Volvo Plug-In Hybrid by 2012

Volvo are working on a plug in Hybrid for 2012 offerng 50g/km Co2 emissions Laudable though this intent is, it’s a little like the Vauxhall / Opel Ampera – it relies on technology that doesn’t yet exist to deliver what it promises. But to get things moving, Volvo are going to be running a number of Volvo V70 diesel-electric Hybrids round Europe this year, to guage customer feedback and try to establish exactly what the consumer wants. They also want to establish exactly what the consumer can live with in terms of ‘Re-fuelling’.

New Mercedes-Benz SL to use aluminum to cut weight

The next Mercedes-Benz SL coupes will get more power, less weight and a few neat tricks, including features named Magic Vision Control and FrontBass. We'll get our first look at the new car at the Detroit auto show in January. A few journalists were invited to take a sneak peak at the car during the Los Angeles auto show, but pictures and video weren't allowed.

Audi Q8 Coupe SUV and Audi A9 coupe on the way

It looks like Audi are to fill more automotive niches with the Audi Q8 Coupe SUV and Audi A9 coupe planned to extend the Audi range. The idea that Audi would jump on the coupe SUV bandwagon has been around for some time. In fact, we reported almost two years ago that Audi would be launching a range of coupe SUVs to slot in between their regular SUV offerings and would use the Q2, Q4, Q6 and Q8 monikers.