Gmc Sierra Yukon 17inch Factory Wheel Original Oem Rim 2003 04 05 06 07 08 09 on 2040-parts.com

This week in 1963: N

Safety is a priority for drivers, teams and courses. Over the past century automobile safety has been slowly evolving (or rapidly evolving, if Ralph Nader has had anything to say about it). Needless to say, it is unusual for a safety feature that performed its function to make news.

Volkswagen e-Golf goes on sale – price from £30,845

The Volkswagen e-Golf (pictured) is now on sale in the UK The Nissan LEAF has almost had the market place for proper family EVs to itself until recently, but the arrival of the impressive BMW i3 -especially when specced with a range extending motor – threatens to make a dent in LEAF sales, and another dent could come courtesy of the new Volkswagen e-Golf, which goes on sale today in the UK priced from £30,845 (£25,845 after taxpayer bribe). In most of the ways that matters, the e-Golf is a regular Golf MK 7, but lurking under the familiar exterior lies a thumping great bank of batteries weighing 318kg (about the same as a car full of passengers) and an electric motor driving the front wheels and good for 113bhp. Range for the e-Golf is up to 118 miles from a full charge, a charge that will take 13 hours from a regular 3-pin socket, a more acceptable 8 hours if you use the optional 3.6 kW wallbox you can spec (for free from British Gas) and a quick charge of up to 80 per cent in 35 minutes.

Honda S660 Concept revealed – the Honda Beat returns

The Honda S660 Concept (pictured) will debut at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show It looks like Honda is making a return to the Kei car with the arrival of the Honda S660 Concept ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show next month. The Kei class of car in Japan is small (less than 3.4 metres long) and comes with a raft of tax breaks for buyers, but despite it being designed just for Japan it’s gained a cult following round the world, and now the Honda Beat for the 21st century has arrived in the form of the S660 concept. The S660 Concept – it gets the required maximum 660cc Kei engine limit – is a mid-engined open top roadster that manages to deliver 64bhp from its 3-cylinder engine which, with a weight under 900kg, should be reasonably lively.