Yamaha F40 Cowl on 2040-parts.com

Buy a Renault Laguna – get a free Renault Twizy EV

Renault in Spain is offering buyers of the Laguna or Espace a free Twizy EV as new car sales plummet in Spain. Renault has solved the problem of slow selling cars in the UK by simply no longer offering them. Which means the UK no longer gets the Wind Roadster, the Espace, the Modus, the Kangoo and even  the Laguna. But in Spain it’s different, so Renault dealers on the Iberian Peninsula are stuck with having to sell big mainstream cars no one actually wants, plus they have Renault’s obsession with producing daft EVs to contend with too.

New V12 engine set to power baby Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce said Monday that the upcoming production version of the 200EX concept car revealed at the Geneva motor show earlier this month will be powered by turbocharged 6.6-liter V12 engine. Part of a new family of gasoline engines developed by parent company BMW--among which is the turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 used in the 7-series--the new four-valve-per-cylinder engine receives the latest in direct-injection technology and is claimed to produce in excess of 500 hp. With the smaller V8 developing 442 lb-ft of torque in the range-topping BMW, the new V12 destined for the price-leading Rolls-Royce is expected to be in the vicinity of 553 lb-ft--something that should ensure what the British carmaker likes to refer to as traditional waftability--in other words, relaxed cruising.

It’s the Skoda Citigo, Skoda’s take on the VW Up!

Skoda Citigo If the latest addition to the Skoda range – the Skoda Citigo – looks familiar, that’s because it’s the Czech maker’s take on Volkswagen’s own city car, the VW Up! It gets a daft name too, but at least it doesn’t get the exclamation at the end. Sensibly, with a big chunk of the world falling in love with little cars designed for use in our congested cities (and about time too), Skoda has chosen to jump on the bandwagon quickly with its Citigo, with the baby Skoda arriving on its home turf – the Czech Republic – this year and the rest of Europe by Summer 2012.