2" Custom Snow Plow Drop Kit, Western, Ultra Mount, Drop Receiver, 4x4 Unpainted on 2040-parts.com

Driven: Range Rover Evoque

As Sam Livingstone opines in his review of the latest Porsche 911, we are in a period of car design consolidation, with the new 911 the ultimate expression of a slightly suffocating trend. Yet every so often, a vehicle appears that breaks these rules and – through a combination of factors that can be difficult to quantify – captures the imagination, becoming a symbol of the times and an overnight market success. Such vehicles tend to emerge once a decade or so, yet the late 90s and early noughties were extraordinary for giving birth to three – the Ford Ka of '96, Audi TT of '98 and Mini of '01.

Tokyo motor shows: past, present and future

By Tim Pollard Motor Shows 20 August 2009 09:30 As bets in this topsy-turvy, unpredictable industry go, it’s a banker: of all the motor shows on the global calendar, the Tokyo exhibit is always the barmiest. Although the Chinese shows are rising in importance – and amusement value –  there’s something peculiarly bonkers about the biannual Japanese bash held in downtown Tokyo. So strange is the exhibition at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba City to westerners, that you don’t bat an eyelid at talking cars, vehicles with feelings, or cars designed for dogs.

The anti-drink-drive car

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 03 August 2007 02:25 Nissan today unveiled its answer to drink-driving: the car that monitors the driver's alcohol level before every journey and stops you if you're about to break the law. Boffins at the Japanese firm have equipped a domestic market Fuga with monitoring equipment that can spot if a driver has been boozing. It's so sophisticated, engineers claim it can differentiate between perfume (which often contains alcohol) and tell if it's the driver or the passengers that have been drinking.