Taylor 1046 Clinching Ring Pliers on 2040-parts.com

Electric cars get a £500 million government cash boost – but will it get spent?

The new BMW i3 EV (pictured) will be subsidised until 2017. The subsidy of up to £5000 paid to buyers of electric cars has been with us for three years, but it hasn’t had much impact on EV sales and it did look like the government had decided to scrap it all together. But it looks like the coalition has allowed Nick Clegg to have his way with EV subsides in a move that will see £500 million injected in to promoting and supporting electric cars in the UK in the next few years.

BMW: The fastest Christmas song…in the world

BMW has enlisted the BMW M135i, DTM driver Martin Tomczyk and the Zurich Acapella Group to create the fastest Christmas song in the world. The BMW M135i may not be a ‘real’ BMW M car, but it’s still mighty swift. With its 3.0 litre straight six complete with Twin Scroll Turbo it delivers 315bhp and can get to 62mph (with the auto ‘box) in an impressive 4.9 seconds.

Hyundai Performance Brand by 2015

The next gen Hyundai i20 will be the first performance Hyundai One Hyundai had made the tricky transition from budget to credible, there were only two routes open for progress – luxury and performance. The luxury route still looks like it will happen in the UK, with the next generation Hyundai Genesis Coupe heading our way, but we can also look forward to some proper performance cars from Hyundai too. That has been confirmed by Hyundai’s WRC boss, Michel Nandan, who told Australia’s Drive that all the money Hyundai is spending on Motorsport – including a new testing facility at the Nurburgring – is not just for the glow it will cast on Hyundai’s everyday cars, but for a new performance brand too.