Drivers 'not prepared for winter'

MANY DRIVERS are poorly prepared for the perils of winter motoring, according to the Highways Agency. As many as 45% of motorists do not make vehicle checks before the onset of bad weather and 28% do not take emergency kits. The agency's research also revealed that 53% of drivers do not even carry a de-icer.

Kia Ray plug-in Hybrid revealed

Kia has revealed their plug-in hybrid concept - the Kia Ray - at the Chicago Motor Show A few weeks ago we reported on a tease from Kia of the Kia Ray Concept they were taking along to Detroit’s lower key motor show sibling – the Chicago Motor Show. And true to their word they revealed the Kia Ray at Chicago – and a convincing Prius rival it looks. Instead of the stodgy mainstream hybrids churned out to date by (mainly) the Japanese, the Kia looks like a breath of fresh air.

Nissan GT-R to be revised for Europe

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 01 May 2008 18:14 Nissan is fettling its GT-R before it goes on sale in the UK in April 2009. It might have just announced a new lap record at the Nurburgring – chief test driver Tochio Suzuki shaved nine seconds off the GT-R's previous record of 7min 38 – but Nissan's engineers are already working on upgrades to the everyman's supercar.Chief vehicle engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno told CAR Online that the GT-R models bound for the American market would benefit from a range of small tweaks, including three harder engine mounts and a stiffer transaxle mount to stop the mechancial parts from moving under extreme cornering. It's detail like this that enabled the new 7min 29sec...Nissan GT-R: detail changes'The new mounts make the car feel more together in extreme circumstances,' he said.