Autolite Ap5143 Spark Plug-platinum Spark Plug on 2040-parts.com

Vauxhall calls its new 2013 city car the Adam

Vauxhall has revealed the name for its new city car – the car previously dubbed Junior will in fact be called the Adam. It’s one of the more oddball car names we’ve heard recently. As well as announcing the Adam name, Vauxhall today issued two photographs of a disguised city car, giving us the first official glimpse of its new hatchback.

2014 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG revealed

Mercedes-Benz's AMG performance-car division has officially revealed its new 577-hp S63 AMG ahead of the rapid sedan's public Frankfurt motor show debut in September. Several traditional AMG styling mods distinguish the S63 from recently introduced but lesser S-class models (“S-class Stunner,” Autoweek, May 27). They include a deep new front bumper, chromed blade grille, twin-turbo V8 badges on the side and beefed-up sills.

Best Western Hotels rolling out EV charging points in the UK

We’re electric car sceptics – or at least sceptical about their ability to replace the ICE car as our principal form of personal transport – although EVs do have their place as runarounds in urban areas, where their limited range isn’t really a factor. But taking your EV off for a weekend jaunt does pose logistical problems when the average range is probably no more than 80 miles, and something worth making the effort for a weekend away is almost always going to be further away than that. But a bit of smart marketing by Best Western Hotels – a group of 270 or so independently run hotels round the UK – means EV drivers will soon be able to plot their weekend away on the basis of Best Western Hotels en route, with Best Western planning on fitting EV charging points in their car parks, with half their hotels having free charging points by September.