2005 Yamaha Yfz 450 Gas Cap on 2040-parts.com

Make like a tree and Leaf: We drive Nissan's coming electric vehicle

From behind the wheel, the production version of the Nissan Leaf electric car is smooth, silent, feels nearly friction free and offers all the prodigious torque inherent in an electric car. That's what we found after a short drive around Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday. The body you see in the photo is a Versa.

Ford Focus RS will hit 164mph

The 2009 Ford Focus RS - Good for 164mph [ad#ad-1] Ford in Austria has finally let loose some concrete information on the much anticipated 2009 Ford Focus RS, which looks set to be one barn-stormer of a car. With almost 300bhp, a 0-60 time in the high 5 seconds and a top speed of 164mph, the Focus RS looks an enticing package for the boy racers. Austrian prices are quoted at €39,000, which at today’s rotten rates equates to about £32.5k.

Spied: The 2012 Volkswagen New Beetle looks a bit squished

Volkswagen's upcoming onslaught of new products includes a redesign for the New Beetle. The new New Beetle is expected to arrive in 2011 as a 2012 model, with a convertible version set to arrive a year after the coupe. Recent spy photographs of a prototype being tested on public roads in Europe show that the 2012 New Beetle has a roofline that has less arch than the current model.