Headlight Bucket M35a2 on 2040-parts.com

R8 e-tron electric supercar will be built, Audi says

The Audi R8 e-tron is back on: Audi has backtracked on an earlier decision to cancel production of the zero-emission supercar and will now push ahead with small-scale production two-seater, Autoweek can confirm. The decision is part of a number of sweeping changes made to Audi's research and engineering operations since the arrival of its new head, Ulrich Hackenberg. Citing recent advances in lithium-ion battery technology that has reportedly increased its range from an original 134 miles to close to 250 miles, high-ranking insiders at Audi's headquarters in Germany suggest the R8 e-tron will now go into limited production during the latter half of 2014.

Consumer Reports gets top vehicle picks mostly right

Despite the publication's uncomfortably broad definition of reliability -- it spans everything from "the engine fell out" to "the touchscreen display shows fingerprints too easily" -- automakers still clamor to get on the Consumer Reports recommended vehicle list. This year's winners cover a broad spectrum of vehicles, and for the most part, we're in agreement with the magazine's editors, with one significant exception at the top of the list. Best overall vehicle went to the Tesla Model S.

Weather still causing commuter chaos

COMMUTERS had a miserable return to work today as bad weather continued to cause havoc to road travel. A number of major road routes were affected by flooding or by fallen trees, while one lane was closed on the M48 Severn Bridge due to strong winds and a section of the M77 in Glasgow was closed because of flooding. A landslip at Hawick on the Scottish Borders led to hold-ups on the A7, while a section of the A36 in Hampshire was closed due to a fallen tree and fallen power cables.