News

The Ford Focus Electric has just gone on sale in the UK. Priced from £33,500 (£28,500 with the Government Plug-in Car Grant) the car is powered by an electric motor and lithium-ion battery which produce 142PS. The car can reach a top speed of 85mph and has a driving range of 100 miles. It can charge at home on a standard 13 amp, three-pin plug in 10 to 11 hours, though a fast charge station can reduce this charge time to under four hours. It’s not Ford’s first electric car though; an electrified version of the Model T was built 100 years ago.

This is the BMW X5 eDrive concept, the hybrid version of its popular X5 SUV. The car promises an electric-only speed of 75mph and a maximum range of 19 miles on electric power alone. It has a potential fuel economy of 74.3mpg with CO2 emissions under 90g/km. The powertrain consists of a four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo engine with a 70kW/95hp electric motor. There is a choice of three driving modes, hybrid drive, pure electric drive and Safe Battery mode. The car is officially just a concept but it is almost certain to go into production as rival companies are building hybrid X5-rivalling models.

Honda has revealed its Civic Tourer model at the Frankfurt motor show. Honda claims the car is bigger inside than many large family cars from the D segment above it. Its flat low-loading boot has 624 litres of luggage space. The ‘magic seats’ fold into the floor or flip up like a cinema seats to allow easy storage of tall objects. It will be sold with two engines a 1.8-litre i-VTEC petrol engine and a 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine. An optional adaptive damping system at the rear axle enables the driver to adjust the Civic Tourer’s ride and handling even when loaded with heavy cargo.

Audi has shown the spiritual successor to the legendary eighties Sport Quattro at Frankfurt. The short wheelbase coupe is made from aluminium and carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) and is powered by a 552bhp V8 engine combined with a 110kW, 148bhp electric motor. Total powertrain output is 690bhp which makes it the most powerful Audi ever. Performance figures are impressive: 0-62mph can be reached in just 3.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 189mph. Audi claim 113mpg and CO2 emissions of 59g/km is achievable. Obviously, the car has Audi’s quattro permanent all-wheel drive system and it looks to be a genuine production possibility.

Smart has revealed a four-door version of its Fortwo car at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Called the Fourjoy the concept car gives a clear idea of what the forthcoming compact four seater Forfour Smart will look like. The concept has no doors, no rear window and an open roof and a futuristic lounge-style interior and is powered by a 55kW electric motor. The car has familiar Smart design cues including tail lights integrated in the sturdy tridion cell and a spherical instrument cluster. The four-seater production version will launch at the end of 2014. Expect it to have doors and glazing.

Drivers are wasting up to £1.3 billion a year because they don’t have the correct change for pay and display car parking machines, according to the results of research by Direct Line car insurance. The average driver overpays by £2.19 on pay and display machines every week to avoid potential parking fines. The research shows Londoners are paying for the most unused parking time, at an average 60 minutes a week.

“We are calling for more car parks to have payment on departure machines so that motorists only have to pay for the time they have used,” says Rob Miles, head of Motor at Direct Line.

Ford is taking the unusual step of marketing its new EcoSport small SUV using Facebook. Only 500 of the first limited edition models will be sold in Europe and UK customers can reserve one of 120 of them via the social media network. The car has a special equipment pack that includes Ford’s SYNC AppLink technology – which enables voice control of smartphone apps and 12 months of unlimited audio book downloads direct to the car – 17-inch alloy wheels and leather trim. The car costs from £16,995 and there is a choice of engines a 125PS 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine or a 91PS 1.5-litre diesel engine.

Lexus is getting into the mid-size crossover market. It’s LF-NX concept has debuted at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show. Powered by a hybrid powertrain the SUV certainly has unusual looks. With highly sculpted styling the front of the car is dominated by a spindle grille and has independent daytime running lights. On the side the car has a coupe-like shape and muscular wheel arches. It’s meant to look as if it has been carved from a single piece of solid metal. Inside the cabin has a ‘human oriented’ driver’s cockpit and a carved metal look.

At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Opel/Vauxhall will be revealing its new Monza Concept. The one-off model is based on an evolution of the electric Ampera’s powertrain and gives some idea of where the design of future Vauxhall cars is heading. It has an electric motor and a little 1.0-litre petrol engine that works as a range extender should you run out of juice. Expect a host of futuristic gadgetry inside including LED projection technology for the instrumentation and infotainment displays. Its looks are unusual and futuristic too. The car has a sporty front end, gullwing doors and a long protruding rear end.

Japanese motorists who want more from their car-buying experience than a cup of free filter coffee are in for a treat with Lexus’ new Intersect brand experience centre in Tokyo. It’s no ordinary car showroom that’s for sure. Instead it’s a place to hang out and live the Lexus lifestyle.  Inside the centre ‘celebrates’ design, art, fashion, culture, film, music and technology. The centre includes a boutique selling luxury goods, a café selling posh coffee, a library lounge where the latest Japanese cuisine is served, as well as a showroom, in case you do decide to buy a car.