Volkswagen Jetta 2008 Radio on 2040-parts.com

Congestion charge to rise by 15%

THE LONDON congestion charge is to rise from £10 a day to £11.50; a sudden 15% increase. The increase, the first since 2011, will take effect from June 16, Transport for London (TfL) has said, although the rate for those on the auto-pay system, and also for fleet customers, will be £10.50 per day. TfL said that customer improvements will be introduced next year, including direct debit payments for auto pay customers, online discount applications, and easier NHS patients and staff reimbursement.

Ford spoofs Cadillac ELR with latest ad

Rule Number One of advertising is, "kick 'em when they're down." Or was that Sun Tzu...or Bone Thugs-N-Harmony? Either way, while Cadillac catches flak for its controversial ELR ad, the above Ford ad with a C-Max Energi is either a shameless ripoff or a smashing riposte. (This, of course, depends on your affinity for European-derived plug-in crossovers.) Instead of a white guy, it's a black lady.

Hyundai rules out separate premium brand

Hyundai Motor Co. has ruled out spinning off the Genesis or Equus nameplates to create an independent premium brand along the lines of Lexus or Infiniti, partly because of the enormous cost involved and possible image damage to sibling nameplates. "There are no plans for Hyundai to make a separate brand," Vice Chairman Shin Jong-Woon said in an interview Friday at the carmaker's headquarters in Seoul, South Korea.