Transducer Shield & Saver on 2040-parts.com

Official photos of the new 2012 Volvo V40 leak out

The new Volvo V40 arrives The new Volvo V40 – dues to debut at the Geneva Motor Show – has leaked ouy early from a Polish Facebook page. We has what looked like the first photo of the new Volvo V40 a week or so ago, but we now have what is undoubtedly the first official photo of the 2012 V40 ahead of its debut at Geneva in a couple of weeks. Looking a bit like a cross between the C30 and the V60, the V40 is a good looking car.

CAR scoop: BMW and Toyota's joint sports car plot

BMW is buddying up with Toyota on an all-new sports car platform, set to underpin the replacements for the Z4, 6-series and GT86. The unlikely collaboration stems from an alliance that began in 2011, where BMW and Toyota agreed to co-develop next-generation lithium ion batteries, and for Toyota to use BMW’s fourpot diesels in its European cars. An engineering team is beavering away on the project, with the clock ticking: the suits want to outline the car’s specification before the end of 2013. What does BMW get out of the bargain?

'Transport poverty' rising - RAC

THE LEAST WELL-OFF families are slipping further into "transport poverty", according to an RAC Foundation survey. The poorest car-owning households spent at least 31% of their disposable incomes on buying and running a vehicle in 2012, the foundation said, up from 27% the year before. The figures, based on data obtained from the Office for National Statistics, showed that in 2012 the poorest families had a maximum weekly expenditure of £167, of which £51.40 went on a car.