Skoda to launch Superb estate, 4x4 and MPV

By Georg Kacher Motor Industry 21 July 2008 09:46 Volkswagen's budget brand Skoda will gain a raft of new models in the next few years, CAR Online can reveal.  Leading the product expansion is an estate version of the new Superb which will cost less than a Passat wagon but offer more bootspace than a Mercedes E-class estate. Expect the big Superb in 2009. We've also unearthed more details on the new Skoda Yeti crossover that also comes in 2009.

Watch the reactions of first time drivers of the BMW i3 EV

Jake Humphrey at the wheel of the BMW i3 EV It’s always tough to get across the driving experience; there’s no substitute for actually doing it. So BMW decided the best way to illustrate that their new electric city car – the BMW i3 – is a joy to drive was to film the reactions of first-time drivers, and their passengers, as they take to the wheel of the i3 for the first time on a test drive. BMW has filmed endless hours of footage of different drivers around the world getting to grips with the i3, and they’ve whittled that down to a compelling 1:37 video, much of which shows the reactions of drivers in the UK.

Smoking in cars containing children to be banned

SMOKING IN CARS in the presence of children is to be outlawed in England by the end of the year, Downing Street has signalled, after MPs voted overwhelmingly to make it a criminal offence. A No 10 source said Parliament had made its view clear and ministers are now looking at the practicalities of implementing the ban, with a view to getting it place before 2015. The Commons voted by 376 to 107 last night - a majority of 269 - to give the Health Secretary the power to impose a ban in England.