1930-36 Chevrolet Steering Wheel on 2040-parts.com

Hyundai ix20 and facelifted i10 (2010) first photos

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 14 September 2010 14:48 After the design sketches, now it's the real McCoy: the new Hyundai ix20 mini-MPV.No surprises for guessing it's the Hyundai equivalent of the Kia Venga. Engineered and designed in Europe, the ix20 is the second car – after the bigger ix35 crossover – to adopt the family's new 'fluidic sculpture' design look.The ix20 will be on UK sale from November 2010. No word yet on the powertrains on offer, but we'd expect similar 1.1 and 1.4 petrols and 1.4 diesel as the similarly engineered Venga.Anything else at Paris 2010?

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.

CLASSIC CARS EASY PREY FOR THIEVES

CLASSIC cars will always have an appeal for those willing to forego today’s modern extras like power-steering and air conditioning for the thrill of owning and driving a timeless machine. However, Tracker, the UK’s leading stolen vehicle recovery company, is warning that it is not just creature comforts these valuable cars are missing, but important modern security features which make them an easy target for thieves. Stuart Chapman, head of Tracker’s Police Relationship Team, said, “Classic car owners are understandably cautious when it comes to installing alarm systems and immobilisers.