Japan quake threatens to delay U.S. output of Nissan Leaf EV

The March 11 earthquake in Japan could force Nissan to delay the start of U.S. production of its Leaf electric vehicle, now scheduled for late 2012. “The earthquake is putting us in a very difficult situation,” said Hideaki Watanabe, head of Nissan's Global Zero Emission Vehicle Business Unit.

Refreshed Fiat 500 Hits The Streets

FIAT has released the refreshed version of its popular 500 supermini. The car boasts style, comfort and technological enhancements for 2014 A key new feature is the market-first seven-inch digital instrument display, which is said to combine cutting-edge technology without disrupting the trademark aesthetics of the cabin. Standard on 500S and Cult models, the layout of the speedometer, rev counter and trip computer will be familiar to existing 500 fans, but the centre of the display - which contains a digital image of the car - can be configured to show various trip computer readouts, such as distance travelled, instant fuel consumption and range.

Autonomous cars on British roads by January 2015 – Vince Cable

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 30 July 2014 09:18 The British government today announced new laws to allow autonomous cars on UK roads by 2015, prompting a review of the Highway Code and new legal measures to make sure driverless cars comply with current motoring law. Business secretary Vince Cable attended an event at the motor industry test facility at MIRA in the Midlands to unveil the measures, which include a £10 million regional fund for cities to apply to become a driverless car test area. Up to three cities will be selected to share the funding for trials that are expected to last between 18-36 months.