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Mercedes shows the future of crash protection

By Mark Nichol Motor Industry 09 June 2009 10:00 It might look familiar, but the Mercedes ESF 2009 concept is about as futuristic as they come. Ostensibly an S400 Hybrid, the car showcases the very latest Mercedes safety technology, some of which will be in mainstream models soon, and some of which is, frankly, pure fantasy mollycoddling. The concept will be officially unveiled next week, but CAR has already been to the company’s Stuttgart base for a sneak preview.

Hyundai Veloster Midship concept shows what the Veloster could be

The Hyundai Veloster Midship at the Busan Motor Show The Hyundai Veloster is actually a perfectly capable – if slightly quirky - sports car, which promises much but doesn’t actually deliver in terms of performance. In fact, when we  reviewed the Hyundai Veloster a couple of years ago with its 1.6 litre petrol engine, we wondered if Hyundai would have been better giving the Veloster a diesel lump instead, which would at least have made its paucity of power less of a problem with more torque to play with. And the Veloster Turbo isn’t a huge amount better, only offering 184 bhp and taking 8.4 seconds to get to 62mph; figures we would have expected from the base Veloster if it were to be a properly credible competitor in the sector.

The Porsche 911: the car that shouldn’t work but does

Humanity might struggle perpetually with questions like the meaning of life, but it does know one thing for sure: rear engine cars are bad. Like a sling shot, the heavy engine at the back is always trying to overtake the driver in front. Anyone can understand that.Yet the Porsche 911 - one of the fastest cars on the market, and one of the most enduring in history - has its engine at the back.