1968 Deluxe Steering Wheel Chevelle Impala on 2040-parts.com

Air-powered car edges closer to reality

FANCY a car that runs on thin air? We all would, and Peugeot is almost ready to turn it from science-fiction to science-fact. The firm is ready to actually demonstrate its Hybrid Air technology, where a 208 supermini runs partly on petrol and partly on compressed air, resulting in astonishing fuel economy figures topping 140mpg.

New VW Golf GTI: Price from £25,845

Volkswagen has revealed that the 2013 Golf GTI MK 7 will cost from £25,845 – £195 up on the old GTI – with the GTi Performance from £26,825. For the first time you’ll get a choice of power levels for the GTI, with the regular GTI getting a 2.0 litre TSI with 217bhp and the GTI Performance coming with 227bhp, gets bigger brake discs and a limited slip diff. Performance from the regular GTI is 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 152mph, whilst the GTI Performance cuts that time by 0.1 seconds with both versions offering 44.1mpg official consumption with the six-speed manual ‘box.

Driven: Volkswagen Golf Mk7

Walking up to the seventh-generation VW Golf, redesigned flip key in hand, you're in no doubt that this is a) new or – perhaps more importantly – b) a Golf. It's the "200 meter test" lead exterior designer, Andreas Mindt tells us and, while we're suspicious of the idea of self-conscious ‘iconic design', you have to concede he's right. In fact the Mk7 Golf's pared-back graphics and a return to a true two-box proportion create a more accurate vision of what we imagine when we think ‘Volkswagen Golf' than either of its two most recent predecessors.