Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R for 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

Toyota As we predicted last week, Toyota will unveil a 400hp Yaris Hybrid-R supermini concept at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show next month after dedicating its appearance at the German auto expo to "the presentation of hybrid technology". The Japanese firm has been at the forefront of hybrid technology in the modern era with its eco-focused Prius family hatchback, but has also brought petrol-electric propulsion systems to the fore in top line world motorsport with its TS030 Le Mans racer. On Bing: see pictures of the Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R Find out how much a used Toyota Yaris costs on Auto Trader Powered by Toyota’s 1.6-litre Global Racing Engine and supplemented by a pair of electric motors, the Yaris Hybrid-R actually uses similar technology to the firm’s hybrid Le Mans prototype, with kinetic energy recovered under breaking ‘stored’ in a super capacitor as electricity.

Ken Block signs for Ford and the WRC

Ken Block – who became a YouTube sensation with his gymkhana stunt series ¬– has ended months of speculation by confirming he’ll compete in the 2010 World Rally Championship – switching his Subaru Impreza for a Ford Focus, while he'll also rally a Fiesta in the US. The Monster energy drink-backed deal will form a key part of Ford’s plan to market its hatches in America, and follows last year’s Pikes Peak Fiesta. It’s a tentative start for Block, who’ll be competing in select rounds of the WRC championship – Mexico is believed to be the first – to hone his skills.

Car dealers are buying again

Used car sales in the UK (and just about everywhere else, for that matter) have been in the doldrums, to say the least, for many months. The inexorable decline in car values has left many dealers nursing painful losses on stock cars, and has led to the strange situation where, however desperate a dealer was to sell you a new car, he wouldn’t (or couldn’t) offer you a part-ex price. Car dealers are buying stock again But according to the used car value Gurus at Glasses Guide, things are starting to look up – a little.