17" Jeep Wrangler Alloy Rims on 2040-parts.com

2013 Nissan LEAF updated

Nissan has updated the LEAF EV in Japan for 2013 with better range, less weight and a new LEAF S entry-level model. Revealed in Japan – but likely to come to the UK from 2013 when the LEAF starts rolling out of Nissan’s Sunderland factory – there are significant upgrades to the powertrain which result in both less weight and better range. Nissan has had a play with the electric powertrain and made it both smaller and lighter with a new motor that uses 40 per cent less dysprosium (a rare earth metal) than before, and comes in 30 per cent smaller and 10 per cent lighter, and a new streamline battery case and a few other tweaks drops the LEAF’s weight by 80kg.

Women’s World Car of the Year 2011: Citroen DS3 & BMW 5-Series

Women's World Car of the Year (WWCOTY) 2011 - DS3 & 5 Series tie We’ll decline to question too much what the response would be if a panel of male motoring writers voted for a ‘Man’s World Car of the Year Award’. Although we’d speculate that most women would consider that every other car awards is exactly that. But just as we did in 2009, we find the 2011 Women’s World Car of the Year Award winners to be in accord with what any panel of knowledgeable car bods would vote for, with the wonderful Citroen DS3 and the exceptional BMW 5-Series tying as winners.

Renault Clio Expression Eco: A perfect commuter car

Renault Clio Expression Eco - makes any electric car seem profligate We hear so much about how electric cars make the perfect commuter car. They can manage to do a fifty or sixty mile round trip a day, don’t need a tax disc and – for those going in to London every day – there’s no congestion charge to pay. There’s also the negligible cost of electricity to charge the car (for now, at least) and the zero emissions at the point of use.