Study: Hybrids safer in accidents, more dangerous to pedestrians

In the first analysis of its kind, the Highway Loss Data Institute found that drivers of hybrid vehicles are, on average, 25 percent less likely to be injured in a crash than drivers of conventional vehicles. Matt Moore, the data institute's vice president and author of the study, said weight was a big factor in its analysis. “Hybrids on average are 10 percent heavier than their standard counterparts,” Moore said in a statement on Thursday.

Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster (2009): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 03 July 2009 16:30 Pagani has unveiled a roadster version of its most radical road-legal Zonda ever, the Cinque. Just five Cinque Roadsters will be made, and with no roof, a 669bhp V12 engine, and a price tag broaching £1.1m (plus taxes) it's pretty special. Think again - and if Horacio Pagani wants to build 5 more gorgeous Cinques, this time without a roof so you can really hear that 7.3-litre V12 wail, then who are we to argue. There's a longer front spoiler, a flat undertray and diffuser, plus a new rear wing, all of which is enough to create the same 750kg of downforce at 186mph that Pagani claims for the coupe version.

GM throttles back on performance cars for 2010

It should not be a surprise, as General Motors scrambles to cut costs and cars sit unsold on dealers' lots, that the automaker is cutting high-performance versions of several vehicles for the 2010 model year. According to information from online ordering guides made available to GM dealers, the 2009 model year is the last for the Chevrolet Impala SS, the Pontiac G6 GXP and the Cadillac STS-V. Also, the SS trim in the Chevy Cobalt lineup will be limited to the coupe body style.