Ford Explorer, Speedometer, Cluster, 4 Dr,exc. Sport Trac, Mph on 2040-parts.com

Toyota Prius (2012) - a refresh for Toyota's hybrid

Toyota has revealed a mainly aesthetic revamp of its bestselling Prius for 2012 - designed to improve ride and handling and usher in new gadgets for a more connected lifestyle. Toyota hopes the 2012 refresh will cement the Prius's popularity; the current generation has notched up sales of more than 20,000 since its UK launch back in 2009.Click here to read CAR's long-term test of the Prius hybrid. So what’s new on the 2012 Toyota Prius?

The best Best of France and Italy Car Show ever

Why drive to Monterey in August with everyone else when you can drive only as far as beautiful Van Nuys and get much of the same old-car thrill? This was the 14th year of the Best of France and Italy Car Show, held on Sunday in Van Nuys, Calif., and it was the biggest turnout in the history of the event. Why, we asked co-organizer Chuck Forward?

Lexus IS Coupe arriving in 2014 & IS F V8 on the way

Now it looks like Lexus is going to bring the LF-CC to production life in 2014 as the Lexus IS Coupe (although there are rumours it could be the RC, but that may be for a production version of the even more appealing LF-LC as a range-topping Lexus Coupe) and equip it with the same petrol engine and hybrid options as the IS saloon. What is also in prospect is a return of the IS F – complete with sizeable V8 power – which, if it does arrive, will see the IS Coupe coming with the F engine option and making a very promising foray in to the powerful V8 Coupe market. What doesn’t seem likely is that Lexus are going to bother with a diesel option for the IS or Coupe, despite conventional wisdom saying they need a diesel option to compete in Europe because - as they’ve already demonstrated with the IS 300h – they can deliver an appealing and competitive hybrid with decent performance and price, and bring it in with under 100g/km emissions – perfect for the business market.