Berkeley Jet Drive 12je Nozzle Reverse Bucket on 2040-parts.com

SEMA 2008 show report: Volkswagen Passat CC

By Ben Whitworth Motor Shows 07 November 2008 09:00 Volkswagen’s sobriety took a back seat at the SEMA show in Las Vegas this week – it pulled the covers off a pair of muscle-bound Passat CCs, a racy 295bhp Tiguan and a grunty diesel Jetta aimed at cajoling the American market into turning its back on gasoline. The unambiguously named Performance CC – designed by Volkswagen’s California-based design centre – gets a shot in the arm from a three-stage turbo boost to its 2.0-litre TSI engine. In Eco mode you get a modest 222bhp and 236 lb ft of torque, GT mode hikes those outputs to 252bhp and 268 lbs ft, while the Full Power stage unleashes 311bhp and 313 lb ft.

UK drivers disinterested in electric cars

DRIVERS in the UK are not interested in electric cars, with only 5% stating they would think about buying one, according to new research. A further 14% of drivers say they have considered an electric car but rejected and bought a petrol, diesel or hybrid car instead. More than half (56%) of British drivers said they had not even thought about an electric car as a possible replacement for their existing vehicle.

Vauxhall Insignia VXR revealed

Range -topping Vauxhall Insignia VXR to launch at Barcelona in May Latest to the market is this range-topping Insignia – the Vauxhall Insignia VXR (Opel Insignia OPC in Europe) – a 325bhp rocket version of the successful Insignia. With a new adaptive four wheel drive system and electronic limited slip diff, the Insignia VXR has bags of grip and great roadholding. It sits 10mm lower than the Insignia SRi, and the HiPerStrut front suspension keeps torque-steer in check.