Vespa goes vintage
Vespa has relaunched the classic PX 34 years after the original debuted. Steel body shells, 125 and 150cc two-stroke engines and retro styling recall the past, though modern buyers will use the electric start in place of the kick-lever also fitted.
Show car adds sport to A1
Audi has built a 370kW variant of its diminutive A1. The A1 Clubsport Quattro is a one-off with rally-inspired looks and a 2.5-litre five-cylinder variant of the TT-RS engine. It could preview a four-paw S1 quattro.
Brake-through for Volvo
Volvo is testing flywheel tech to recover brake energy. The system cuts the engine when the car brakes and uses a 60,000rpm flywheel to accelerate. Volvo says the system cuts fuel use and boosts power.
US fuel scrap revs up
US lobbyists are proposing a radical 3.8l/100km corporate average fuel economy figure by 2015. The industry claims resulting cost increases would cut sales and lift unemployment. It supports a less radical 5.0l/100km corporate average.
Honda parts become posts
Obsolete Honda parts in Australia are being recycled into fence posts and bollards. The plasmar posts are fire- and fungus-resistant.
Saab backlog in sights
The Saab factory has reopened and is working to clear 6500 back-orders that include 1300 cars for Chinese financial saviour Pang Da. New owner Spyker will be renamed Swedish Automobile.
Crash-test first for Nissan
Nissan's Leaf is the first mass-produced electric car to achieve five stars during the rigorous NCAP independent crash test. The 48 batteries tucked under the rear seat withstood all impacts, Nissan said.
Renault to harvest rays
Renault is installing solar panels on the roofs of six French plants that will cover an area equivalent to over 60 football fields, create enough power to fuel a town of 15,000 people and cut the company's CO2 emissions by 30,000 tons a year.
Motoring in brief
Safety star: Nissan's Leaf. Photo / Supplied
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.