1968-1970 Buick Electra Wildcat Riviera Nos Blower Resistor 1385151 on 2040-parts.com

First customers are key to EV sales success, execs say

Word of mouth is a key element to generating buyers for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Today, it's the early adapters, tech-savvy buyers who are embracing the technology and buying the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt and the battery-powered Nissan Leaf. But for these vehicles and similar models to go mainstream, anxiety about the technology needs to be eliminated.

New VW Golf GTI: Price from £25,845

Volkswagen has revealed that the 2013 Golf GTI MK 7 will cost from £25,845 – £195 up on the old GTI – with the GTi Performance from £26,825. For the first time you’ll get a choice of power levels for the GTI, with the regular GTI getting a 2.0 litre TSI with 217bhp and the GTI Performance coming with 227bhp, gets bigger brake discs and a limited slip diff. Performance from the regular GTI is 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 152mph, whilst the GTI Performance cuts that time by 0.1 seconds with both versions offering 44.1mpg official consumption with the six-speed manual ‘box.

Shelby 1000 Photoshop job sparks controversy on the Internet

As just about everyone else did, we ran the now-infamous Shelby 1000 wheel-lift photo on Tuesday. Shelby American's public-relations operatives have confirmed that the photo was digitally altered, and it has been removed from our site. We apologize for letting our enthusiasm for mind-blowing automotive feats of strength get the better of us.