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Daihatsu's funky Cube rival on the way

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 29 September 2006 08:01 Daihatsu is on the verge of giving its boxy Materia supermini – which made its European debut in Paris - the green light for UK imports. If given the green light the spacious five-seater, which is already on sale in Japan, would arrive here next spring as a stand-alone topend model. The Materia is very similar to Nissan's does-it-exactly-what-it-says-on-the-tin Cube, which has been super popular with Japanese kids.

Laurence Fishburne reprises Morpheus role for Kia Super Bowl ad

When we drove the Kia K900 recently, we asked, “Do buyers in the BMW 5-series/Mercedes E-class/Audi A6/Lexus GS class want a prestigious nameplate as much as they want radar adaptive cruise control?” In Kia's new Super Bowl spot starring Laurence Fishburne, Morpheus says yes. The Korean automaker's snatched up the erstwhile voice of Cadillac to reprise his beloved character from the "Matrix" trilogy in the hope of suggesting that reality is mutable, luxury isn't about nameplates, and the K900 will open your eyes to a world of improbable possibilities. Despite the explosions, melting dinner utensils and airborne automobiles of the ad, we actually preferred the making-of video released at the same time as the Super Bowl clip, which you can watch below.

Renault axes Fluence Z.E. electric saloon

Renault has ceased production of its all-electric Fluence Z.E. saloon car at its European factory in Turkey due to poor sales. Figures from industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that only 75 Fluence Z.E.s were sold in the UK since the car went on the market in 2011.