Daihatsu's funky Cube rival on the way

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 29 September 2006 08:01 Daihatsu is on the verge of giving its boxy Materia supermini – which made its European debut in Paris - the green light for UK imports. If given the green light the spacious five-seater, which is already on sale in Japan, would arrive here next spring as a stand-alone topend model. The Materia is very similar to Nissan's does-it-exactly-what-it-says-on-the-tin Cube, which has been super popular with Japanese kids.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta (2010) first official pictures: it's the new 147

Alfa has revived an historic badge for its all-new 147 replacement, seen here in these first official pictures issued today. Following a last-minute decision to ditch the name Milano – precipitated by angry Milanese workers irritated at Alfa naming the car after the town despite having shifted operations to Turin – the Golf fighter will be called Giulietta. Using a new platform that will underpin the next Fiat Brava, the Giulietta uses a mix of steel and aluminium clothed in bodywork that borrows cues from the 8C supercar – sort of – including sweptback headlights and a narrow glasshouse.

MG6 CO2 emissions reduced to 129g/km

The MG6 may have just become a little more appealing, with the news that the GT and Magnette diesel variants are now more efficient than before. CO2 figures are down from 139g/km to 129g/km and average fuel consumption has been improved from a claimed 55.3mpg to 57.6mpg. This results in the MG6 dropping a tax band from E to D.