Jaguar Land Rover open in India

Jaguar and Land Rover are to open for business in India Well, I suppose it was always going to happen. After all, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), although still considered by most to be a traditional British car maker, is in fact owned by Indian Conglomerate Tata. And Tata has announced this morning that Jaguar Cars and Land Rovers are to go on sale in India.

London Congestion Charge: Buy 76-100g/km car NOW to get 3 years free of charge

Whether you think the London Congestion Charging Zone is a great way to clean up the air quality of the capital or just another way to tax motorists, you’re going to struggle even more to avoid it after the emission exemption levels are changed on 1st July so only cars emitting 75g/km CO2 or less will be exempt from the charge, Boris says the new lower level is necessary because car makers have worked their socks off to produce small diesel cars with the ability to hit the magic sub 100g/km emissions level in recent years, and that means London is suffering from air pollution as a result. The only answer, apparently, is to drop the limit to 75g/km or less to make those ‘dirty’ diesels pay their way. By reducing the limit to 75g/km you are effectively only allowing EVs and Plug-ins an exemption from congestion charging, thereby moving their emissions off to wherever the electricity they use is produced.

Toyota ME.WE Concept: It’s an egalitarian EV

Based on the electric running gear of the Toyota i-Road we saw at Geneva (but with a full set of wheels) Toyota and Massaud have created an urban vehicle that takes transport back to the basics; a 2CV for the 21st century, perhaps, or a grown up home-made kart seems to be where the ME.WE is at. The construction of the ME.WE comprises a tubular aluminium chassis and a pile of interchangeable polypropylene panels that can change the function of the ME.We from city car to convertible to pickup to 4×4 (thanks to electric motors on both axles) and is, by any definition, transport and not a car you’d have to make a statement. Inside is just as basic with a single dial for the instruments, flat surfaces made from bamboo (designers love a bit of bamboo), batteries for the electric motors under the floor and you have to store any luggage on the roof under a weatherproof cover.