Vintage Sterling Cougar Blue Helmet Metalflake Glitter Sparkle on 2040-parts.com

Bid to cut car insurance premiums

THE COMPETITION WATCHDOG is proposing to impose a cap on replacement vehicle costs following motor accidents as part of a clampdown to help cut premiums for all drivers in the £11 billion private motor insurance market. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the cap on charges passed to the insurer of the driver who is at-fault in an accident for the cost of providing a replacement vehicle to the non-fault driver, would "more closely reflect the costs incurred and remove significant inefficiencies". The watchdog has previously found that the "complex chain" of claim costs following an accident collectively inflates premiums by as much as £200 million a year.

Michelin launches 2012 Challenge Design competition

What began back in 2000 as a forum for people who share a passion for vehicle design and innovation has grown to inspire thousands of entries from 96 countries. Over the past decade, Michelin Challenge Design (MCD) participants have submitted vehicle design concepts for personal and public transport addressing a broad range of geographic themes and industry issues. And now, as the 2011 program draws to a close, MCD has announced the 2012 program, which opens for pre-registration from October 1, 2010 to March 4, 2011.

Electric Rolls Royce Phantom EV 102EX at Geneva

The Rolls Royce EV 102EX - Geneva Debut Eighteen months ago we ran a story headlined ‘Electric Rolls Royce Phantom Coming?’ after the man from Goodwood let slip at the Goodwood Revival that Rolls Royce were looking at the viability of an electric Rolls Royce. Our first reaction was to throw our hands up in horror and declare it sacrilege, until we decided to ignore our preconceptions and prejudices and look at the benefits an electric motor could bring to a Rolls Royce. Benefits like absolute silence – long a Rolls Royce claim, rarely a Rolls Royce reality – and huge waves of torque that arrive let a Tsunami that never ends.