Camo Chevrolet Hat Chevy Bowtie, Silverado Snapback 100000 Mile Club on 2040-parts.com

Fuel duty freeze is 'no give-away'

MOTORING GROUPS have given a cautious welcome to Chancellor George Osborne's announcement of a freeze on fuel duty until May 2015. But Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin's insistence on the value of HS2 to the UK cut little ice with opponents of the high-speed rail scheme. On fuel duty, both the AA and the RAC pointed out that Mr Osborne was already getting big sums from motorists in taxation.

Ford overhauls Michigan plant to build new Focus

Ford will spend $550 million to retool an assembly plant in suburban Detroit to build the redesigned 2011 Ford Focus. Production is to start next year. As part of the overhaul, the plant, known as Michigan Assembly, also will build an electric-powered version of the new Focus.

Mercedes SLA Roadster looks likely

As car manufacturers start to look with fresh eyes at smaller, cheaper cars, reports from Germany confirm that Mercedes is close to committing to the SLA, a small Roadster to be based on the next generation A-Class platform. The original SLA concept was shown at Detroit in 2000, and aimed to slot in beneath the SLK. But at that time Mercedes didn’t have a suitable platform on which to base the car, and the project was shelved.