04-08 Mazda Rx8 Rx-8 Renesis Gas Fuel Filler Door Nordic Green In Color on 2040-parts.com

New Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive goes in to production

The first Mercedes B-Class ED (pictured) rolls off the production line in Rastatt With the BMW i3 grabbing headlines – and flying out of showrooms – as BMW’s first electric car, Mercedes need to play catch-up with a convincing EV of their own, and that’s the new B-Class Electric Drive – an EV version of the regular B-Class – which has now gone in to production in Germany. Built alongside regular ICE versions of the B-Class at Mercedes’ Rastatt Plant, the B-Class ED (Electric Drive) looks practically the same as its more conventionally powered siblings – although the front bumper does look a bit different – and has an electric motor good for 177 bhp and 250 lb/ft of torque, can manage a scoot to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds and has a range of up to 124 miles. The range – at least the quoted range – is a chunk better than the BMW i3′s and on a par with the latest Nissan LEAF, thanks to EV technology provided by Tesla, and the wrapping of an EV drivetrain in a conventional series production car could appeal to more buyers than the ‘statement’ design of the BMW i3.

Audi A2 EV & A1 Range-Extender dropped

It seems Audi is getting cold feet on its electric car plans with the Audi A2 EV and the Audi A1 Range-Extender reported to be dropped. It’s starting to look as if car makers are waking up to the reality that electric cars are not something car buyers, on the whole, want to spend their hard earned cash on. We recently reported that the BMW range of EVs is being re-thought with the BMW i3 likely to be just a range extender and plans to extend the i-BMW beyond the i3 and i8 Supercar put on ice.

Jetstream SC250 (2008): first pictures

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 26 August 2008 09:32 This is the new Jetstream SC250, a Cornwall-based newcomer to Britain’s low-volume sportscar industry – and arguably the most eye-wateringly ugly car we’ve seen in a very long time. The lightweight two-seater is powered by Vauxhall’s turbo 2.0-litre unit – lifted from the Astra VXR – and it’s priced at £29,495. Err, yes – we also feel the SC250’s looks might be a bit of a stumbling block to someone about to flash the best part of £30k on a track-based racer.