Yamaha 6j8-2177h-00-00 Disk Cap 2 on 2040-parts.com

Driven: Range Rover Evoque

As Sam Livingstone opines in his review of the latest Porsche 911, we are in a period of car design consolidation, with the new 911 the ultimate expression of a slightly suffocating trend. Yet every so often, a vehicle appears that breaks these rules and – through a combination of factors that can be difficult to quantify – captures the imagination, becoming a symbol of the times and an overnight market success. Such vehicles tend to emerge once a decade or so, yet the late 90s and early noughties were extraordinary for giving birth to three – the Ford Ka of '96, Audi TT of '98 and Mini of '01.

Volvo Plug-In Hybrid by 2012

Volvo are working on a plug in Hybrid for 2012 offerng 50g/km Co2 emissions Laudable though this intent is, it’s a little like the Vauxhall / Opel Ampera – it relies on technology that doesn’t yet exist to deliver what it promises. But to get things moving, Volvo are going to be running a number of Volvo V70 diesel-electric Hybrids round Europe this year, to guage customer feedback and try to establish exactly what the consumer wants. They also want to establish exactly what the consumer can live with in terms of ‘Re-fuelling’.

Koenigsegg One:1 – First official details

We have the first official details on the new Koenigsegg One:1, the most extreme Koenigsegg produced to date, a series of 5 cars for China. The Interwebs have been full of speculation about a new Koenigsegg in the last few days – the Koenigsegg One:1 – which has surfaced after a brochure scan for the One:1 was leaked online (above). The general consensus has been that the One:1 is a new customisation programme for Koenigsegg, allowing buyers to customise their cars in an even more extreme way.