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Mini debuts four new design lines for 2014 Cooper

Mini Coopers really come to life when finished in the marque's signature appearance packages, such as Union Jack roofs and checkered flag mirror caps, and for the third-generation three-door hardtops debuting this spring the automaker is debuting some new designs. Minis have always been about personalization, and since the brand's relaunch under BMW's roof owners seemed to appreciate the cheeky designs that included roof graphics, grille-mounted headlights, racing stripes for the hood, and mirror caps. All those features are coming back for the new 2014 three-door Hardtops, and along with them the company is introducing a lineup of four Mini Characters, called Vivid Green, Speedwell Blue, John Cooper Works Pro, and Essential Black.

2015 Volkswagen Touareg price and specs – costs from £43,000

The 2015 Volkswagen Touareg (pictured) costs from £35k Volkswagen revealed a facelift for its biggest SUV – the VW Touareg – at the Beijing Motor Show in April which got the usual tweaks of titivated front and back and a new set of alloys to make it look fresher. Also in the mix, sadly, was the end of the very grunty 4.2 litre V8 diesel (and the hybrid in the UK) with VW deciding to concentrate on two flavours of V6 diesel and adding in new technology like post-collision braking, coasting and low-resistance tyres with air suspension to the mix. Now, with the 2015 VW Touareg due to go on sale on 27 August, Volkswagen has revealed prices and specs for the new Touareg.

Rear-end collisions increasing, says study

REAR-END shunts on the road are getting more common despite the advance of new anti-crash technology, according to new research by accident management firm Accident Exchange. Rear-end shunts – when one car drives into the back of another – have risen by 7% in the last three years as a proportion of all accidents. Each accident causes damage costing an average of £2,000 to repair.