C-map M-na-b309.06 - Long Island Sound - Checked Good on 2040-parts.com

Chevrolet Volt concept

By Ben Oliver Motor Shows 07 January 2007 03:24 Don't tell me – it's another me-too green car concept that's too expensive and complex to ever be made… Not quite. For a start it's an entirely new concept, and important enough to be General Motor's biggest news from the Detroit show. An electric motor drives the front wheels.

Toyota Auris Touring Sports: Price from £15,595

The new Toyota Auris Touring Sports – the Auris Estate – will start from £15,595 for the Active 1.33-litre Dual VVT-i rising to £22,845 for the Excel Hybrid. The new Auris Estate will start at £15,595 for the Active 1.33-litre Dual VVT-i and top out at £22,845 for the Excel 1.8 Hybrid Synergy Drive with CVT box, and in between will be two other engine choices - 1.4 D-4D and 1.6 Valvematic – and a total of four trim levels – Active, Icon, Sport and Excel. The trim levels mirror those on the Auris hatch, so the Active trim gets Climate, Hill Start, roof rails and 15″ steel wheels, with the Icon trim adding 16″ alloys, Fogs, Touchscreen Infotainment with Bluetooth, DAB and rear view camera.

Ken Block signs for Ford and the WRC

Ken Block – who became a YouTube sensation with his gymkhana stunt series ¬– has ended months of speculation by confirming he’ll compete in the 2010 World Rally Championship – switching his Subaru Impreza for a Ford Focus, while he'll also rally a Fiesta in the US. The Monster energy drink-backed deal will form a key part of Ford’s plan to market its hatches in America, and follows last year’s Pikes Peak Fiesta. It’s a tentative start for Block, who’ll be competing in select rounds of the WRC championship – Mexico is believed to be the first – to hone his skills.