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Tesla asks NHTSA to investigate fires

In response to concerns following a recent accident which appeared to result from road debris damaging the underside of a battery compartment of a Tesla Model S, causing a fire in the engine compartment, the company has announced that it has requested that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conduct a full investigation into the fire incidents. In a blog post, Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote the following about the investigation: "While we think it is highly unlikely, if something is discovered that would result in a material improvement in occupant fire safety, we will immediately apply that change to new cars and offer it as a free retrofit to all existing cars. Given that the incidence of fires in the Model S is far lower than combustion cars and that there have been no resulting injuries, this did not at first seem like a good use of NHTSA's time compared to the hundreds of gasoline fire deaths per year that warrant their attention." Tesla has also released a software update to the cars which will maintain their standard ride height at highway speeds, preventing the air suspension from lowering the car an extra inch at highway speeds for greater aerodynamic efficiency.

New cars can save drivers up to 25%

BUYING a new car instead of a secondhand one could save drivers as much as 25% on their motoring costs in the first year of ownership. These savings come from cheaper insurance, lower road tax costs, improved fuel economy and no MoT test. Comparing a brand new Volkswagen Golf with a five-year old model, the new car reduces the annual spend on motoring from £1689 to £1267, saving £422 in the first year of ownership.

MINI Cooper Rauno Aaltonen Edition – another MINI special

MINI Cooper Rauno Aaltonen Edition MINI has produced yet another special edition, this time as a tribute to Finnish Rally ace Rauno Aaltonen. Available as MINI Cooper and Cooper S. It doesn’t seem right if we don’t get at least one new special edition MINI a month to report on, and with this being the last day of March we wondered if MINI’s PR had gone on holiday.