Ford/lincoln/mercury Mounting Kit 04-12 on 2040-parts.com

Japan hopes to make EV recharging technology the global standard

Japan's automakers aim to cement their lead in electric vehicles by making Japanese recharging technology the global standard and bringing it to the United States. A coalition of manufacturers, including Nissan and Toyota, is teaming with Japan's biggest electric company and the government to make it happen. They aim to corner the market on one of the technologies that will be key to the eventual acceptance of electric-powered cars: the high-speed charging points that will act like gasoline stations of the future and enable drivers to recharge and keep driving after their batteries run low.

Honda CR-Z Mugen arrives February 2012

Honda Mugen CR-Z will cost under £24k Honda told us that the Mugen CR-Z was just a concept, but now we learn that the hot CR-Z will arrive in the UK in February 2012 from ‘under £24k’. The Honda CR-Z is a decent enough little car; it has sporty handling and sporty looks, but it’s a real anti-climax to drive thanks to its 1.5 litre hybrid setup. Stung by criticism of the CR-Z’s performance, Honda got Mugen to have a play with its sporty little hybrid this year, and they did what Honda should probably have done from the start – strap on a supercharger to the hybrid lump.

Maserati GranCabrio Sport arrives

Maserati GranCabrio Sport arrives in the UK Actually, the Maserati GranCabrio Sport arrived a few months back at the Geneva Motor Show, but it’s now washed up on our shores – just too late to enjoy the miserable summer with the rest of us by the time the first UK customer cars actually arrive in October. The main news, apart from the GranCabrio actually being for sale in the UK, is that the price is perhaps not quite as high as we’d expected. When Maserati revealed the GranCabrio Sport at Geneva we did speculate it would end up being north of £100k.