Longacre Pyrometer 50686/90 W/ Hard Case on 2040-parts.com

BYD aims to bring electric vehicle to North America by 2011 or 2012

Chinese firm BYD Auto is aiming to bring at least one electric vehicle to North America by 2011 or 2012, and is considering building an assembly plant in the United States, it said Monday at the Detroit Auto Show. The automaker showed the e6, an electric vehicle, and two other hybrid cars at the show. The e6 has room for five and has a range of 250 miles, BYD says.

Toyota Prius Plug-In (2012) priced from £27,895

Toyota is about to launch the Prius Plug-In hybrid in the UK and today confirmed it'll cost £27,895. Clever tech comes at a price - the regular Prius costs from £21,560. The price of the plug-in Prius hybrid would be even higher without the Government's £5000 grant.

Alfa Romeo 4C on track with Giancarlo Fisichella (video)

Giancalrlo Fisichella takes the Alfa 4C round Balocco (pictured) The Alfa Romeo 4C – Alfa’s baby supercar – is due on sale next month following its UK dynamic debut at Goodwood, so to get a bit of adrenaline flowing in the veins of potential buyers, Fiat grabbed Ferrari test driver Giancarlo Fisichella and stuck him behind the wheel of the 4C to play at the Balocco test track, Fiat’s proving ground. And we have to say, the 4C doesn’t just look good, it sounds great and looks to be as light and nimble as expected. In many ways, the Alfa 4C is an Italian take on the Lotus Elise, but it manages to do it with a huge dose of Alfa flair, both in its design and its execution.