97 98 99 Audi A8 Crossmember/k-frame Front 232126 on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes S500 Plug-in Hybrid revealed – gets official 94.2mpg

The Mercedes S500 Plug-in Hybrid (pictured) has been revealed There will come a point when legislators wake up and realise that car makers are getting too clever at gaming their CO2 based taxation and change the goal posts. But until then, cars like the new Mercedes S500 Plug in Hybrid – revealed today – are the perfect company buy. That’s because the clever use of a plug-in electric motor coupled with a relatively frugal ICE engine – in the case of the S500 Plug-in a 329bhp 3.0 litre V6 and 80kW electric motor – produce official economy and emissions figures that are really only valid under test conditions but save a big chunk of tax for buyers.

VW Boss Martin Winterkorn on the new Hyundai i30: Nothing Rattles!

VW's Martin Winterkorn prods and pokes the new Hyundai i30 If you’re looking for a benchmark in quality mainstream cars, you can’t do a great deal better than cars from the VW group. From VW to Audi, Skoda to SEAT, VW knows how to bolt a car together so everything has a pleasing tactility. So a visit by VW boss Martin Winterkorn to the Hyundai stand at the Frankfurt Motor Show could have been to see just how far the competition from Korea still has to go.

Chicago Auto Show interactive web tour launches

Interactive media company 360° Revo and the Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA) has launched a web-based, interactive tour of the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. Automobile enthusiasts worldwide who could not make it to the show – the press days of which ran from 8-9 February – will be able to tour the exhibitions and even go inside specific vehicles featured at this year's show. This is the first time the CATA, producer of the Chicago Auto Show, and 360° Revo has worked together and with the media company's technology comes the ability for online users to navigate and explore the auto show floor and visit individual exhibits.