New Motorguide Ninja 4 Blade Doug Hannon Prop on 2040-parts.com

2013 Nissan LEAF updated

Nissan has updated the LEAF EV in Japan for 2013 with better range, less weight and a new LEAF S entry-level model. Revealed in Japan – but likely to come to the UK from 2013 when the LEAF starts rolling out of Nissan’s Sunderland factory – there are significant upgrades to the powertrain which result in both less weight and better range. Nissan has had a play with the electric powertrain and made it both smaller and lighter with a new motor that uses 40 per cent less dysprosium (a rare earth metal) than before, and comes in 30 per cent smaller and 10 per cent lighter, and a new streamline battery case and a few other tweaks drops the LEAF’s weight by 80kg.

Driven: Land Rover DC100 concept

Nothing compares to natural daylight for assessing a car's design. Under motor show lighting the subtleties of the surface sculpting, detailing and even proportion can be lost and misconstrued. Hence our first view of the Land Rover DC100 concept out in the open is, quite literally, illuminating.

Peugeot Exalt Concept Sports Saloon revealed early

The Peugeot Exalt Concept (pictured) arrives ahead of Beijing Peugeot were busy teasing the arrival of a new sports saloon concept for the 2014 Beijing Motor Show back in January, said to evoke the styling and materials of the impressive Peugeot Onyx Concept. Now, a couple of weeks ahead of the Beijing Show, we get the first photo of that concept – the Peugeot Exalt Concept – which seems to have been sent out a few days earlier than Peugeot intended in an overnight press release dated 10th April. Oh, well.