Quicksilver Soft Grip Boat Steering Wheel on 2040-parts.com

Mini is the UK’s Slowest Depreciating Car

That vital tool of the used-car trade, Glass’s Guide, has today revealed that the Mini 1.4TD is the slowest depreciating car in the UK. For the second year running, the Mini tops the table, although even it has slipped a bit – retaining 63.2% of its value over three years, a fall of 7.8% since last year. Mini Diesel - Lowest depreciating car in the UK Glass’s cite the reasons for the Mini’s success as its strong image, a perception of quality and its reasonable running costs.

Volkswagen launches Car-Net in-car assistance system

Volkswagen has launched an in-car assistance system which will offer a number of convenience and diagnostic features. Not too dissimilar from some other systems already on the market -- such as BMW Assist, Mercedes-Benz'sMbrace, and GM's On-Star -- VW's system will offer roadside assistance, service appointment scheduling, and automatic crash notification. The latter triggers a call from the vehicle to a Car-Net customer specialist when the airbags in the car are deployed, which will then connect the occupants with a local public safety answering point, which can send emergency vehicles to the scene if needed.

Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid (2008): first official pictures

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 18 September 2008 17:00 These are the first pictures of the new Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid. With a combined economy figure of 35.8mpg and a CO2 rating of just 190g/km, Mercedes claims it is the world’s most economical petrol-powered luxury saloon. But put your chequebook away – it’s not coming to the UK.