Volvo Pierburg Purge Valve 7.21980.02 on 2040-parts.com

Surprise Euro NCAP results released

THE BEST cars in class for safety have been announced by Euro NCAP - and there are some surprise results. Although not on sale in the UK yet, the Chinese-built Qoros 3 Sedan was the safest car tested by Euro NCAP all year. It is also the first car built in China to ever gain a five-star score in the tough crash tests of Euro NCAP.

Audi Q3 price and specifications revealed for the UK

Audi Q3 starts bat £24,560 Audi’s baby Q – the Audi Q3 – has been a long time coming, but with UK orders opening up next month (June 2011) Audi has revealed prices and specs for the Q3 in the UK. Starting point will be £24,560 for the 2.0 litre TDI SE (the boring-looking Audis no one buys) with manual ‘box, rising to £31,360 for the 2.0 litre TFSI Quattro S Line with 7-Speed S-Tronic ‘box. Four engines will be available at launch – well, two engines each with two different power outputs.

Mercedes-Benz backs Smart with ads, deals

Smart USA will launch a TV, print and digital marketing campaign by year end to jump-start the struggling microcar brand that Mercedes-Benz USA took over on July 1. "People are not avoiding the brand or the product, but there is a great majority of people who are not aware of the brand," said Tracey Matura, the new general manager of Smart USA. Mercedes is also offering lease and finance deals for the Smart brand through its Mercedes-Benz Financial Services captive finance arm.