Fidanza Performance 256402 1045 Billet Steel Flywheel on 2040-parts.com

Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid – details

The Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid will show at Frankfurt The principle difference between the standard Prius and this new plug-in version is – you’ll never guess – that it adds the ability to charge the Prius’ batteries through a domestic outlet. The Prius can be fully recharged in around 1.5 hours, and the new lithium-ion battery pack – which replaces the old nickel-metal hydride pack in the regular Prius – is more compact and of higher output. Toyota claim that the plug-in Prius can cover round 12.5 miles on a full charge in pure ‘Electric Mode’, which is around double that of the normal Prius.

LA auto show 2011 review by Ben Pulman

When the automotive industry was in the midst of recession, the LA auto show carved out a niche for itself as the place to be seen to be green. Detroit represented the big, bad gas-guzzling old school, but the forward-thinking culture of southern California meant the relaxed atmosphere of the LA Convention Centre was the perfect setting to preview the smaller, more compact and more fuel-efficient future. This year it was different.

Caterham Cars up production

Caterham Cars is increasing production as buyers opt for cheaper thrills. Now admittedly, Caterham increasing production is not going to turn the economy around – they make fewer cars in a year than VW make in an hour. But they are obviously doing something right.