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New gadget immobilises cars with electronic pulse

Mitsubishi It might sound futuristic, but British technology company E2V has developed a prototype gadget capable of remotely stopping a car using a burst of electromagnetic radiation. Although it does appear to be a piece of equipment from the ‘James Bond bad guy’ locker, this technology really does work and could be used by police forces in the future. On Bing: see pictures of speeding carsHow motoring convictions affect your car insurance So bank robbers beware – even speeders, too.

First new Saab rolls off the production line

A NEW SAAB car has rolled off the Swedish production line for the first time in two and a half years. National Electric Vehicle Sweden, the Hong Kong-based company that bought Saab out of bankruptcy in September last year, presented its new 9-3 Aero at the factory in Trollhattan. The company, also called NEVS, aims to make electric cars under the Saab brand, but said it will also provide petrol cars until "electric cars fully meet customer demands." The first 200 cars will be delivered in spring costing 279,000 kronor (£26,000) each.

British drivers not prepared for winter weather

Mondial Assistance Drivers in the UK are not prepared for winter weather, despite many warnings of approaching cold conditions on the run up to Christmas. A study commissioned by AXA insurance found only 6% of motorists will use winter tyres and less than a third (31%) will carry extra supplies, such as a shovel or tow rope. MSN Cars Winter Motoring GuideFind out how much a used 4x4 costs on Auto Trader This is despite drivers spending an average of two days in isolation during 2012 due to snow, ice, rain and flooding over winter.

Urbee 3D-printed car: the greenest car in the world?

Not to be confused with a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle with a similar sounding name, Urbee stands for URBan Electric vehicle with Ethanol as back-up. You can see why they settled on Urbee now, can't you? The Urbee is also the world’s first 3D-printed car, and the plan is to drive it from San Francisco to New York - a distance of 2,905 miles - in less than 44 hours.

Audi confirms 2016 Q1 compact SUV

Audi Audi has confirmed it will begin production of a premium compact crossover Q1 model in 2016 to rival the MINI Countryman and Nissan Juke. The Q1 will be Audi’s entry-level off-roader, sitting below the current Q3, Q5 and Q7 SUVs. On Bing: see pictures of the Audi Q1Find out how much a used Audi Q3 costs on Auto Trader In confirming the Q1, Audi chief executive officer Rupert Stadler highlighted, "the Q1 is a key component of our [Audi’s] growth strategy." The German manufacturer’s A1 supermini has proved a success following its introduction back in 2010, and now the four-ringed firm wants a slice of the market in the compact off-road sector.

Video: Porsche's Michael Mauer and Mitja Borkert on the new Macan

Porsche style vice-president Michael Mauer has revealed how the new Macan's design was influenced by racecars. In this new video, Mauer and members of his design team explain some of the Macan's development and the team's desire to create "a true Porsche in each segment – a true sports car". Classic Porsche design cues were immediately obvious upon seeing the Macan in the metal in Tokyo and Los Angeles – including its rear and interior – and Mitja Borkert, director advanced design style, identifies other recognizable features.

£1,000 reward to shop drink drivers

CASH REWARDS of up to £1,000 are being offered to Christmas and New Year revellers who report drink-drivers to the police. Derbyshire Constabulary and West Midlands Police are promoting the rewards to help catch drivers who are over the alcohol limit or under the influence of drugs. Running until New Year's Day, the scheme will see posters placed in pubs and clubs urging drinkers to report those flouting the law to the Crimestoppers hotline.

Paul Walker crash site known for street racers

STREET RACERS are known to use the California neighbourhood where Fast & Furious star Paul Walker died in a car crash. Walker and his friend and fellow fast-car enthusiast Roger Rodas died on Saturday when the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT they were travelling in smashed into a lamppost and a tree. The two had taken what was expected to be a brief drive away from a charity event at Mr Rodas' custom car shop in the Southern California community of Valencia, about 30 miles north west of Los Angeles.

Mercedes-Benz hits 100,000 UK sales for first time

FOR THE first time in its history Mercedes-Benz UK has sold more than 100,000 cars in a year. The milestone car, an A 180 CDI Sport bought at Mercedes-Benz of Bristol, now belongs to Jamie Leigh Arndell, who works as Transport Manager at Bristol and Avon Group. “It was a lovely surprise to pick up my new car and be told I was the company’s 100,000th customer [this year],” she said at the handover of the car.

Toll road plans 'to be scrapped'

CONTROVERSIAL plans to create the UK's first toll road for a decade are to be dropped, it was reported. Improvements to the A14 will instead be paid for by the Government, the Financial Times said. The proposed toll is part of a scheme to widen and improve a heavily congested 25-mile stretch in East Anglia which carries traffic from the port of Felixstowe to the Midlands.

Essen Motor Show 2013: in pictures

After the corporate seriousness and Germanic efficiency of the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Essen Motor Show is an altogether more relaxed affair. Albeit one delivered with the same level of German efficiency. It's the perfect show for the run-up to Christmas, with wild concepts and weird creations from the custom and tuning industry.

Volvo’s ‘Drive Me’ is the world’s first large-scale autonomous driving pilot project

Yes, you’ll be able to chat on the phone when the Volvo does the driving for you Like it or not, we’re rapidly moving to the point where autonomous cars will be the norm, with the driver only being involved in the act of driving by choice. Volvo – unsurprisingly with their stated goal of making sure no one dies in a Volvo in future – is at the forefront of the move to autonomous driving, and have teamed up with the Swedish Transportation Administration, the Swedish Transport Agency, Lindholmen Science Park and the City of Gothenburg in a project called ‘Drive Me - Self-driving cars for sustainable mobility’. The project kicks off next year with customer research and the development of the necessary technology and Volvo aims to have 100 autonomous cars on the roads of Gothenburg by 2017, where they’ll be driving round approximately 50 kms of selected roads, including commuter roads, motorways and regular queues.

Toyota Verso is the first Toyota to get a BMW engine

The Toyota Verso (pictured) gets the option of a 1.6 litre BMW diesel engine from 2014 Two years ago we reported that BMW would be supplying Toyota with diesel engines in Europe from 2014, And bang on time (as you’d expect from the Germans and Japanese) the first Toyota with a BMW engine has been revealed. The Toyota Verso 1.6 D-4D goes in to production in January at Toyota’s plant in Turkey complete with a 1.6 litre diesel engine from BMW that comes with 111bhp and 199lb/ft of torque. It’s not the sort of BMW diesel that’s going to see the Verso turn in to a hot MPV, but it does give the Verso emissions of 119g/km and allow Toyota to offer an engine that appeals to frugal minded, diesel-centric European buyers.

New (2014) Mazda3 now on sale: Price from £16,695

New (2014) Mazda3 now on sale: Price from £16,695 The new Mazda3 arrived in the summer, but only now has Mazda got round to revealing prices as the new 3 goes on sale in the UK as a Hatchback or Fastback. The new Mazda3 has grwon in size, gets better looking, offers Mazda’s SKYACTIV-G and SKYACTIV-D engines and looks set to offer even more competition for the VW Golf and Ford Focus. Mazda has managed to stretch the Mazda3 range to a total of 36 models – 21 hatchbacks and 15 Fastbacks – with a choice of three petrol engines -  the new 1.5-litre with 110PS and two versions of the 2.0 litre with 120PS or 165PS – and the 2.2 litre 150PS SKYACTIV-D diesel.

Relive Volvo's 'Emotion of Design' Google Hangout

If you missed out on Volvo's ‘Emotion of Design' Google Hangout, which was broadcast on Volvo's YouTube channel on 28 November, you can relive it here. The Hangout, which featured Volvo's exterior design chief Maximilian Missoni, neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis and Wallpaper magazine's automotive correspondent Jonathan Bell, discussed the results of the Swedish carmaker's experiment to measure the emotional response to the Volvo Concept Coupé – among other things – using an electroencephalographic (EEG) machine. Participants were asked to rate a series of images while wearing an EEG headset measuring brainwave activity, with results showing that car design and emotions were inexorably linked.

Volvo Aims High With Its Self-Driving Car Tech Project

SWEDISH car maker Volvo has announced it will embark on a large scale trial to refine the technology behind its self-driving cars. Volvo is no stranger to the technology having already conducted controlled experiments using ‘road trains’ – cars following each other closely at speed – but this exercise will involve 100 cars being deployed in the busy streets of Gothenburg, Sweden. The project ‘Drive Me – Self-driving cars for sustainable mobility’ is a joint initiative between Volvo Car Group, the Swedish Transport Administration, the Swedish Transport Agency, Lindholmen Science Park and the City of Gothenburg.

Car Design China Award winner benefits from Umeå placement

One of this year's Car Design China Award winners won the prize of a visit to Sweden's Umeå Institute of Design to mix with and work alongside other young aspiring designers and learn new skills using some of the latest technology available. Tsinghua University's Yulian Wu, who won the award for Best Luxury Concept along with partner Liu Kefeng at this year's awards, was welcomed to the school when he arrived on 25 September with the traditional welcome party for all new students. Umeå's program director for Transportation Design Demian Horst's first impression of Wu was a positive one.

AC Schnitzer turns BMW 4 Series into German police car

Crime can’t crack itself – which is why the German tuner AC Schnitzer has equipped the German police with this, a specially modified BMW 428i coupe. Making its debut at the 2013 Essen Motor Show in Germany, the tuned bee-em gets some rather interesting modifications. Some of which we can see being useful for catching criminals, some of which might be more of a hindrance in chasing down felons… Please click on the image above to read more on the BMW 428i police car by AC Schnitzer…

Volvo to trial self-driving cars on public roads

Volvo Volvo has announced that it will soon begin a trial of 100 self-driving cars on the public roads around the Swedish city of Gothenburg. While many other carmakers – and Google – have been experimenting with this kind of autonomous driving technology, the ‘Drive Me – Self-driving cars for sustainable mobility’ project is set to see driverless cars mix with real traffic on real roads. On Bing: see pictures of self-driving carsBosch autonomous car review (2013) - MSN tests driverless car The Drive Me project is a joint initiative between Volvo Car Group, the Swedish Transport Administration, the Swedish Transport Agency, Lindholmen Science Park and the City of Gothenburg.

VW e-Up! EV price confirmed

Volkswagen has confirmed its e-Up! electric city car will cost £19,250 including the £5,000 government Plug-in Car Grant subsidy. The car is on sale now in the UK at Volkswagen’s 24 specialist EV electric vehicle retailers, with deliveries starting at the end of January 2014.

One Lap of the Web: Lamborghini Urraco, Alfa 1750 GTV for sale and the anime-fantasy Kawasaki J concept

-- While we were sharing our stories of awful cars we're glad we're rid of , Hooniverse contributors were also choosing their favorite Thanksgiving turkeys. The most appealing of the lot? The Lamborghini Urraco, a car that completely disregarded function in pursuit of form.

Saab 9-3 production starts again – cars to be sold online to Swedish buyers

The petrol-engined Saab 9-3 is back in production Many thought, after the fiasco that was the demise of Saab after GM’s ownership – that there would never be a new Saab built at Trollhatten again. And, in many ways, they were right. They were right because the new owners of Saab, National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), intend making electric cars in the future, and even though they will get a Saab badge, they won’t be allowed to use the Griffin logo.

2015 Ram ProMaster City to join commercial lineup

Ram has announced that it will add the Ram ProMaster City van to its commercial lineup for 2015, growing the range from six vehicles to seven. We've known that this vehicle has been in the works for years, but this is the first time a sales time frame has been released. Much smaller than the 2014 Ram ProMaster -- smaller even than that Caravan-based C/V Tradesman -- the ProMaster City will be based on the petite Fiat Doblo.

Work travel statistics revealed

MORE THAN THREE in five people get to work by car or van, with motorised journeys most popular in Wales, according to figures highlighted by the RAC Foundation. While only 29.8% of Londoners reach offices and workplaces by car or van, the figure for Welsh workers is as high as 74.2%. The East Midlands (71.7%) and the West Midlands (71.1%) also have an above-average number of workers who commute by car or van, with the overall average for England and Wales being 62.7%.

'Speed a factor' in deadly crash

INVESTIGATORS trying to find the cause of the crash that killed Fast And The Furious star Paul Walker say speed was a factor. Meanwhile the actor's fans erected a makeshift memorial yesterday near where the Porsche he was riding in smashed into a street light and tree. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said speed was a factor in Saturday's one-car crash, though it will take time to discover how fast the vehicle was going.

Porsche 918 Spyder crashes in Germany

Porsche is in hot water with German authorities following an accident involving a prototype version of the gasoline-electric hybrid-powered 918 Spyder on a public road last month, according to reports in the German media. The accident, which took place between the towns of Bietigheim-Bissingen and Ludwigsburg (close to Porsche's research-and-development center), saw the 875-hp 918 Spyder spin out of control and collide with a guard rail. Parts of the new $845,000 Porsche flagship are said to have broken loose in the collision before being collected by an oncoming car.

Crash scams warning to drivers

MOTORISTS have been urged to be on the look-out for criminals staging crashes with their vehicles to make money out of insurance claims. Experts said Bradford and Birmingham were the most likely places for innocent drivers to be caught up in "Crash for Cash" scams but Bolton, Manchester, London, Liverpool and Halifax are also hotspots, and staged accidents can happen anywhere and any time. The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) and Crimestoppers appealed for information on those making bogus claims, in a crime that collectively costs policyholders more than £390 million every year.

Fast and Furious star Paul Walker dead at 40

Actor Paul Walker died on Saturday in car wreck in California. He was a passenger in a Porsche Carrera GT owned by friend Roger Rodas. The pair were leaving a charity event for Walker's organization Reach Out Worldwide, in which attendees were meant to bring toys for needy children.

Audi Q1 (2016) tiny SUV confirmed by Audi

By Damion Smy First Official Pictures 02 December 2013 15:50 The Audi Q1 has been confirmed by the German car maker as part of its expansion to a 60-model line-up by 2020 – including a glut of which will be Q-badged SUVs. The letter Q, of course, is the designation for the brand’s SUV line-up, which currently kicks-off with the Audi A3-based Q3. While popular, the Q3 has never had the style image and leadership Audi has desired – like the RangeRover Evoque has managed – and is looking to make amends with its newest niche filler.

Audi greenlights new Q1 entry-level SUV

Audi has confirmed long-running rumors it will add a new entry-level SUV to its lineup called the Q1. Previewed as a concept called Crosslane Coupe at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, the new price-leading SUV is planned to slot into the German automaker's lineup beneath the existing Q3. The price is expected to rival that of the Mini Countryman.