Budget 2011: Fuel duty CUT & tuppence for potholes

Motorists Budget 2011 No once expected huge give-aways in George Osborne’s second budget – especially as we now have cruise missiles to pay for in Libya – but the hope was that the Chancellor would at least address the inexcorable rise in the cost of fuel. Which he has – sort of. Fuel was due to increase by around 5p a litre next week if he’d left Labour’s fuel duty escalator in place.

Volvo V40

The new Volvo V40 is set to be unveiled at next week's Geneva motor show. The manufacturer has sought to retain characteristics from the larger Volvo models but refine it with sharper features in a more compact form, while focusing on a number of key areas within the car. It's closest equivalent – in terms of format – is the Audi A3 Sportback thanks to its mix of hatchback and wagon characteristics.

Chevrolet reveals more details of Camaro ZL1

The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will not be anywhere near as rare as its 1969 namesake when it arrives during the first quarter of next year, but the most powerful production Camaro to date should deliver performance easily worthy of its model designation. Camaro engineers on Thursday offered media members a preview of the upcoming Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 fighter, and the tale of the tape is impressive, especially in terms of grunt. The 6.2-liter supercharged LSA V8 will make 580 hp at 6,000 rpm and 556 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm, besting Chevy's original targets for the engine's output and bettering its efficiency in the Cadillac CTS-V by 24 hp and 5 lb-ft.