New York, California first to get electric Focus

Customers in New York and California will be the first to take delivery of the 2012 Focus EV, according to a message posted on a Focus Forum from Ford marketing. That also explains some new material from the company which says, "2012 Focus electric; coming spring 2012." The Focus will launch in 19 markets, including Chicago, Detroit and Seattle, but it will hit the coasts first. In the www.myfocuselectric.com forum, Ford's electrified-vehicles marketing manager David Finnegan broke the news.

Jaguar confirms F-type engines, XJ Ultimate at Beijing

Jaguar used the 2012 Beijing motor show to announce a raft of new engines - including details of the V6 which will power the F-type and news that a four-cylinder, Ford Ecoboost related petrol engine will be fitted to the XJ. It's downsizing to the maximum. It also unveiled the £123,000 XJ Ultimate, the highest spec yet seen on its aluminium luxury car - replete with champagne cooler, a pair of massaging back seats and iPads for the rear passengers.

Driven: Chevrolet Volt

Meeting the Chevrolet Volt could easily have been an anti-climax. This is a design that ‘feels' nearly four years old — the concept first seen in Detroit in 2007. Together with the online hype surrounding it, and the part it plays in GM's renaissance, the weight of expectation is alarmingly high.