Crown Automotive 53010513aa Exhaust Valve on 2040-parts.com

Volkswagen e-Golf goes on sale – price from £30,845

The Volkswagen e-Golf (pictured) is now on sale in the UK The Nissan LEAF has almost had the market place for proper family EVs to itself until recently, but the arrival of the impressive BMW i3 -especially when specced with a range extending motor – threatens to make a dent in LEAF sales, and another dent could come courtesy of the new Volkswagen e-Golf, which goes on sale today in the UK priced from £30,845 (£25,845 after taxpayer bribe). In most of the ways that matters, the e-Golf is a regular Golf MK 7, but lurking under the familiar exterior lies a thumping great bank of batteries weighing 318kg (about the same as a car full of passengers) and an electric motor driving the front wheels and good for 113bhp. Range for the e-Golf is up to 118 miles from a full charge, a charge that will take 13 hours from a regular 3-pin socket, a more acceptable 8 hours if you use the optional 3.6 kW wallbox you can spec (for free from British Gas) and a quick charge of up to 80 per cent in 35 minutes.

Citroen Airdream+ available

We keep saying they’ll keep on coming, and keep on coming they do. Offers, that is. From beleaguered car makers.

Update: Google's robot car is like driving an elevator

Welcome to the future everyone, you may now release all worries, and all control. Google has released photos and video of its first self-driving vehicle, and a Ferrari 458 it ain't. The car pod people mover has no steering wheel, no gas pedal and no brakes.