Genuine Honda Tailgate Cabana P/n 08z04-scv-101 on 2040-parts.com

New car registrations at five-year high September 2013

New car registrations at five-year high September 2013 Despite the UK economy being in the doldrums for much of the past five years, new car registrations have recovered well ahead of the curve and still seem to be unstoppable. September saw new car registrations hit 403,136 – the highest figure for five and a half years – and the first time since 2008 new car registrations have broken the 400k barrier. We’ve covered the reasons before – pre-reg cars, dealer discounts and even PPI payouts – but car registrations are certainly continuing to give buoyancy to a recovery that’s still fragile.

Audi R8 GT (2010): first news of lightweight R8

Audi has shown the new R8 GT – a limited-edition model to sit atop the R8 supercar family. The GT is 100kg lighter, thanks to some body parts made from carbonfibre and its V10 engine is tuned up to Gallardo-nibbling spec. With 552bhp and 398lb ft, the R8 GT will be considerably faster than the standard R8 5.2 FSI V10.

Toyota begins testing wireless recharging for electric cars

Toyota has announced that it will begin actual verification testing of its new wireless battery charging system for electric vehicles, one which charges the battery of a plug-in hybrid or a pure-electric car by having the car park over it. Toyota's charging system uses magnetic-resonance technology, which operates by transmitting electricity by using the magnetic resonance resulting from changes in magnentic field intensity between a coil positioned under the car, and a receiving coil built into the underside of the vehicle. This system eliminates the need for physically plugging in an electric car or a hybrid to an actual plug, and also has the potential to solve the problem of multiple types of actual plugs.