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Volkswagen XL Sport Concept gets Ducati power: Paris 2014

The Volkswagen XL Sport Concept (pictured) gets Ducati power The Volkswagen XL 1 may well be an impressive ‘Supercar’ (that’s super-economical, rather than plain ‘super’), but it’s a daft amount of money and, unless you’re trying to make a ‘Green’ statement, not for everyone. But this Volkswagen XL Sport Concept is a more appealing car – both visually and mechanically – as VW take the XL 1 and rework it in to a sports car with a little help from Ducati. Because under the skin of the XL Sport lies a 197bhp V2 that’s come from Ducati (just as we reported a year ago) and delivers 197bhp through a seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box, with a reduction gear between engine and gearbox to boost torque, revs to 1,000 rpm and can get to 62mph in 5.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 157mph.

Honda Civic

Honda has released the first images of its new Civic ahead of its launch today at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show. The Civic's flowing exterior design is said to have been inspired by the ‘blended wing body' airplane, in which the wings and fuselage blend into one entity for improved performance. The designers have kept the sporty and advanced elements of the car's character but have adapted them to emphasize the dynamism of the new Civic.

Higher gas prices? Blame ethanol

MarketWatch reported today that the price of ethanol has seen a 30-percent price increase so far this year, taking the price of gasoline up with it, since a good majority of "gasoline" sold today is around 10 percent ethanol. The average price of a gallon of gas today is $2.30, according to FactSet data, but this has varied since the beginning of 2014. Despite the recent surge, ethanol prices have also proved to be rather volatile with reports of it dropping 8 percent this past Thursday after falling 10 percent just the day before.