Nissan Serena 2001 Rear Muffler [1222500] on 2040-parts.com

2013 Nissan LEAF updated

Nissan has updated the LEAF EV in Japan for 2013 with better range, less weight and a new LEAF S entry-level model. Revealed in Japan – but likely to come to the UK from 2013 when the LEAF starts rolling out of Nissan’s Sunderland factory – there are significant upgrades to the powertrain which result in both less weight and better range. Nissan has had a play with the electric powertrain and made it both smaller and lighter with a new motor that uses 40 per cent less dysprosium (a rare earth metal) than before, and comes in 30 per cent smaller and 10 per cent lighter, and a new streamline battery case and a few other tweaks drops the LEAF’s weight by 80kg.

Citroen DS Wild Rubis SUV Concept: Official (+ Video)

Revealed this morning, the DS Wild Rubis Concept is a proper full-size SUV from the French car maker which, we assume, is being targeted primarily at China. Citroen’s history in recent years with full size cars has been poor, with no one but the French themselves buying them in any sort of reasonable numbers. But with the car buyer’s passion for SUVs – even full sized ones – we could see Citroen deciding to put the Wild Rubis on sale in Europe if the feedback is positive.

2013 Volkswagen Golf Estate (Mk 7) revealed early

We have the first photos of the next Variant in the Golf Mk 7 line – the VW Golf Estate – ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next week. More in the ‘They didn’t want it to arrive yet‘ saga in the run-up to the start of the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, with this offering being the firts pictures of the new VW Golf Estate. There really isn’t a huge amount to say about the new Golf Estate except it’s a Mk 7 Golf with a small shed on the back and looks likely to be a favourite family buy.