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Volt, Leaf win top safety rating in crash test

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf electric cars won the highest safety ratings in crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, putting them in the top 57 percent of models tested so far this year. About 80 of 140 vehicles tested among 2011-2012 models have received the Institute's "top safety pick," the group's award for state-of-the-art crash protection that exceeds federal safety rules, Institute spokesman Russ Rader said. The Volt and Leaf received a "good" rating -- the highest of four rankings -- on each of four crash tests, said the Institute, which is funded by auto insurers including State Farm, All-State and Geico.

Newsflash: Magna 'agrees to buy GM Europe': latest news

Latest news: what Magna's deal means for GM Europe By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 29 May 2009 19:31 Canadian parts giant Magna this afternoon struck an agreement in principle to buy stricken GM's European arm, Opel and Vauxhall. The agreement has not yet been confirmed publicly and is still in the early phase, but brings to an end an uncomfortable round of talks in the past 48 hours which saw a spat between American negotiators and European politicians, and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne walking away from the table.Once sealed, the deal must first be approved by the German government, which is to provide interim funding to the new owners. However, Italian car maker Fiat isn't yet totally ruled out of the running, as Magna's chief exec earlier today intimated that he could be interested in cooperation.CAR Online will update with the latest developments as they happen.

New speed cameras planned for motorways

NEW SPEED CAMERAS painted grey and placed along large sections of the UK’s motorway could be introduced within two years. The Highways Agency is looking to increase the amount of ‘managed motorway’ on the network – sections where the overall speed of traffic is adjusted up and down to avoid traffic jams and to allow the use of hard-shoulder running. Currently sections of the M25 and M40 operate variable speed limits Under new plans however cameras will be placed on large sections of motorway designed to catch drivers exceeding the overall 70mph limit.