Luk 05-059 New Clutch Set on 2040-parts.com

Petrol sales hit record low in July

FEARS of a 4p-a-litre rise in prices at the pumps sent petrol sales crashing to an all-time July low. The rise turned out to be only 1.5p a litre but it led to July petrol consumption dipping to 1.44 billion litres, down nearly 100 million litres on June, according to Government figures highlighted by the AA. The AA said petrol retailers and others had predicted that the UK's average cost of petrol would rise by up to 4p a litre in July.

Ferrari 4×4 Hybrid system on the drawing board

One of the drawings Ferrari has submitted to the European Patent Office for a 4x4 Hybrid System [ad#ad-1] Actually, the headline is quite literal. It would appear that Ferrari is working on four wheel drive hybrid propulsion systems after plans submitted to the European Patent Office were uncovered by Autocar. It’s been known for some time that Ferrari has been working on Hybrid and 4WD systems, but these drawings show that Ferrari is in fact looking at a simpler system designed more to aid handling than to benefit the environment.

Mercedes-Benz axes Maybach

High ranking Mercedes-Benz sources have confirmed to Autoweek that the underperforming Maybach brand will be officially killed off in 2013. The decision to disband Mercedes-Benz’s upper luxury marque comes after a decade of disappointing sales for the Maybach 57 and 62 and a recent decision from the German car maker’s chairman Dieter Zetsche not to push ahead with the development replacement models – the likes of which were tentatively due out in 2014 – owing to what one insider describes as a “positive move to focus greater attention on the Mercedes-Benz brand” . “We’ve come to the conclusion that it is better to cut our losses with Maybach than to continue into an uncertain future with a brand that has failed to live up to original sales expectations," the insider said.