Saab says asset sale to BAIC gives it cash for a fresh start

Saab believes that a deal to sell some key assets to Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co. will help secure the money-losing automaker's future. "The money will finance the new Saab and contribute to a good start under new ownership," Saab spokeswoman Gunilla Gustavs said without revealing financial details of the deal.

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.

Want the world’s fastest diesel sports car? Then you need the Trident Icini

The Trident Icini (pictured) is now on sale We saw the Trident Icini at Salon Prive in 2012, and although it looked like it was ready to roll out as the world’s fastest diesel sports car it’s taken two year more to be ready to take orders. But now it’s gone on sale. Three models are on sale – the Iceni, Iceni Magna (it’s a fastback) and Icini Venturer (a sort of estate car) all sporting a 6.6 litre diesel engine which, in standard spec, comes with 395bhp and 700lb/ft of torque.