1955 Packard Clipper Hood Ornament on 2040-parts.com

Why the Stingray's $52K sticker should come with an asterisk

General Motors resisted the urge to jack up the price on the 2014 Corvette Stingray, despite major enhancements on the seventh-generation sports car. The $51,995* sticker for the coupe, which is expected to hit showrooms by September, is just 1,400 bucks more than the current model, even with its more powerful engine, better fuel economy and vastly improved interior. Why the asterisk?

New Toyota Aygo price & spec – costs from £8,595, and even less if you’re quick

The new Toyota Aygo (pictured) on sale 1 July 2014 The new Toyota Aygo – Toyota’s take on the Citroen C1 / Peugeot 108 – arrived at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and probably looks the most credible of the three. And now it’s on sale. Starting price for the new Aygo is a reasonable £8,595 for the Aygo X 3-door with a 5-speed manual ‘box, rising to £12,345 for the Aygo x-clusiv 3-door with x-shift auto ‘box.

BMW Concept X5 eDrive (2013) plug-in hybrid at Frankfurt motor show

Sharing the stage with the BMW i3 at the Frankfurt motor show is the BMW Concept X5 eDrive. The plug-in hybrid X5 is set to re-write the SUV rulebook with its four-cylinder petrol-electric drivetrain producing claimed figures of less than 90g/km of CO2 and a tree-hugging 74.3mpg, smashing the Lexus RX450h which produces 145g/km and 44.8mpg. What’s more, it’s better than the most efficient 3-series currently on sale, and far more frugal than the V8-powered BMW X6 Active Hybrid that was axed in late 2011.