Motorad 379-180 180f/82c Thermostat on 2040-parts.com

Volkswagen Passat (2011): the American one

Volkswagen has unveiled the US version of the Passat at the 2011 Detroit auto show. VW’s European customers won’t be able to buy it, but will be interested in the price: despite being longer and wider than the car offered in Europe it will start from just £13,000 before taxes for a 168bhp five-cylinder petrol. The nearest petrol Passat costs £19,529 in the UK.

Denza confirmed as brand name for Daimler BYD joint venture

Denza - the JV brand of BYD and Daimler The joint venture between Mercedes (Daimler) and BYD in China is to market cars under the Denza brand. It seems to have taken a very long time for the partnership between Mercedes Benz’ parent company Daimler and China’s BYD to come up with product or even a name. Well, they’ve managed the name although we’re still not too sure what exactly they’ll be flogging.

New MoT failure figures reveal surprises

BETWEEN January and August 2013 253,000 vehicles failed their first MoT, according to new data. 70 million records from the Vehicle Operation and Services Agency (VOSA) were examined to reveal the patterns of failure for cars receiving their first MoT, required three years from the date of first registration. However, while the best performers have pre-existing reputations for reliability, the bottom of the table reveals some surprises.