50 Years of Bond Cars at the National Motor Museum

Release the oil slick, raise the bulletproof rear screen and push the red ejector seat button in anticipation of what promises to be one of the must-see automotive attractions of 2012: Bond in Motion. Tell me more, Moneypenny 2012 will mark the 50th anniversary of Sean Connery's first utterance of the icnonic 'the name's Bond, James Bond' line, and to celebrate this celluloid milestone the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu is hosting Bond in Motion, an exciting exhibition of the fictional spy's 50 most recognisable vehicles. The year-long display of 007's cars, motorbikes, boats and other unlikely forms of transportation promises to be the largest of its kind anywhere in the world.

Inside the Mini compound

Visitors surrender their passports upon entering Mini headquarters in Germany. It's for security reasons mainly, and obviously the passports are returned on the way out. But the symbolism is obvious: Mini is a world a way from parent BMW.

Toyota Prius plug-in hits UK

The Toyota Prius plug-in arrives in the UK The next step in the Toyota Prius story is the plug-in Prius, which adds some Lithium-Ion batteries to the mix and the ability to plug the Prius in to the mains to get a usable kick-start to your day’s motoring, with an electric only range of up to 12.5 miles – around double the range a regular Prius can manage when fully charged. Toyota announced plans to get 500 Prius Plug-in Hybrids on the roads in 2010 back in September last year to evaluate their real-world performance before the plug-in gets a proper release – probably in 2012. Toyota are leasing 20 of the Prius plug-ins to a handful of public and private businesses in London as part of their plan to develop the Prius plug-in, and reduce the company’s overall CO2 levels – something which is sadly required by legislation.