Minn Kota Powerdrive V1 Foot Pedal on 2040-parts.com

Fiat 500 Colour Therapy added to UK 500 range

Fiat has added the 500 Colour Therapy – a retro-look Fiat 500 – to the model range in the UK. The Fiat 500 belongs to the same school of marketing as the MINI, so a new trim range to cash in on its ‘Homage to an Icon’ status seems an obvious route to garner a few more sales for the very likeable 500. Which is why the UK is getting the Fiat 500 Colour Therapy, a new model range that sits in the 500 line-up between the Pop and Lounge trim levels and comes in five retro-inspired colours - New Age Cream, Countrypolitan Yellow, Pasodoble Red, Volare Blue, and Tech House Grey.

Hybrid owners sue Ford over Fusion, C-Max mpg claims

Pennsylvania car owners are suing Ford Motor Co., claiming that the 2013 Fusion hybrid and C-Max hybrid are not delivering on promised fuel-efficiency figures, according to a report from Bloomberg. Both hybrid models are advertised to return 47 mpg, but the owners say that number is inflated to seem more competitive among other midsize sedans, according to their court filing. The complaint says car owners who have submitted estimates to a fuel-economy tracking website averaged 38.5 mpg, a 10-mpg difference that can cost an additional $1,800 in fuel costs over five years, Bloomberg reports.

BMW & Toyota to collaborate on next-generation lithium-ion battery cells

Toyota & BMW to work together on next-gen lithium-ion batteries BMW and Toyota are to work together to develop next-generation lithium-ion battery technology to try and make battery power more effective. Late last year we learnt that BMW and Toyota are to work more closely to share technology and expertise as the car industry enters a period of consolidation and partnership to try and keep R&D costs under control, and make their products more cost-effective. The result of the BMW Toyota tie-up sees BMW getting access to some of Toyota’s Hybrid nous and Toyota getting access to BMW’s excellent diesel engines.