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BMW's new i concepts revealed

It was meant to be a modest, intimate affair for a select group of media. Yet as we flew to Frankfurt the day before the unveiling of BMW's i3 and i8 concept cars, it became quite clear that this was not to be the case. With hundreds of journalists flown in from all over, a live web broadcast to the rest of the globe, and, for the first time in history, the entire BMW board present in one room, project i is clearly vital to BMW's future product strategy.

Businessman opens private toll road

THE BUSINESSMAN behind a private toll road by-passing a closed commuter route is confident he will not have to sell his home if the venture fails. Mike Watts, 62, has until Christmas to recoup his £300,000 investment or face losing his house. He is charging motorists £2 per journey to use his bypass made from rolled chippings and avoid the closed section of the A431 between Bath and Bristol.

Caterham creates next car online

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 05 November 2008 10:08 Caterham has turned to cyberspace to design its next model – the low-volume carmaker is calling on fans around the world to log onto a bespoke website to submit their ideas and designs for every aspect of the new Caterham, before ultimately voting on what makes it to the final vehicle. The website – www.splitwheel.com - will act as a forum, hosting blogs, articles and what Caterham calls ‘a Wikipedia-style user-edited knowledge base’ to turn user input into a workable vehicle design. A comprehensive voting system that covers all aspects of the car will then be initiated, and once the final specification is agreed a prototype will be produced with initial production slated for 2011.