Mercury Tempest on 2040-parts.com

Car insurance market condemned by MPs

CAR INSURANCE is a "highly dysfunctional market" in which firms' pursuit of profit has led to higher prices for consumers, a report by MPs has said. In some cases, business practices have not been in the consumer interest and have "inadvertently encouraged criminal activity", the report from the House of Commons Transport Committee said. There was no clearer example of this than "insurance firms' willingness to pay compensation for whiplash claims which they suspect are fraudulent without requiring the claimant to undergo a medical examination".

Buy a hydrogen-powered car in 2015…at least in California

At the Consumers Electronics Show this week Toyota claimed that a production version of its four-door midsize FCV concept fuel cell sedan will hit showrooms some time in 2015. Toyota has been investing in fuel-cell technology for the past 20 years, and since 2002 it has been testing and developing prototypes primarily in North America. Toyota claims that it has reduced the cost of producing a fuel-cell powertrain, and has estimated a 95 percent cost reduction in the powertrain and fuel tanks for the 2015 production model versus the 2002 prototype.

Video: A look inside CATLY's studio walls and Toyota FT-1 concept development

Motor Trend has taken a look inside the studio walls of CALTY to produce a documentary of the design development of a star of last week's Detroit auto show, the Toyota FT-1 concept. Toyota's Californian design studio has been responsible for some of the company's best recent work including the Lexus LF-LC concept. In this episode of Downshift, Motor Trend spoke to some of those behind the FT-1's design – Kevin Hunter, CALTY Research president, studio chief designer Alex Shen and William Chergosky, interior chief designer.