U.S. car sales jump 20% in August

UPDATED -- U.S. auto sales--led by Honda Motor Co., the Volkswagen Group and Toyota Motor Corp.--jumped 20 percent last month for the strongest monthly pace in three years. The Detroit 3 also posted double-digit sales gains for August, signaling the auto industry's recovery remains solidly on track despite sluggish economic growth, rising gasoline prices and widespread consumer uncertainty.

2012 Ford Focus ECOnetic revealed

The 2012 Ford Focus ECOnetic raises the bar on economy & emissions With the 2011 Ford Focus now hitting showrooms and the roads, we can start to look forward to the usual ‘secondary’ reveals for the range – the ‘Eco’ and the ‘Quick’. Next year should see the launch of the 2012 Focus ST, and it will definitely see the launch of the 2012 Ford Focus ECOnetic, details of which have been revealed this morning by Ford. Building on the previous Focus ECOnetcic, Ford has managed to take an axe to emissions (cutting them to just 95g/km) and to fuel usage (Ford reckons 80mpg) which is better than any other car in its sector in Europe.

Volkswagen XL1 ‘Super’ Hybrid heading for the UK – costs £98,515

The Volkswagen XL1 ‘Super’ Hybrid (pictured) costs £98,515 in the UK VW announced a while back that their ‘super’ hybrid XL1 was going in to limited production, although they didn’t confirm a price for being super green. But now the first XL1 has already been delivered in Germany, Volkswagen has confirmed a chunk of the 200 run – thought to be between 20 and 30 cars – will be making their way to the UK and will cost £98,515. For almost £100k, there are plenty of options bordering on supercar, but the XL1 is ‘super’ in a different way, and if extreme economy and a design that looks like something imagined as a car of the future in Hollywood Sci-Fi films of the 1930s floats your boat, the XL1 could be the car you’re looking for.