Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Active safety features: What your next car needs to have

Car safety used to mean double buckling your seatbelt when you squeezed three people into the front row. Now, with electronic stability control (ESC), cross-traffic alerts and adaptive headlights, it's a bit more difficult to sort through all of the available options. Of course you want to choose the safest car you can for yourself and your family.

Volkswagen to reveal new electric car concept

Volkswagen is due to reveal a one-seat electric car concept in early September as the manufacturer explores its greener future. Part of the on-going project to cut its average fleet emissions  Volkswagen has designed the concept vehicle for limited journeys, with the vehicle due to be unveiled on September 8 in Berlin. There's no word yet as to whether it will appear at the Frankfurt motor show just a few days later, but we'd be surprised not to see it there.

Lexus GS 300h: Shanghai Motor Show

Offering much better economy than the GS 450h, it offers not only a viable alternative for private buyers looking for a bit of beautifully built Japanese luxury with lower running costs, but also makes the GS a much more appealing option for company car drivers – probably where most of the sales will be made. Lexus are aiming for Co2 emissions below 110g/km for the GS 300h (the IS 300h manages 99g/km) which will give headline economy around 60mpg – a third better than the GS 450h can manage. Power comes from the same hybrid drivetrain as the IS 300h, which means a 2.5 litre petrol mated to an electric motor and delivering 215bhp and o-62mph in around 8.5 seconds.