Rear Bumper Decal 2r3z 16605-aa on 2040-parts.com

Car makers to be forced to disclaim ‘Official’ economy figures

We’ve banged on for a long time about the futility of official economy figures, especially as car makers get better and better at ‘gaming’ the official economy tests to produce the results they want. Much of the impetus to create the best headline economy figure for a car is driven by taxation, with car makers well aware that the better the official economy results are, the lower their CO2 will be (CO2 isn’t tested for – it’s just extrapolated from the official mpg) and the more appealing the car will be to buyers, particularly fleet buyers. But a ruling by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) against Audi could at least see car makers having to admit in their adverts that the ‘official’ economy figure bears no relation to what owners can expect to achieve in the real world.

Fiat 500 1957 edition hits showrooms this spring

Fiat will introduce its limited production Fiat 500 1957 Edition that will arrive in showrooms late this spring. The Fiat takes design cues from its vintage Italian roots, giving buyers a throwback feel with its interior and exterior styling. Buyers can get into the 500 1957 starting at $21,200 including destination and handling fees.

Renault teases extra hot Megane RS

Renault has teased a new, more hardcore version of its Megane Renaultsport coupe on its Facebook page, hinting that the French firm is developing an even more focused version of the sporty hatch to rival the SEAT Leon Cupra 280. The picture appeared with the hastag “#Under8”, meaning the SEAT is a logical target. The Cupra 280 model recently set the front-wheel drive Nurburgring production car lap record with a time of 7 minutes 58.4 seconds.