Dacia Duster is Scottish Car of the Year 2012

The Dacia Duster SUV has garnered its first award in the UK – before it even hits showrooms – winning the Scottish Car of the Year 2012. Top car awards should be for cars that are available for buyers to walk in and grab from their local dealer, and they must bring something that’s not just new, but better too. We’re not sure where that leaves the winner of the 2012 Scottish Car of the Year – the Dacia Duster – as it’s hardly a ground-breaking car and it’s not on sale yet.

VW E-Bugster convertible concept car at 2012 Beijing motor show

Volkswagen, one of the biggest players in China's swelling car market, chose Beijing to unveil its latest E-Bugster - a good look at the forthcoming convertible version of the Beetle. We saw the E-Bugster in tin-top form at the 2012 Detroit auto show; now they've gone and chopped the top fully for Beijing. It's a two-seater speedster version of the Beetle hatch, driven by an 85kW electric drive system; essentially, the powertrain of this car is what will underpin the 2013 Blue-e-motion electric Golf.

Mercedes E class Cabriolet (2010) – Air Cap

The 2010 Mercedes E Class Cabrio with AirCap deployed The next generation Mercedes E Class Cabriolet is due to turn up at next month’s Detroit Motor Show and go on sale in the Spring in the UK – just in time for some open-topped motoring as the sky clears and the sun starts to shine (or it pours with rain – global warming, don’t you know). Which is all fine and dandy if you’re just cruising round town at low speeds and you’ve got hats on, otherwise the expensive coiffures of your passengers may well get wrecked by the buffeting once the roof is down as you blat along, leaving them looking as if they’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards. But not any more.