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

Electric cars get a £500 million government cash boost – but will it get spent?

The new BMW i3 EV (pictured) will be subsidised until 2017. The subsidy of up to £5000 paid to buyers of electric cars has been with us for three years, but it hasn’t had much impact on EV sales and it did look like the government had decided to scrap it all together. But it looks like the coalition has allowed Nick Clegg to have his way with EV subsides in a move that will see £500 million injected in to promoting and supporting electric cars in the UK in the next few years.

2010 Buick LaCrosse launches at Detroit Auto Show

Update: Click here to watch video of the Buick LaCrosse: http://miad.autoweek.com/vidcast/2010_buick_lacrosse.m4v General Motors’ Buick division will launch the redesigned-from-the-ground-up Buick LaCrosse at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show in Detroit on Jan. 12. GM says the new LaCrosse is truly global, with an exterior designed in the States (and reminiscent of the Invicta concept from the 2008 Beijing motor show), an interior developed in China, Buick’s biggest market, and a platform done by Opel in Europe.

BMW i3 EV takes to the race track (video)

BMW i3 EV takes to the race track (video) The BMW i3 EV City Car finally got revealed in July in production guise, and it’s a clever car if not exactly a looker. With a lightweight inner body made from carbon fibre and an electric motor that offers 168 bhp and an instant 184lb/ft of torque it has more than enough power to keep up with traffic in any city. Sadly, the i3 hasn’t done particularly well in Euro NCAP tests but that hasn’t stopped orders for the i3 exceeding anything BMW could have reasonably expected.