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First Sight: Citroën C4

 The Citroen C4 is a new car that shall be formally unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September as the replacement for the Xsara that has been quietly competing in the European C-class for six years. The C4 was previewed in Geneva with the C4 Sport (a WRX themed concept car based very closely on the production 3-door C4) and less directly with the C6 Lignage Citroen concept car of Geneva 1999 which introduced many of the new car's exterior and interior design themes on a larger vehicle concept. Sitting between the C3 and C5 in Citroen's range, the C4 platform will also be shared by Citroen's partner Peugeot for the 307 replacement.

75,000 Irish drivers left uninsured after policy provider collapses

TENS OF thousands of motorists in Ireland have been warned their insurance policies may be useless after the collapse of an insurer. The Central Bank has urged policy holders with Setanta Insurance to switch their cover after the Malta-based company went into liquidation. It is believed as many as 75,000 motorists are insured by the firm in Ireland, which is popular among smaller businesses who use vans for their deliveries and trading.

Mercedes signs joint venture to build carbonfibre parts

Not to be outdone by BMW’s joint venture with the SGL Group to manufacturer commercially viable carbonfibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) for the electric Megacity Vehicle, Mercedes has announced a joint venture with Japanese company Toray Industries to manufacturer and market its on CFRP automotive parts. The deal was signed in Germany today, with Toray taking a 50.1% stake, Daimler holding 44.9% and the remaining 5% being taken by other shareholders. The two companies started working together in March 2010, and while Toray has been working on the materials and moulding processes, Merc has designed the automotive parts and the technologies to join the parts together.