New 1.0-litre turbo for Vauxhall Adam

A frugal new 1.0-litre SIDI three-cylinder turbo petrol engine will go on sale in the Vauxhall Adam city car in 2014, following its debut at next month’s 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. The new low-emissions unit – a rival to Ford’s 1.0 Ecoboost engine in the Fiesta and Focus – will deliver “impressive fuel economy and CO2 emissions significantly lower than 100g/km”, according to Vauxhall. On Bing: see pictures of the Vauxhall Adam Find out how much a used Vauxhall Adam costs on Auto Trader The current Adam range is powered by 1.2- and 1.4-litre petrols.

Continental rolls to Which? best buy awards

CONTINENTAL’S ContiWinterContact TS 850 cold-weather tyre has been awarded a Which? Best Buy award in two sizes. The 225/45 R17H and 185/60 R15T, used on cars like the Audi A3 and Renault Clio respectively, both won plaudits for offering increased grip and stability on dry, wet, snowy and icy roads.

McLaren launches Special Operations unit for customers' custom requests

British sports-car maker McLaren has launched its Special Operations unit, which will help the company's well-heeled buyers customize their cars. McLaren previewed some handiwork from the new division at this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, with a custom example of the MP4-12C. The customized sports car had a variety of carbon-fiber trim upgrades and special treatment such as unique orange paintwork, a gloss-black roof, diamond-cut-finish wheels with gloss-back inners, 12C-branded carbon sill panels, a carbon steering wheel and carbon-fiber cover vents for the engine.