleated silk and satin embroidered with beads and crystals sewn by Lesage. The cheeky Fatale Punk motif matches crystal-studded, deep-black padded and pierced leather with crystal-infused Swarovski fabric on the door scrolls

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BMW X6 2015

Making its world debut in Paris, the comprehensively recast 2015 BMW X6 boasts an even edgier appearance. The second generation of the new X6 also benefits from an impressive cabin refresh as well as a bump in output for the V8 engine in the top-line X6 xDrive5.0i model

Marginally larger than the current X6, the Gen II version is lighter by 35-50 pounds yet stronger and more rigid, a feat accomplished by expanding the use of high- and ultra-high strength steel as well as aluminum, magnesium and various thermoplastics

Bolder styling

Visually, the new X6 largely maintains its familiar profile, but adopts what BMW calls a more "extroverted" design for its fascias. Up front, this added boldness brings more prominent X5-like grille and lamp treatments. Adaptive LED Headlights as well as new LED fog lights are optional. A new rising character line in the rear fender merges into a sleeker tail that features thinner-profile L-shaped LED lamps and a matte-silver underbody element. The X6 remake also includes BMW's now-signature Air Curtains and Air Breathers that help reduce the coefficient of drag on the 2015 iteration to an impressive 0.34

The comprehensive remake of the 2015 BMW X6's 5-passenger cabin also borrows freely from the latest X5, netting a more contemporary look and feel. Its new dash shares the X5's the fully programmable Dynamic Digital Instrument Cluster with a 10.2-inch center Control Display that works with its standard iDrive controller. A new 40/20/40 split-folding rear bench replaces the current 60/40 unit to add more versatility. However, cargo space is down, dropping from 25.6 to 20.5 cu ft with the rear seat up and dipping to 53.9 from 59.7 cu ft when it's laid flat. A one-touch power tailgate with automatic soft-takedown is standard in the new X6 as is an even larger glass sunroof

Two engine choices

U.S. buyers will choose between two well-proven engines for the 2015 X6 at launch, both backed by an 8-speed Steptronic sport automatic transmission. The sDrive30i and xDrive30i are fitted with BMW's 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo inline-6 that makes 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque, while the new xDrive50i packs BMW's 4.4-liter TwinPower Turbo V8. For 2015, this twin-turbo engine adds Valvetronic variable valve timing which bumps pony count from 400 to 445 and raises peak torque from 450 to 480 lb ft. Beyond putting a bit more snap in their respective 0-60 mph sprint times, BMW promises "significant efficiency gains," although EPA numbers have not been released

Beyond its impressive roster of standards, the 2016 BMW X6 will offer plenty of personalization potential. The xLine and Interior Design Packages add a touch of elegance while M Sport kit bolsters its enthusiast appeal. Other prime X6 options include an enhanced versions of BMW Head-up Display and Night Vision, various BMW ConnectedDrive systems, Active Driving Assistant, Active Cruise Control and Parking Assistant. The 2015 BMW X6 will arrive in showrooms here late this year. Pricing for all models will be announced closer to their actual on-sale date

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