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

Vauxhall Ampera Hybrid – No range anxiety

The Vauxhall Ampera goes on a 350 mile run We’ve been moaning quite a bit about the claims being made by car makers for their electric cars. We understand that a big drawback for buyers is ‘Range Anxiety’, a completely understandable concern when you can’t exactly pull over and top up your electric. So we asked Secretary of State Philip Hammond to look at legislation on range claims by electric car makers so buyers can make a judgement on the facts, not the fiction.

Mercedes CLA 45 AMG (2013) first official pictures

If you liked the ballistic performance of Mercedes' 355bhp A45 AMG but couldn’t bring yourself to drive a hotted-up hatchback, then take a look at this: the new CLA 45 AMG. Using an identical 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and four-wheel drive system, the CLA mixes the storming performance of its hatchback brother with mini-CLS four-door coupe looks. Read on for the full specification.

Audi A1 – the design tease

Audi are teasing the design of the new A1 in this latest video (below) If you’ve been living in a cave for the last few months you may have missed the news that Audi is about to launch what it hopes will be a MINI-bashing offering – the Audi A1. The A1 is actually destined for a public launch at the Geneva Motor Show in March – and Audi has threatened full disclosure for next month – but in the meantime it’s on a ‘Teaser’ blitz. We haven’t reported on every tease (we didn’t bother with the ‘Look – the new A1 has headlights’ one last week), but we have covered some, like the graffiti advert.