Honda Tlr200 Reflex Fork on 2040-parts.com

New Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive goes in to production

The first Mercedes B-Class ED (pictured) rolls off the production line in Rastatt With the BMW i3 grabbing headlines – and flying out of showrooms – as BMW’s first electric car, Mercedes need to play catch-up with a convincing EV of their own, and that’s the new B-Class Electric Drive – an EV version of the regular B-Class – which has now gone in to production in Germany. Built alongside regular ICE versions of the B-Class at Mercedes’ Rastatt Plant, the B-Class ED (Electric Drive) looks practically the same as its more conventionally powered siblings – although the front bumper does look a bit different – and has an electric motor good for 177 bhp and 250 lb/ft of torque, can manage a scoot to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds and has a range of up to 124 miles. The range – at least the quoted range – is a chunk better than the BMW i3′s and on a par with the latest Nissan LEAF, thanks to EV technology provided by Tesla, and the wrapping of an EV drivetrain in a conventional series production car could appeal to more buyers than the ‘statement’ design of the BMW i3.

2013 Volkswagen Golf Estate (Mk 7) revealed early

We have the first photos of the next Variant in the Golf Mk 7 line – the VW Golf Estate – ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next week. More in the ‘They didn’t want it to arrive yet‘ saga in the run-up to the start of the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, with this offering being the firts pictures of the new VW Golf Estate. There really isn’t a huge amount to say about the new Golf Estate except it’s a Mk 7 Golf with a small shed on the back and looks likely to be a favourite family buy.

Telematics--It’s What’s For Breakfast: Hyundai, Toyota latest to connect their drivers

Two more carmakers have connected their customers to the cloud. Hyundai introduced its Blue Link platform at the Consumer Telematics Show, held the day before the Consumer Electronics Show opens in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Toyota revealed details of its coming Entune system at CES.