Quick Change Gear - Scs Set 25 on 2040-parts.com

Nissan tests self-cleaning paint

Well that took long enough. Nanotechnology is here, and Nissan is reportedly using it in the paint on its little Versa Note hatchback. We would have started on something a little more exciting, like the hard-to-care-for matte finish on the GT-R's rear spoiler, but that's just us.

Ford Focus ST is dead – bring on the 2011 Ford Focus ST

The Ford Focus ST Yes, Ford’s Championship League hot Focus – the Ford Focus ST - falls foul of Euro 5 emissions which come in to force in January, so it joins cars like the Civic Type R and the Mazda RX-8 in being confined to the history book of motoring with its 5-pot 2.5 litre lump – which also did sterling service in the Focus RS and the Focus RS500 - failing to keep up with the regulator’s pen. Bur fear not, although you’ll have to wait probably until 2012 (or at least late in to 2011) to get a look at the 2012 Focus RS, the 2011 Ford Focus ST will be here even before the last rites have been read for the current ST; the new 2011 Focus ST bows in at Paris in just over a month’s time. By all accounts the 2011 Focus ST is going to come equipped with performance comparable to the current RS rather than the current ST.

Volvo confirms big production increase for V60 Plug-in Hybrid

Volvo has been building around 150 V60 Plug-ins a week at its facility in Torslanda – alongside the regular V60, V70, S80 and XC90 – but that is now set to be upped to 282 cars a week for the rest of 2013, with plans to build at least 10,000 in 2014. The fact is that the V60 is a very appealing estate car already, and bolting a plug-in hybrid setup has turned it in to a big hit in showrooms because the barking mad official economy and emissions system bestows the V60 plug-in with emissions of just 48g/km, making it a real no-brainer in countries where governments blindly tax cars based on their official emissions. That means countries like Holland, where Volvo has received more than 3,000 orders for the V60 Plug-in, and the UK are lapping up the hybrid offering from Volvo as a way to escape big taxes and still have a swift (0-62mph in 6.1 seconds), appealing and stylish car.