Atlantis Lanyard A8126 on 2040-parts.com

WRC Mini Concept (2010) first official pictures

While the Mini Countryman might be destined for suburban mumsville, BMW has confirmed the new model will also terrorise the countryside in the form of the WRC Mini from 2011, with IRC champ Kris Meeke at the wheel. Officially launched at the 2010 Paris motor show in concept guise, the WRC Mini will be engineered and run by motorsport doyen Dave Richards and his Prodrive outfit, although customer packages will be available too, allowing independents to compete in the car. Not so much – this is no time for misty-eyed Paddy Hopkirk odes.

Which car has the best residual value? A MINI

The MINI has the lowest depreciation of any car in the UK When it comes to buying a car, many of us decide how much we can afford to spend and then go and look for a car that fits our budget. But what we should really be looking at is how the car we want will be worth in the future – its residual value. Because the residual value of your car is often where the biggest costs lies, and it has a major impact on monthly payments if you decide to acquire your nice new car on a contract hire or leasing deal.

SEAT Leon Twin Drive Prototype surfaces in Barcelona

VW’s Spanish arm SEAT today unveiled their vision of the future, with the SEAT Leon Twin Drive Prototype unveiling in Barcelona. The Twin Drive concept is simple, but quite promising. It offers an electric motor for running around town, but switches to a diesel or petrol engine when out of town.