A revolutionary electric car prototype being developed at Otago Polytechnic was on show in Dunedin and reporter Vaughan Elder took it for a spin.

The world premiere of BMW's all-new electric i3, powered by a 125kW electric motor and driving to a range of between 130 and 160 kilometers, was staged simultaneously in three continents this week, and New Zealanders will soon have a chance to drive the car. The worldwide premiere in London, New York and Beijing took place two years after the BMW i3 Concept was presented in Frankfurt on July 29, 2011, before the International Motor Show. NZ can expect the i3 to arrive in the third quarter of 2014. Also pictured, BMW's i8 Roadster concept.

Motoring show Top Gear is embroiled in controversy over faked scenes after it emerged that actors had been hired to appear in a segment.

An Auckland car dealer who sold a van on TradeMe earlier this year misled bidders by describing the vehicle as "a Mitsubishi work horse" with a "reliable motor".

Government road-builders stand accused of undermining Auckland's public transport effort by closing bus priority lanes for the Transport Agency's $220 million upgrade.

A Wairarapa woman who used TradeMe and forgery to swindle thousands of dollars has been convicted of fraud.

The Auto Co has disappeared from the empty lot in Penrose where it sold second-hand Japanese cars.

Consumers are being warned they risk being caught and squeezed by the tight margins plaguing the second-hand car market.