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BMW ActiveHybrid 5: BMW has another crack at Hybrid

BMW ActiveHybrid 5 - arrives in the UK February 2012 BMW’s Hybrid efforts to date haven’t been exactly an unmitigated success, with the BMW ActiveHybrid X6 not even making it to the UK before it was dropped. But now they’re having another crack at eco-cars with the BMW ActiveHybrid 5, a hybrid version of the latest 5-Series. The ActiveHybrid 5 gets a 302bhp twin-turbo six-cylinder in-line petrol – a good start – and throws in to the mix a 53bhp electric motor.

Honda Civic Type R Mugen 2.2 revealed. But why bother?

Honda Civic Type R Mugen 2.2 - will it sell? When Honda finally confirmed the Civic Type R Mugen for very limited production – just 20 were being made – back in 2009, we did comment that the price - £38,599 and a £12k premium over the stock Type R – did not auger well for sales. In the event Honda has only managed to shift sixteen of the original Type R Mugen, but despite that sales failure they have decided to punt out a more powerful – and inevitably more expensive – version of the Type R with a bored and stroke 2.2 litre version of the original 2.0 litre in the Type R – the Honda Civic Type R Mugen 2.2.

First sight: Volkswagen Passat (2015)

In recent years, European buyers have been switching their mid-size sedans and wagons for smaller cars, crossovers and SUVs. The Volkswagen Passat, Europe's most successful company car, has defined this market segment pretty much since it arrived back in 1973, and this latest, eighth-generation model has been designed to attempt to reverse that buying trend. When we catch up with design director Dr Klaus Bischoff at the car's unveiling, he's certainly confident that the new car represents a significant step forward.