Vibrant 10302 on 2040-parts.com

Alfa Romeo 4C arrives stateside in New York

Not long after the last transport departed New York Harbor with a cargo of unsold 164s, an Alfa Romeo executive was probably quoted as saying, "we will return next year!" We have been eagerly anticipating the return of Alfa Romeo for the last 19 years, long enough for the last Milano to rust whence it came, every year the brand just another year away! Well, this year -- yes, this year, finally, no really -- the Alfa Romeo 4C heralds the brand's reintroduction to America -- just as it did last year, remember -- as early as this summer. You'll have to forgive us for such skepticism -- we've been burned by our desire to invoke Italian driving passion and all that, but it's also hurting the Fiat dealers who scrape by on a lack of product.

Volkswagen to crank up U.S. Passat production

Volkswagen of America is prepared to expand production of the U.S. Passat less than four months after building its first one. The automaker is looking for a sign from the market to boost production at its just-opened plant in Chattanooga, Tenn.

UK commuters spend 10 days a year in traffic

We’re now wasting more time stuck in traffic than ever before, as last year the average car journey took 27% longer than it would have done if the road was clear. That’s a rise of 1% compared to 2012, while the report by TomTom also found that 10 of the UK’s biggest cities now have more congestion than they did 12 months ago. Europe’s top 10 most congested cities Fewer people commuting but distances on the up London, Brighton, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham, Portsmouth, Cardiff, Belfast and Southampton have all seen traffic levels increase, while Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Glasgow failed to improve.