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Friday in Le Mans: Prerace parade and car show thrills crowds

The 24 Hours of Le Mans doesn't start until Saturday at 3 p.m. French time, but as anyone here will tell you, the festivities began much earlier in the week. On Friday, I had the opportunity to visit the Driver's Parade and car show in downtown Le Mans, a five-hour festival that brings out what appeared to be half the town, plus many race enthusiasts from around the globe.

Nissan LEAF: Fleet sales double

Nissan has revealed that fleet sales of its electric LEAF have doubled in the UK, with overall Nissan fleet sales up 9 per cent. Sales of electric cars are not exactly stellar, but there is a light at the end of a very long tunnel shining dimly on UK EV sales – the fleet sector. Nissan has reported that its fleet sales in the UK – with 89 per cent of all fleets sales of cars actually built in the UK – has risen by 9 per cent so far in 2012, but the Nissan LEAF EV has seen its fleets sales more than double.

BMW 1-Series M Coupe (2011): more details

BMW's readying a pocket-sized M3 for those on a smaller budget: the BMW 1-Series M Coupe. While official information remains scarce on this 2011 pocket rocket, we've grabbed a few more pointers to its performance and stats. Set to be launched in early 2011, the 1-series based M spells a return to more lightweight M cars after the X6 M and its ilk that strained relations with the most fervent M division fans.