Mercury Serpentine Belt P#:865615q06 on 2040-parts.com

Subaru XV gets a price cut – down by £1300 on 1.6 litre versions

It wasn’t a bad starting point for an able mid-sized crossover – a high-riding Impreza, in all but name –  but it wasn’t the cheapest offering in the class. But now, with the Yen being a bit kinder to Japanese car makers, Subaru has decided to nudge the price a bit lower to start the XV range off below £20k for the first time. The price drop for the XV only applies to the 1.6 litre petrol versions, but you can now get the entry-level XV 1.6i S for a more affordable £19,995 rising to £23,415 for the XV 1.6i SE with the Lineartronic gearbox, reductions across the range of £1300.

Plug-In 2013 conference plugs along

Every now and then, the electric car industry comes together in a sort of Woodstock-of-the-Watt-Hour to take stock of itself and to exchange ideas, sign contracts and maybe have a beer. The most recent parliament of the plug-in was last week in San Diego at an annual industry event known as Plug-In 2013, although obviously they change the year in the title as necessary. Why keep gathering?

Dartz Prombron Black Dragon announced for Chinese market

Who combines post-Soviet capitalism with outlandish Eastern European money-trash ideas quite like Dartz? The simple answer is, no one. Last year, the Latvian automaker rather notoriously asked, “Why isn't somebody building an F-117-inspired, 2,000-hp, armored yacht hauler?” While we've seen no more of the resultant Nagel since then, the company is introducing a China-only version of its Prombron armored SUV.