Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid: Production underway

The world’s first production plug-in diesel hybrid – the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid – has gone in to production ahead of customer deliveries. Volvo are producing just 1,000 2013 V60 plug-ins, but are aiming to up production to between 4-6,000 a year from the 2014 model year and, despite the problems of integrating the V60′s complicated electric stuff in to a production car, the V60 plug-in is rolling down the same production line as the regular V60, V70, S80 and XC90. That complicated stuff includes two different powertrains and a battery pack – enough for up to 32 miles as an EV only – and a total of 300 additional parts compared to a regular ICE V60.

Giugiaro Parcour goes for a dusty drive

Giugiaro calls the Parcour “a type of GT car that did not exist until now.” We completely agree. The jacked-up, 550-hp, Lamborghini-powered supercar won our Best Concept at the Geneva motor show in March. On Thursday, we got to see it on the street -- actually on dirt.

Ford brings stop/start system to U.S.

Ford will equip many of its U.S. cars and SUVs with stop/start technology, beginning in 2012, which automatically shuts down the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop, cutting down on fuel use and emissions. The technology, which Ford calls Auto Start-Stop, will be available with either manual or automatic transmissions.