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BMW M5 comes alive with all-wheel drive

The 2012 BMW M5 will come with a handful of firsts for the sedan. It will be the first time the car houses a turbocharged powerplant, the first time a dual-clutch gearbox is used and, most importantly, the first time the M5 gets all-wheel drive. That's the word from BMW brass in Shanghai, where Albert Biermann, head of BMW M's research and development, confirmed the powertrain, Autocar reports.

2012 Volkswagen Beetle Spied

The 2012 Volkswagen Beetle looks almost production-ready Yes, the next generation of the ‘New’ VW Beetle us upon us, certainly if the spy shots we’ve got of an almost undisguised 2012 VW Beetle are anything to go by. And we did report that VW should debut the 2012 VW Beetle in 2011 before a 2012 launch as long ago as October 2009. So it all adds up Not surprisingly, this 2012 Beetle has been snapped pounding round the US – the one place it’s sold really well.

ECC pulls out of ‘Spy-in-the-sky’ road charging trials

Essex County Council, in a show of uncommon common sense, has pulled out of trials for the new ‘Spy in the Sky’ road charging tax. Road pricing trials halted in Essex Secret trials of a new system to charge motorists by the mile were due to roll out in Essex, Leeds, North Yorkshire, Buckinghamshire, London, and Suffolk, trialing the technology that would enable the government to charge motorists based on where they drive and when they drive. But the whole trial has been put in doubt after ECC announced they were no longer prepared to take part.