Steering Tie Rod End Outer Acdelco Pro 45a0221 on 2040-parts.com

Electric cars must get noisier, ICE cars must get quieter

Electric cars will have to make a noise to protect pedestrians It’s four years since the Lotus solution for making electric cars noisy raised its head, since when the US has had a go at the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act in 2010 to do the same thing, the Japanese are playing too, and Toyota revealed the Prius Vehicle Notification System, and now the EU has decided its time to act to make EVs emit ‘noise’. Despite the most appealing part of an EV being that it makes our cities quieter, legislators worry about the blind, partially sighted and distracted pedestrian (think earphones and a Smartphone) being mowed down by a stalking electric car and feel the need to act. So the European Parliament has decided that by 2019 new models of electric vehicle will have to make a noise in cities, and that by 2021 all new hybrids and electrics must be noisy too.

Opel Insignia Sports Tourer wagon spotted near GM's proving grounds

Just like my parents used to say, “You can't get anything by us, we have eyes everywhere.” Ominous threats aside, GM's European unit Opel tried to sneak an Insignia Sports Tourer station wagon onto the roads of Michigan. Luckily our roving eyes spotted the car--complete with turbo badges--and sent some photos back to the mothership. A wagon version of the European sedan has been spotted on Michigan roads before.

Volkswagen Golf R Cabriolet price cut – down by £5,600

The VW Golf R Cabriolet (pictured) drops in price by £5,600 We’ve long wondered why Volkswagen hadn’t built a Golf R Cabriolet. But when they did finally bite the bullet and take the top of the Golf R for a production run, it was a bit of a let down. It was a let down because it seemed so cynical.