McLaren MP4-12C Spider

PARIS WAS stolen by the Brits in 2012. The home team might have been out in force but it was McLaren’s P1, the first glimpse of its flagship supercar, that drew the biggest motorshow crowds. But there was another new car sharing the stand – the MP4-12C Spider. An obvious second act to follow the Coupe version, the Spider swooped in with the promise of the same blockbusting performance and handling but added fresh air.

But the Spider doesn’t have any of the compromises you normally get when switching from coupe to drop-top.

Honda Insight

HONDA was an early player in the hybrid car scene, with its Insight making its debut in Japan late last century. A few of those cars have even been imported to the UK.

These days much has changed and the technological advances have been impressive, but the basic premise of the Insight’s hybrid drivetrain has stayed the same.

Honda CR-V

IT’S SOMETHING of a paradox that making something look effortless actually requires rather a lot of effort. Like the greatest sports stars, actors or leaders, they make it look easy and kid us all into thinking we could do that ourselves, no bother. In the motoring world Honda has made this something of a speciality: its cars tend to be very easy on the driver, demanding little in the way of effort to drive, to own and to maintain.

The CR-V is the best example of this too. The first generation version appeared in 1995 and was arguably the first ‘crossover’, combining as it did the comfort and ease of use of a regular hatchback with the ride height, visual toughness and driving position of an SUV – essentially the key ingredients from both sectors that most buyers really want.

First Drive: Range Rover

CAST your mind back to 2002 and the introduction of what has become a long-lived, high-tech luxury SUV to rival not just other 4x4s but also offerings from the luxury saloon market: the third-generation Range Rover. A decade later and there's a new one promising to raise the premium 4x4 to new heights.

London minicab firm to trial 50 electric cars

A LONDON-BASED minicab firm is aiming to be the first of the city’s taxi companies to use an entirely electric fleet, after signing a memorandum of understanding with Chinese car maker BYD.

Greentomatocars is to take delivery of 50 fully-electric BYD e6 models to trial in the capital from the second quarter of 2013. The five-seat crossover car is claimed to have substantial legroom and luggage space, while its BYD-made iron phosphate battery is claimed to offer a range of up to 186 miles on a single charge in urban conditions.
The battery is also said to last more than 4,000 charge and discharge cycles, giving it genuine appeal as a long-term inner-city minicab if the claims prove accurate. At present BYD is China's fastest-growing electric car manufacturer.
Jonny Goldstone, managing director of greentomatocars said: “We are very pleased to be working with BYD on this project.

Drink-drive figures "remaining constant"

EFFORTS to persuade motorists not to drink and drive appear to be failing, according to a survey.

Last year, 6% of drivers admitted to driving after having an alcoholic drink, with 6% owning up to driving in the morning after drinking the night before.
A 2012 survey by Sainsbury's Car Insurance, compiled through interviews with 1,600 British drivers, has shown that these figures have not changed. Also unchanged, at 18%, is the number of people who continue driving when feeling tired.
However, the driver-behaviour survey did show that the number of people admitting to exceeding the speed limit by at least 10mph had fallen from 19% in 2011 to 17% in 2012.
Also, while 6% admitted using hand-held phones at the wheel in last year's survey, only 5% owned up to this offence this year.

Heathrow to trial electric vehicles

HEATHROW Airport is to host multiple electric vehicle (EV) trials in an attempt to lower its carbon emissions.

Contractors working at the two-runway site close to the junction between the M25 and the M4 will trial the Nissan Leaf, Peugeot iOn, Vauxhall Ampera and the Renault Kangoo Z.E. for various everyday roles.
British Airways, LSG SkyChefs and Gate Gourmet will be using the electric vehicles within their normal fleet to “better understand the suitability or otherwise” of EVs for their operations, according to a press release from STS, the company that manages the Heathrow Clean Vehicles Partnership (CVP) and will coordinate the new trials.

Transit - Best seller for 25 years

THE FORD Transit used to be white van man's transport of choice and has been the best-selling van in the UK for over a quarter of a century.

The Transit has been built in Southampton since 1972, although parts were produced there from 1953 for assembly in Langley in Berkshire.
Around 2.2 million Transits have been made in Southampton since 1972, although production slumped from 66,000 in 2008 to 28,000 last year after the plant moved to single shift operation.

'Diddy' Combs hurt in crash

SEAN "Diddy" Combs was hurt when the car he was travelling in was hit by another vehicle in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The hip-hop and fashion mogul complained of pain but was not taken to hospital.
Lt Lincoln Hoshino of Beverly Hills police said Combs was a passenger in a Cadillac Escalade SUV on Sunset Boulevard yesterday when a Lexus saloon turned left in front of it and the vehicles collided.
Combs said he would seek his own medical attention, Lt Hoshino said. No-one from either vehicle needed hospital treatment.
A phone message left for Combs' publicist was not immediately returned and Combs made no mention of the crash on his often-updated Twitter account.
Photos posted on celebrity website TMZ showed the Escalade's bump.

Lexus LS withheld

THE NEW Lexus LS has been seen up close for the first time in the UK with a secret hands-on demonstration of the car’s new technology in central London.

Features new to the LS, like Drive Select and the latest Lexus family styling are joined by genuinely exquisite features like seats fit for a Sultan and, on certain models, a wooden steering wheel so fine it takes more than five weeks to make.

This minor model update – albeit including 3,000 changes according to Lexus – has a deeper ‘spindle’ front grille and new, solid-strip daytime running lights to better define the front end and increase road presence.
Arguably the main change is in ethos, with certain new features serving no practical purpose whatsoever. Previous versions were shy towards such fripperies but the latest model has embraced the times.

Most unprepared for winter weathe

FEW DRIVERS are well prepared for bad weather this winter, with women the least ready, according to an AA survey.

By age, it is the youngest motorists who are most likely to be caught out by snowy or icy conditions, the poll of 20,073 AA members revealed.
Overall, 75% of drivers are little or not prepared for inclement weather this winter, with 80% of women leaving it to chance when venturing out.
Although 50% of 18 to 34-year-olds reckon a bad winter is likely, as many as 88% of them are ill-prepared to deal with it.

Slow sales online discounts

HUGE discounts are being made available on brand new cars to maintain sales as the end-of-year period squeezes budgets across the country.

Statistics show the late autumn and winter months are the worst for car sales, with companies pulling out all the stops to seal a deal.
Car comparison website Recombu Cars has negotiated discounts of over 20% on a variety of cars suitable for a wide range of bargain hunters, with over £5,000 off some models.
Currently the website is offering the 2.0-litre diesel Ford Kuga in low-CO2 front-wheel-drive guise with a massive 23.5% off, reducing the excellent all-rounder from £21,900 to £16,750.

Ford job losses mark end of an era

CAR GIANT Ford has signalled the end of an era by announcing the closure of its last remaining UK vehicle production factory, and another site, with the loss of 1,400 jobs.

Union officials accused the US company of "betrayal" and said the job losses in Southampton and Dagenham in Essex were "devastating".
Production of Transit vans will end in Southampton next summer, with the loss of over 500 jobs, with the remainder being cut through the closure of a tooling plant in Dagenham.
Transit production will switch next year to Turkey, where Ford said costs were "significantly lower" than anywhere in Europe, even after delivery charges.

Cuts "risk worsening road quality"

REDUCED government funding for local authorities risks worsening the quality of roads, a Whitehall-spending watchdog said today.

Department for Transport (DfT) funding to local authorities has remained stable following the 2010 Government spending review and autumn statement, a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) said.
The report went on: "However, there is a 28% real-terms fall in grants from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) over the spending review period (up to 2014/15)."
The NAO said local authorities had a range of statutory duties which reduced their unrestricted spending.
The report went on: "In transport, this includes payments to bus operators to reimburse them for statutory concessionary fares, a cost largely beyond the control of local authorities.
"This means that funding available for other areas of local government spend, including routine highways maintenance, is likely to fall."

Supermarket's cut petrol prices

MOTORISTS will benefit from lower supermarket petrol prices from today, but diesel prices will stay static.

First, Asda announced that it would be cutting up to 2p off a litre of petrol from this morning.
Then rival Sainsbury's announced a similar up-to-2p reduction which will also take effect from today. Tesco then said it would follow suit.
Asda customers will pay no more than 133.7p a litre for their petrol from today. Its diesel remains at 139.7p a litre.