Vista Pro Automotive 433184 Radiator on 2040-parts.com

Fuel prices 'still number one concern'

FUEL DUTY freezes have done nothing to stop the public worrying about the price of filling up their cars, according to research from British Car Auctions. More than 70% of the 400-person sample cited fuel prices as the number one concern when it comes to motoring costs, despite reports from the AA that pump prices have actually fallen over the last year. Second place in the survey was taken by the cost of road tax, which reflects that the survey was taken among used car buyers.

Volvo XC60 R-design – more detail

Volvo has released more details of the XC60 R-Design Although the XC60 R-Design doesn’t get any sort of power boost, it does get some tweaks to the setup to provide a more sporty drive. Volvo has stiffened up the chassis and added more damping, and tweaked the steering ratios to give a quicker response.  But Volvo reckons this has virtually  no impact on ride quality (which begs the question ‘Why didn’t they do it to start with if there’s no trade-off’) and sensibly they have not gone down the lowered suspension route, so the XC60 still has good ground clearance. Volvo has added a rear seat entertainment package option to the XC60 On the cosmetic front, the R-Design gets body coloured lower section, matt silk metallic finish for the trim and chrome tailpipes.

Chrysler's main creditors reach deal with U.S.; others hold out

The U.S. Treasury Department has reached a tentative debt-reduction agreement with Chrysler's main creditors but still must get other lenders to sign on for the deal to take effect, three people with knowledge of the talks said today. The accord with JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley would reduce Chrysler's $6.9 billion debt to $2 billion, which would be repaid by Chrysler in cash, they said.