Toyota A-BAT concept (2008): first official pictures

By Guy Bird First Official Pictures 15 January 2008 13:39 Toyota’s latest Detroit concept flips on its head the current orthodoxy that pick-ups can’t be green. The A-BAT is a compact pick-up, akin to a RAV4 in size, featuring a four-cylinder petrol/electric hybrid and solar panels built into the top of the dashboard efficient enough to power the sat-nav and other interior tools. The much-vaunted Prius was indeed an influence in the A-BAT’s green-tinged exterior design leanings.

Win some goodies from the VW Motorsport collection

Carlos Sainz won the 2010 Dakar rally car category in his VW Race Touareg 2, and now VW’s motorsport division is gearing up for the Nurburgring 24-hour race. To celebrate El Matador’s win, and in anticipation of an epic race at the ‘Ring, CAR is giving away a collection of Volkswagen Motorsport gear. Click here to enter our competition Up for grabs are a Motorsport Rain Jacket (worth £35), the Motorsport Function Jacket (£60), the Motorsport Sports Bag (£40) and a 1:43 model of the Scirocco GT24 racer.

Volt, Leaf win top safety rating in crash test

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf electric cars won the highest safety ratings in crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, putting them in the top 57 percent of models tested so far this year. About 80 of 140 vehicles tested among 2011-2012 models have received the Institute's "top safety pick," the group's award for state-of-the-art crash protection that exceeds federal safety rules, Institute spokesman Russ Rader said. The Volt and Leaf received a "good" rating -- the highest of four rankings -- on each of four crash tests, said the Institute, which is funded by auto insurers including State Farm, All-State and Geico.