Electric Smart (EV) to go in to production

The Smart electric car is to go in to limited production after recent trials You won’t be surprised to learn that after Mercedes 10% stake in Tesla that it is Tesla who are to provide the batteries for the second generation Smart Electric Car. With this technology in place, the Smart EV gets a greater range, shorter charging times and better performance. The press release is big on quotes about the wonders of the Smart Electric, as you would expect.

BMW takes the Active Tourer Outdoor outdoors this weekend

This weekend BMW will be taking its BMW Concept Active Tourer Outdoor to the annual OutDoor fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany. We first saw the concept last September, noting that it was a departure for BMW in more ways than one -- with the German automaker stretching itself into segments in which it previously had no foothold. The BMW Active Tourer is meant to preview a whole new generation of small cars from BMW, but one of the biggest changes underneath is a transverse layout of the engine -- a setup that BMW has traditionally shunned in favor of a longitudinal layout.

Saab at the London motor show 2008

Saab 9-4X and 9-X star on the Saab stand at the London show – but we've seen both before By Gavin Green and CAR reader reporter asp Motor Shows 22 July 2008 23:28 A quiet show for Saab, but then this is a brand with which waiting has become synonymous. What’s new on Saab's London motor show stand? They’ve both been at other motor shows around the globe, but new-to-Britain are the 9-X and 9-4 concepts.