Volkswagen Oem 038103085e Engine Crankshaft Seal/seal, Crankshaft on 2040-parts.com

Volkswagen e-Golf goes on sale – price from £30,845

The Volkswagen e-Golf (pictured) is now on sale in the UK The Nissan LEAF has almost had the market place for proper family EVs to itself until recently, but the arrival of the impressive BMW i3 -especially when specced with a range extending motor – threatens to make a dent in LEAF sales, and another dent could come courtesy of the new Volkswagen e-Golf, which goes on sale today in the UK priced from £30,845 (£25,845 after taxpayer bribe). In most of the ways that matters, the e-Golf is a regular Golf MK 7, but lurking under the familiar exterior lies a thumping great bank of batteries weighing 318kg (about the same as a car full of passengers) and an electric motor driving the front wheels and good for 113bhp. Range for the e-Golf is up to 118 miles from a full charge, a charge that will take 13 hours from a regular 3-pin socket, a more acceptable 8 hours if you use the optional 3.6 kW wallbox you can spec (for free from British Gas) and a quick charge of up to 80 per cent in 35 minutes.

CCS students design tomorrow's headlights

The College of Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit teamed up with Visteon and Osram to give 18 CCS seniors an opportunity to create new automotive lighting designs using the latest technology. CCS has been partnering with Visteon since 2002 and with Osram since 2010. The trio gave students a chance at hands-on design experience under the guidance of designers and engineers from Visteon and Osram as a class during the 2011 fall semester.

GM wants to wrap up Opel sale quickly

General Motors is anxious to wrap up the sale of Opel, a top executive said Tuesday. The bidding has been narrowed to Canadian auto parts conglomerate Magna--which is favored by the German government--and Belgian investors RHJ International. "I think everyone is anxious to get this thing done," GM CFO Ray Young said, according to Automotive News.