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Top 5 hatches of the 2014 Geneva motor show

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 05 March 2014 11:00 There’s a wildly diverse crop of new hatches at the 2014 Geneva motor show: a rear-drive city car, a firecracker of a crossover, new concept cars and even a lap time world record holder. Here are CAR’s Top 5 hatches of the 2014 Geneva show – and the customary dishonourable mention… The Mazda Hazumi concept is essentially what the new Mazda2 will look like when it hits showrooms – and it’s set to give the mainstream makes a proper fight. Mazda isn’t just on a styling roll of late – even the Mazda3 and Mazda6 are arguably the most handsome cars in their respective classes – but are building cars that are sensibly priced, affordable-to-run and damn good fun to drive.

Driving age to be raised to 18?

A government-commissioned report has recommended probationary driving licences are in future issued from the age of 18, not 17 – and that learner drivers would be required to invest big in getting a licence. The new proposals would still see provisional driving licences issues from 17, allowing learners to get out on the road under supervision. However, learners would have to undertake a 12-month ‘learner stage’, in which they’d have to cover a minimum of 100 hours’ supervised driving.

2012 Mercedes S Class to spawn a convertible

The n2012 Mercedes S Class will lose its top It’s probably a sign of increasing decrepitude as it seems only five minutes since Mercedes launched the current S Class, but already we’re talking about the 2012 Mercedes S Class – and it’s only a year away. As has always been the case with a new S-Class we can look forward to a raft of new innovations when the new S Class launches late next year; clever stuff that will eventually filter down to the cars of lesser mortals as the technology matures and the cost falls. And that clever stuff will be packaged up in a big saloon car – the normal S-Class – an even bigger car – the LWB S-Class – and a huge two door coupe – the Mercedes CL, which is expected to be renamed the S-Class Coupe when the new S-Class launches.