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Toyota & Lexus: Hybrid sales in Europe hit 20%

The ‘Green’ evangelists want to get us all driving electric cars to save the planet, but in the real world car drivers want a car that offers them all the practicality of a normal ICE car, but without the penalties of the poor range, high cost and inconvenience of an EV. So, with ever-rising fuel costs, it’s no wonder car buyers are willing to pay a little more for a car that offers better economy at the pumps – which plays straight in to the hands of Hybrid pioneers Toyota. The result is that Toyota and Lexus now see a full 20 per cent of their sale in Europe being hybrid cars in the first quarter of 2013, with sales of hybrid cars up a massive 82 per cent year-on-year.

One Lap of the Web: Peugeot climbs, an extremist sinks and a proposed $1,500 race car

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Peugeot has prepped a Pikes Peak 208, and the folks at Gizmag take an in-depth look at the car.

2012 Suzuki Splash launches

The Suzuki Splash gets a bit of a facelift for 2012 with tweaks to the bumpers, grill and interior trim. If you’re looking for something to potter around the urban landscape – and need a bit more room than the normal city car – the new Suzuki Splash may be right up your street. With its upright driving position and extra room compared to the usual city box, the Swift does a decent job of ferrying families round cities.