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Alfa Romeo 8C Spider (2008): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 19 February 2008 17:01 Drool on. Alfa Romeo will formally unveil the production version of the 8C Spider – a limited run of 500 soft-tops – at this spring’s Geneva Motor Show. It’s powered by the same 4.7-litre V8 producing 444bhp as the 8C coupe that so entranced CAR on our recent road trip from Monaco to Modena.Prospective buyers will face a long wait for the Spider, however.

Volvo confirms big production increase for V60 Plug-in Hybrid

Volvo has been building around 150 V60 Plug-ins a week at its facility in Torslanda – alongside the regular V60, V70, S80 and XC90 – but that is now set to be upped to 282 cars a week for the rest of 2013, with plans to build at least 10,000 in 2014. The fact is that the V60 is a very appealing estate car already, and bolting a plug-in hybrid setup has turned it in to a big hit in showrooms because the barking mad official economy and emissions system bestows the V60 plug-in with emissions of just 48g/km, making it a real no-brainer in countries where governments blindly tax cars based on their official emissions. That means countries like Holland, where Volvo has received more than 3,000 orders for the V60 Plug-in, and the UK are lapping up the hybrid offering from Volvo as a way to escape big taxes and still have a swift (0-62mph in 6.1 seconds), appealing and stylish car.

Renault previews new electric vehicle concept

Renault will unveil its latest concept car tomorrow at its plant in Valladolid, Spain. The carmaker says the concept, previewed in one image, will "provide a bridge between the world of Formula 1 and that of electric vehicles". Very few details are available, but look out for further news as the concept is revealed.