Corvette Power Antenna Bezel, 1988-1996 on 2040-parts.com

Cuba removes new car purchase restrictions

Granma, the Communist Party’s newspaper of record in Cuba, said Wednesday that the Council of Ministers approved regulations that “eliminate existing mechanisms of approval for the purchase of motor vehicles from the state.” That means the sale of new and used cars will be allowed to the public. Up until now, Cubans could buy and sell vehicles to each other, but they had to request permission from the government to purchase a new vehicle -- the main reason for the island's unique automotive landscape. The new laws will be enacted gradually, according to Granma, with a set minimum price.

Detroit Electric moves production to Holland

Detroit Electric is going ahead with production of its Lotus-based sports car in the lovely Detroit suburb of…Holland. Unfortunately it's not the coastal city in the western part of Michigan, but the one in northern Europe. The facility will begin production in the fourth quarter of this year, according to the Detroit News.

Toyota Auris Hybrid, FT-86, RAV4, Prius plug-in (2010): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 15 February 2010 14:50 Toyota has confirmed its line-up for the 2010 Geneva motor show – and it's fighting back from the throttle recall crisis with a handful of new launches in every which market sector.The Toyota Auris Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) gets its world debut in production spec; it's the first mainstream hybrid car to be manufactured in the UK – and you can read all about it in the new March 2010 issue of CAR Magazine on sale on Wednesday 17 February. CAR went up to the Burnaston factory in Derbyshire for a deep dive on the new mass-market hybrid car from Toyota.The second hybrid on show will be the new Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, which will be exhibited in full production guise for its European debut.It's also the European debut of the FT-86 sports car concept – and the first time we've seen the facelifted Toyota RAV4, which adopts a distinctly grown-up face. Is it just us, or there are equal shades of Toyota Landcruiser and VW Tiguan in the new 2010 RAV4 model?