Romik 62113419 - 5.5" Ral Series Black Running Boards on 2040-parts.com

Vauxhall Ampera price cut by £3,500

The Vauxhall Ampera (pictured) drops in price by £3500 Although we still feel the range-extender is the right way for car makers to go to get the car buying public to accept EVs, the range-extender Vauxhall Ampera has not exactly been a runaway success. Despite Vauxhall offering potential Ampera buyers the option of trying it for 30 days and handing it back if they don’t like it, the Ampera has failed miserably to sell in any sort of volume. So, with new competition on the way from the range-extender BMW i3, Vauxhall are taking drastic action to try and tempt buyers in to the Ampera and are slashing prices by £3,500.

Volkswagen CrossBlue concept

Volkswagen has unveiled its new CrossBlue SUV concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Developed specifically for the North American market, if it makes it into production it will sit above the Tiguan and below the Touareg in the VW SUV range. The CrossBlue was designed in Germany under the leadership of VW Group's head of design Walter de'Silva and Klaus Bischoff, the VW Brand's head of design in close co-operation with Volkswagen of America.

Daihatsu FC ShoCase

The FC ShoCase is the most unorthodox of the three concepts being previewed by Daihatsu prior to their unveil at the forthcoming Tokyo motoshow. The 'FC' in the name stands for fuel cell, and this concept is in essence a technology demonstrator for the company's next generation technology, which use no precious metals in their construction. Sitting – like its concept siblings – under the Kei car classification (it is just 3395mm long), the FC ShoCase nonetheless has space for four occupants, seated in exceptionally thin seats that fold down to create a secondary floor.