2013 Skoda Octavia Estate revealed

Ahead of a debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Skoda has revealed the estate version of the new Octavia with a pair of photos. The 2013 Skoda Octavia Estate takes the already capacious Octavia hatch to a new level, with a boot that will swallow 610 litres of stuff with the seats up and an impressive 1,740 litres with the seats down, a significant chunk more than the competition can offer. The extra capacity comes courtesy of extra length compared to the Octavia hatch, with the estate growing by 110mm in the wheelbase – with an extra 73mm for rear passengers’ legroom – and 90mm longer overall.

Canada urged to adopt European car safety standards

CANADA has been urged to adopt European standards for new vehicle safety by the president of Mercedes-Benz Canada. Tim Reuss told reporters that if EU rules, which apply to all cars built by European industrial powerhouses like Mercedes and the Volkswagen Group, were in place Canada would already have new, more efficient, safer cars. At present Mercedes cannot import the A-Class because of the expense associated with modifying it to conform to Canadian safety requirements, and Mr Reuss argues that the current approach lacks common sense.

Land Rover Discovery Vision concept (2014) ‘see-through’ bonnet revealed

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 09 April 2014 10:22 Land Rover is set to unveil a new 4x4 concept at next week’s 2014 New York auto show, and not only will it preview the future design direction of an expanded Discovery-badged SUV range, but it’s packed with new off-road-aiding technology too. The design of the Discovery Vision concept remains under wraps until 16 April 2014, but ahead of its debut Land Rover has revealed the show car will feature its new Transparent Bonnet technology. Not quite.