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McLaren: The dealer network takes shape

The McLaren dealer network is starting to take shape Most of what we’ve written about McLaren in the last month or two hasn’t been about the new McLaren – the McLaren MP4 12C – but about McLaren’s venerable hypercar the McLaren F1. Firts we had Ron Dennis telling anyone who’d listen – quite rightly – that the showdown Top Gear staged between the Mac and the Bug had to be re-run repeatedly until the Bug actually won, but Ron being Ron had to go a step further and proclaim the Veyron a ‘Piece of Junk’. But it made his point.

Scotland to ban petrol and diesel cars by 2050?

The Scottish government is aiming to ban all petrol and diesel cars from towns, cities and other communities by 2050. This is according to a new “Switched On Scotland” document, intended to serve as a ‘roadmap’ towards the future that encourages businesses and private motorists to swap to electric vehicles (EVs). On Bing: see pictures of electric vehicles Find out how much a used electric vehicle costs on Auto Trader The government will put its money where it’s mouth is here, by spending over £14 million in the next two years to purchase EVs in replacement of its current petrol and diesel fleet, and installing charging points at major buildings.

Toyota to close Australian design studio

Toyota designers at its Technical Center Asia Pacific Australia (TTCAP-AU) are to lose their jobs as part of Toyota's decision to scale back the facility's activities as well as halting all manufacturing within the country by 2017. The TTCAP-AU, which carries out all its Australian design and evaluation operations, employs 150 designers and modelers and it's possible that its activities with the Camry, Camry Hybrid and Aurion models could be scrapped, raising doubts over its future. Around 2,500 employees at Toyota's Altona manufacturing plant are expected to lose their jobs, although the effects are likely to be wider ranging.