Arctic Cat, Speedometer 0620-117 on 2040-parts.com

Lexus GS 300h: Shanghai Motor Show

Offering much better economy than the GS 450h, it offers not only a viable alternative for private buyers looking for a bit of beautifully built Japanese luxury with lower running costs, but also makes the GS a much more appealing option for company car drivers – probably where most of the sales will be made. Lexus are aiming for Co2 emissions below 110g/km for the GS 300h (the IS 300h manages 99g/km) which will give headline economy around 60mpg – a third better than the GS 450h can manage. Power comes from the same hybrid drivetrain as the IS 300h, which means a 2.5 litre petrol mated to an electric motor and delivering 215bhp and o-62mph in around 8.5 seconds.

AutoWeek Design Forum: McLaren evolves with carbon fiber

McLaren Automotive design boss Frank Stephenson detailed his company's transformation from strictly racing to producing road-going models on Thursday at the AutoWeek Design Forum. McLaren is launching the highly anticipated MP4-12C this year, and the company has been hard at work refining the use of carbon fiber, which it pioneered in the iconic McLaren F1. The company cut the amount of time required to design a carbon-fiber tub from 3,000 hours for the F1 to a mere four hours for the MP4-12C.

Government CO2 cock-up

By Richard Yarrow Motoring Issues 03 June 2007 02:32 Britain’s new eco-motoring scheme postponed Plans to help Britain’s drivers choose the greenest car for their budget have been thrown into chaos, CAR Online can reveal. The launch of a new Government website for motorists – called www.actonco2.co.uk – has been cancelled just 16 hours before it was to go live. Amazingly, the Department for Transport (DfT) has admitted the eleventh hour delay was because it realised the CO2 data to published wasn’t accurate.