Toyota Aristo 1997 A/c Switch Panel [5e60900] on 2040-parts.com

UK new car average CO2 now under 140g/km

UK motor industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) claims 56% of new cars sold in the UK during 2010 boasted carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions figures below 140g/km. New car emissions of CO2 continued to fall at an increased rate year-on-year, dropping 3.5% over 2009’s figures and representing a cumulative drop in new car CO2 emissions of 20.3% since 2000.  The data comes from the release of the SMMT’s annual New Car Carbon Dioxide (CO2) report for 2011, out today. UK vehicle fleet CO2 continues to fall The presence of lower-polluting new vehicles in the overall UK vehicle parc (the total fleet of new and existing vehicles on the roads) has driven parcwide CO2 levels down 7.8% since 2000, and 2.7% since 2009.  This is partly thanks to new vehicles, and also due to reduction of higher-polluting vehicles via legislation and scrappage incentive schemes. The overall reduction also comes in spite of an increased number of vehicles on the road, and greater average distances travelled compared to 2000. Diesel’s rise continues One notable trend has been market penetration of diesel-powered cars. In 2000 petrol powered cars held 85.9% of the market, with 14.1% diesels.

Jaguar XJ Sentinel (2010) first details

Jaguar has revealed details of a new armoured version of its luxury car – the XJ Sentinel. Following on from the sporty XJ75 Platinum concept unveiled earlier this week, the Sentinel is a very different kind of XJ, tailored as it is to the likes of security organisations and governments. Or, let's face it, downright dodgy types likely to have a price on their head.

Infiniti M35 Hybrid revealed

The Infiniti M35 Hybrid - due to launch in 2011 The M35 Hybrid is based on the Infiniti M which was revealed recently at Pebble Beach. It will feature a 3.5 litre V6 petrol engine coupled to an electric motor by a clutch, which means the drive goes through the propshaft to the rear wheels whatever mix of power source is being used. The M35 Hybrid is a mild hybrid, with the electric motor being used to boost the petrol engine when maximum power is called for, as well as charging the battery and recovering energy that would otherwise be lost under braking and acceleration.