3,000bhp supercar selection set for Birmingham

THE NEW age of efficiency appears not to be dampening manufacturers’ desire to build high-performance flagship cars, with 3,000bhp worth of shiny new models set to descend on Birmingham’s Performance Car Show in January. Among the headliners are the Jaguar XKR-S GT, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, McLaren 12C Sprint and Aston Martin Vanquish. The Ferrari steals the outright performance headlines, with 0-62mph dispatched in just three seconds and 100mph disappearing in only 6.5 seconds, courtesy of a melodious 6.3-litre V12 engine under the long bonnet.

IIHS gives Camry, Prius v hybrid poor safety rating

Thirteen mid-sized cars have earned high marks on the insurance industry's newest frontal-crash test, but a pair of Toyota models tested fared worse than the rest. The so-called small overlap test involves crashing the front corner of a car into a barrier at 40 mph. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety devised the test to simulate a collision with a stationary object such as a tree or a utility pole.

Vauxhall reveals its line up for 2010 Paris motor show

The 2010 Mondial de l’Automobile – aka Paris motor show 2010 – is set to be the launchbed for a bevy of new models from the Vauxhall stable. The Paris show will see Vauxhall launch a three-door Astra GTC Paris concept car (the main news, but sadly no photos available yet), plus a clutch of other spin-offs. There are new Meriva diesels, an Astra estate and the latest evolution of Ampera electric vehicle.