Volkswagen Jetta Engine Brain Box Electronic Control Module; 2.0l, Fed Emissio on 2040-parts.com

CAR tech: who's to blame for your car's terrible fuel economy?

In early 2013 Audi lost a case brought by the Advertising Standard Agency (ASA) because of ‘misleading’ fuel economy figures used in an advert, after a customer complained they couldn’t get anywhere near the 68mpg quoted. The court case once more exposes the yawning gap between officially sanctioned mpg figures and those experienced by owners. A recent study by the Independent Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) looked at cars sold in the UK and Europe, and discovered the difference between official mpg figures and real-world driving had grown from 8% in 2001 to a barely believable 21% in 2011.

Car manufacturing halted in Japan

Nissan cars awaiting export wrecked by Tsunami In the wake of the devastating earthquake and Tsunami that struck Japan last week, the domestic car industry has ground to a halt. Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi have all now said they are halting all production until at least Wednesday in order to allow time to address damage, and to allow staff to make contact with family in affected areas. But it’s not just the damage to plants that’s the problem.

Skoda Fabia and Roomster: the 2010 facelifts

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 25 February 2010 23:05 Skoda's big news at the 2010 Geneva motor show is a brace of facelifts: the Fabia and Roomster duo both receive a cosmetic makeover, new engines and a smattering of fresh tech to keep mpg up and emissions down.As these first pictures confirm, this is a modest facelift. The massaged radiator grille and reprofiled, wider headlamps are the most obvious changes, but there's also a looping detail line on the bonnet that swoops down to encircle the badge, reminding us of the hood on the latest BMW 5-series.The changes are also rolled out to the muddy-puddles Scout models. And what's all this about a new Fabia vRS hot hatch?Ah yes.