351 Cleveland Cylinder Block on 2040-parts.com

Will the Toyota Prius plug-in cost much the same as a normal Prius?

Toyota Prius plug-in - only around £2.5k more than a regular Prius? Toyota has managed to corner the market in hybrid cars over the last decade after its remarkably prescient decision to focus on ‘Eco’ cars long before the mainstream cottoned on to the changing mood of governments – and car buyers – to the impact cars have on wallets and the environment. We won’t drag out our usual objections to the ceaseless quest for pointless ever-lower CO2 emissions, but we will instead commend the Prius for being a remarkable transport appliance, one which – if driven in a certain manner – can produce remarkable feats of economy and emit pleasingly low levels of the stuff that does real harm – NOx and Particulates.

Google reveals its first self-driving car prototype (video)

Google’s first self-driving car prototype (pictured) Google might not be the first company that springs to mind as a car maker, but Tesla has already proved that Silicon Valley can produce a car that buyers want and Google are intent on following a similar route. But where Tesla’s USP is its long-range electric capabilities – and a desire to build cars for the market – Google’s goal is more technology orientated and is all about developing self-driving car technology that works in the real world. For the last few years, Google has been experimenting with existing cars kitted out with self-driving gubbins, but now they’ve taken the next step and built their own self-driving prototype.

Project Car Hell, Unidentifiable German Coupes Edition: Borgward Isabella Coup

Welcome back to Project Car Hell, where every iron atom always finds the oxygen it seeks, every vehicle ran when parked, and the parts you need are always in another continent! Last week, we got all patriotic with a couple of classic American muscle cars, and that just whetted our appetite for cars that were smaller and more, you know, German. We gave you a tough choice between a couple of air-cooled Volkswagens not long ago, but this time we're interested in German marques that disappeared in the 1960s: NSU and Borgward.