Mercury 200hp Outboard Top Cowling P.n. 827329 on 2040-parts.com

Volkswagen Golf GTE Plug-in Hybrid UK debut

The VW Golf GTE (pictured) gets its UK debut at the NEX next week The Volkswagen Golf GTE – which VW see as a plug-in hybrid Golf GTI – was revealed in February ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show last month and is now heading for the Gadget Show Live at the NEC next week for its UK debut. With a 1.4 litre TSI petrol turbo producing 148bhp and a 101 bhp electric motor, the Golf GTE promises decent performance – 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds – daft official economy figures of 188 mpg and the ability to run on electric power only for up to 31 miles. It’s an appealing combination for a Golf that can offer city running benefits with a turn of decent performance when the mood takes, although at a price likely to be north of £30k it’s not exactly a budget buy.

German Grand Prix 2012: Alonso on pole for Ferrari

Fernando Alonso put his Ferrari on pole in Hockenheim for the 2012 German Grand Prix, with McLaren trailing far behind. It’s not just the UK that offers F1 a wet experience, the 2012 German Grand Prix in Hockenheim did a very good impression of the British weather for today’s qualifying. Star of the show – once more – was Fernando Alonso who put his Ferrari on pole position for the second time in a row, comfortably beating second place Sebastian Vettel who was half a second slower, just in front of team mate Mark Webber.

Spyker Cars to change name, shift focus

Spyker Cars is changing its name to Swedish Automobile N.V., and its new Chinese partner, Pang Da, is waiting for authorities to approve the investment in Spyker and Saab. Known for more than a decade as a producer of exclusive muscle cars, Spyker sold off its sports-car business in February to focus on Saab. The company bought the Swedish automaker a year ago when General Motors was on the verge of shutting Saab down.