BMW ActiveHybrid 3 (2012 / 2013): New 3 Series Hybrid details revealed

2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 3 - on sale late 2012 BMW hasn’t had the most astonishing success with its hybrid offerings to date, but despite that, and following the reveal of the 2012 3 Series last week, they have announced details of the 3 Series hybrid – the BMW ActiveHybrid 3. Just like the recently revealed ActiveHybrid 5, the BMW Active Hybrid 3 will get a 302bhp twin-turbo six-pot (the same engine as the 335i) together with an electric motor which throws an additional 53bhp in to the mix. That should mean a 0-60mph of around 5.5 seconds (although BMW has given us no performance figures) and it will give 44mpg, exactly the same as the bigger ActiveHybrid 5 – and not exactly spectacular.

Essex boost for car loving home buyers

An Essex council is to make garages and drives bigger on new homes For most of the last decade the UK Government has waged a war on the motorist. Endless speed cameras, which are in reality just tax-raising  machines and have little to do with road safety; never-ending fuel tax rises; congestion charging; spiralling parking charges; road-charging schemes and the only coppers you see have a speed gun so non-speeding untaxed and uninsured drivers never get caught -  pushing up costs for the rest of us. But one of the most stupid, head-in-the-sand policies was the idea that new houses should encourage people to forsake their cars by making garages too small and off-street parking almost non-existent.

One Lap of the Web: Cool cufflinks in your Crown Coupe

-- Want to be the coolest person at your next event "celebrating lifestyle and automotive achievement that will embody the realization of automotive aspiration"? (Note: this was part of a real invitation we received.) You can do no better than buying these cufflinks made from a Cosworth-powered Jaguar F1 car. The bolts were "used to retain the crank within the engine block," says Ledon Gifts in their Etsy store.