VW take control at Italdesign Giugiaro through Lamborghini.

Maserati Merak - by Giugiaro Perhaps it makes sense politically for an Italian company to takeover another, but the outcome is the same – VW has taken a majority stake in Italdesign Giugiaro – 90.1% – through its Italian subsidiary Lamborghini Holdings S.p.A. Just as we expected. And there’s a lot of sense in this move by VW – even if they are going back on their stated intent to end the acquisitions – as there’s a strong history with Giugiaro.

Crazy Honda Uni-Cub ß to debut at Tokyo Motor Show 2013

Honda If you're anything like us, it would have taken a while for you to realise that you're not looking at a pair of penguins in this picture. Instead, it's a new Uni-Cub ß ‘personal mobility device’ that's set to be unveiled by Honda at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. First introduced in 2012, the Uni-Cub ß features balance control technology and an omni-directional driving wheel system called Honda Omni Traction Drive System.

Toyota tests chips that improve hybrid efficiency by 10 percent

Toyota announced on Tuesday that it has developed a new semiconductor, claiming it can boost fuel efficiency in hybrid cars by an impressive 10 percent. The semiconductors manage the flow of electricity through the power-control unit that connects the battery to an electric or hybrid car's motor and generator. The newly developed semiconductors are said to consume only a tenth of the energy of today's chips, while allowing the power-control unit to be 80 percent smaller.