Alfa at the Paris motor show 2008

By Ben Barry Motor Shows 02 October 2008 20:29 It’s all quiet at Alfa, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to look at. The girls are of an even higher standard than those over the road at Fiat, while the 8C Spider – standing proud in pearl white amid a sea of red – and the recently revised 159 look stunning. We’ve seen the updated saloon and sportwagon a while back, but seeing it in the metal under the spotlights just reinforces how breathtakingly handsome it is.

Subaru Impreza Diesel delayed for UK

Update 2/9/09: Finally, Subaru has announced that the Subaru Impreza Diesel will be coming to the UK, starting at £20,000 OTD for the 2.0D RC. It does get difficult when markets go mad, and currencies fall out of the normal range of values, for none more than the big car manufacturers whose products are sold around the world. The Japanese are really struggling with this at the moment, as the Yen has remained strong in relation to many western currencies, in particular the Pound.

Mercedes S500 Plug-in Hybrid revealed – gets official 94.2mpg

The Mercedes S500 Plug-in Hybrid (pictured) has been revealed There will come a point when legislators wake up and realise that car makers are getting too clever at gaming their CO2 based taxation and change the goal posts. But until then, cars like the new Mercedes S500 Plug in Hybrid – revealed today – are the perfect company buy. That’s because the clever use of a plug-in electric motor coupled with a relatively frugal ICE engine – in the case of the S500 Plug-in a 329bhp 3.0 litre V6 and 80kW electric motor – produce official economy and emissions figures that are really only valid under test conditions but save a big chunk of tax for buyers.