Toyota Caldina 1999 Left Side Step [5213800] on 2040-parts.com

What scrappage incentives are doing to the European market

Scrappage incentive By Glenn Brooks Motor Industry 21 May 2009 10:15 Remember the old shape Skoda Octavia? We might not be able to buy it in Blighty but it’s roaring up the sales charts in Germany thanks to scrappage incentives on offer there. All across Europe, cash-for-clunkers schemes are turning markets upside down, with the brands that offer the most car for the money the biggest winners.

Porsche 918 Spyder laps Nurburgring in under 7 minutes

The Porsche 918 Spyder (pictured) laps the Nurburgring in under 7 minutes When the McLaren P1 was first revealed, Ron Dennis told us it would lap the Nurburgring in under 7 minutes. But it seems the best the McLaren P1 has managed so far is a 7:04, so it’s no surprise McLaren hasn’t officially declared its time as they probably knew it wasn’t enough, but also knew that Porsche has managed to take the new 918 Spyder round the ‘Ring in just 6:57s. That 6:57 by the Porsche 918 Spyder isn’t quite as quick as the Radical, but as the Radical has only single type approval, Porsche are justifiably claiming the 918 Spyder’s time as the quickest by a proper production car, beating the previous record of 7:11s set by the Gumpert Apollo.

2014 Dodge Journey SE gets a V6 and all-wheel drive

Chrysler is upgrading the 2014 Dodge Journey SE by giving it all-wheel-drive capability and a V6 engine under the hood. The SE will start out at $25,890 including destination, which is $1,800 cheaper than the more highly equipped SXT model. Dodge's seven-passenger Journey comes with features like 17-inch wheels, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, seven airbags, 4.3-inch touchscreen, Keyless push-button start and power-heated mirrors.