Mazda Demio 1998 Cd Changer [0056125] on 2040-parts.com

VW Touareg BlueMotion hits the UK

Volkswagen has announced the VW Touareg BlueMotion for the UK Offering improved economy and lower emissions, the Touareg BlueMotion manages to drop in to a lower Co2 band by emitting 219g/km (a reduction from 244g/km on the V6 TDi) and it delivers 34mpg as opposed to 30.4mpg on the V7 TDi. These improvements have been achieved by the usual ECU tweaking, low rolling resistance tyres, some aerodynamic tweaks and a lower ride height (exactly the same sort of stuff that Ford has done on the EConetic range). And the penalty for the lower emissions and better economy is very slight, with the Touareg BlueMotion still managing the 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of  126mph.

Toyota conducted fix of Prius brakes but didn't notify drivers

Toyota Motor Corp., under fire from fresh quality complaints about its popular Prius hybrid, says it conducted a software fix to address reports of slipping brakes. But the world's biggest carmaker didn't notify customers at the time of the change. And it says it is still uncertain how to handle the thousands of Prius vehicles that were sold before the fix.

Nissan pits GT-R vs. Leaf Nismo RC vs. Altima V8 Supercar

Nissan had a little fun at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, Australia earlier this month. For an exhibition, it pitted its Leaf Nismo RC versus its Nissan GT-R road car and the Nissan Altima V8 Supercar. Thankfully, the whole contest was recorded for posterity.