Parts Master 125786 Rear Disc Brake Rotor on 2040-parts.com

Daimler to axe Maybach in 2013. New Mercedes S Class Pullman instead

Maybach Axed We’ve been preidtcing the demise of Maybach for some time. After all, who wants an old S Class with chintzy trim and lots of toys for more money than a Rolls Royce Phantom? And now it seems that Daimler has also realised their revival of the Maybach has fallen flat on its face (except in Germany and to a pair from the Dragons’ Den) and it’s time to move on.

Battery breakthrough set to accelerate electric-car development

A team of scientists working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are claiming a significant breakthrough in recharging times for lithium-ion batteries. According to findings published in the scientific journal Nature, MIT researchers Byoungwoo Kang and Gerbrand Ceder have unlocked the potential of lithium-ion batteries by patenting a unique process which is claimed to allow a typical laptop power pack to be fully recharged in less than a minute--an improvement in recharging performance of roughly 90 percent over existing lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries generate electric current via the flow of lithium ions across an electrolyte, from an electrode to a cathode.

The best new-car discounts and deals: March's biggest savings

With the 14-registration plate change in March, dealers and manufacturers will be expecting to build on a strong start to the year. To do that they’ll have to discount. Here’s our pick of the biggest new car discounts available.