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Mercedes R-class facelift (2010) first official pictures

This is the facelifted Mercedes R-class, unveiled today at the 2010 New York auto show.  It lives, and in the UK the new model will only be available as an entry level, rear-drive R300 CDI and a top-spec, long-wheelbase R350 CDI. The R300 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY 2WD (to give this big beast its full name) is 7% more efficient than before but still offers the same power and performance. The more snappily titled R350 CDI 4MATIC is also more economical (its 33.2mpg bettering its predecessor by 2.8mpg) but also more powerful, with outputs of 261bhp and 457ft up from 218bhp and 376lb ft.

Electric Fiat 500e costs the same as 500 Pop – in the US

Sergio Marchionne reckoned Fiat would lose £7k on every 500e they sell, but that may be a very conservative estimate judging by the deal Fiat has put together for the 500e in California, where it’s just launched. For a very modest down-payment of £650 and then £130 a month, you can drive off in a brand new Fiat 500e. That’s exactly the same deal Fiat offers on the 500 Pop – a car that cost under £10k in the UK – making the 500e the first EV we’ve come across where costs are sensible.

New (2013) Lexus IS: Official Photos revealed

Lexus has revealed the first official photos of the new Lexus IS which will debut at the Detroit Auto Show next week. What we see is a much more dynamic looking IS, borrowing visibly from the LF-CC Concept we saw at Frankfurt last year, and promising to be the best effort yet by Lexus to put a dent in the BMW 3 Series. Prominent is the new Lexus spindle grill with a set of mean looking headlights with arrow shape LED running lights, with the cabin looking further back than the current IS, a coupe-like profile and a swoopy crease running back from the sills to the tail.