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he Toyota Prius (pronounced /ˈpriːəs/) is a full hybrid electric mid-size car developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation. It first went on sale in Japan in 1997, making it the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle. It was subsequently introduced worldwide in 2001. The Prius is sold in more than 40 countries and regions, with its largest markets being those of Japan and North America.[1] As a top seller in the US market, the U.S.

Toyota Prius made up more than half of the 1.2 million Prius sold worldwide by early 2009. us as among the cleanest vehicles sold in the United States based on non-CO2 toxic emissions.[5] The UK Department for Transport reported the latest Prius is the second least CO2-emitting vehicle on sale in the UK with 89 g/km. now based on a shortened Subaru Legacy platform. the new chassis represents a departure from some Subaru traditions with full framed doors and a hatchback body style for the STi and WRC versions.

Subaru made an effort to control the weight of the new chassis. Despite the increase in size, stiffness, and safety equipment, the car's weight is similar to the previous chassis at 3,142 lb for the 5 speed manual and 3,208 lb (1,455 kg) for the 4 speed automatic.

The engine used is still the EJ25. The front suspension uses a MacPherson strut setup with steering ratio of 15:1, while the rear is a new double wishbone suspension. The US-spec WRX reverts back to a 2-piston/1-piston sliding calipers (dropping the 4-piston/2-piston fixed caliper setup), but have grown to 11.6-inch in the front and 11.3-inch (290 mm) in the rear, the same as the BL5-chassis US-spec Legacy 2.5GT and Spec B.

MGs have been used in competition and from the early 1930s a series of dedicated racing cars such as the 1931 C-Type and 1934 Q-type were made and sold to enthusiasts who received considerable company assistance. This stopped in 1935 when MG was formally merged with Morris Motors and the Competition Department closed down. A series of experimental cars had also been made allowing Captain George Eyston to take several world speed records. In spite of the formal racing ban, speed record attempts continued with Goldie Gardner exceeding 200 mph (320 km/h) in the 1100 cc EX135 in 1939.

After World War II record breaking attempts restarted with 500 cc and 750 cc records being taken in the late 1940s. A decision was also taken to return to racing and a team of MGAs was entered in the tragedy-laden 1955 Le Mans 24 hour race, the best car achieving 12th place.

Prior to the use of the Toyota Tundra in the Craftsman Truck Series, MG was reported as the last foreign brand to be used in NASCAR. It was driven in 1963 by Smokey Cook. In 2001 MG re-launched their motor sport campaign to cover the 24 Hours of Le Mans , British Touring Car Championship , British and World Rally Championships and MG Independent British Rally Championship .

The Le Mans team failed to win the endurance race in 2001 and 2002 and quit in 2003. MG Sport+Racing raced in the British Touring Car Championships with the MG ZS between 2001-2003 as a factory team. In 2004 WSR raced the MG ZS as a privateer team and still race in the series today with many wins to date. After three years without a major sponsor, WSR teamed up with RAC in 2006 and the team was called Team RAC. The MG British Rally Challenge still runs today despite the liquidation in 2005.

In 2004 plans to race in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters with a heavily modified V8 powered ZT supertouring car were cancelled due to MG Rover's liquidation in April 2005. In 2007, a surprise announcement was made that a Super 2000 rally car has been prepared in conjunction with rally experts MSD, who used to manage the Hyundai works World Rally team. This is the first sporting step the reformed company has made. Testing has been carried out on the MG ZR based car & it is expected to enter competition in 2008.

The Roewe 550 is a car produced by the SAIC Roewe in the People's Republic of China launched at the April 2008 Beijing Motor Show. It is reported to be derived from the MG Rover RDX60 project which was under development when MG Rover failed.

The car, codenamed W261 during development, is the work of a joint Anglo-Chinese collaboration with ex-Rover experts at consultancy firm Ricardo 2010 and SAIC's own car development team. The 550 was previewed at the 2007 Shanghai Auto Show in the form of the Roewe W2 concept car.

The drivetrain uses either a 1.6 or 1.8 litre 160 bhp engine based on the Rover K engine with 2.0 litre turbo diesel forecast to join the range and a choice of five speed manual or five speed automatic transmission.

The car features a high-technology interior with digital instruments and the RMI (Roewe Multimedia Interface) digital multimedia interactive system, a multi-functional audio and video entertainment system with Bluetooth hands-free system, USB interface and GPS.

The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range. The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969-1977. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring publication "Wheels" in its July 1989 edition, a name that sticks to this day. The R32 GT-R surprisingly dominated the motorsport in Japan, winning a 29 straight victories out of 29 races. The GT-R proceeded to win the JTC Group A series championship 4 years in a row, and also had success in the Australian Touring Car Championship winning from 1990-1992, until the GT-R was outlawed in 1993.[1] The Skyline GT-R (R33) was also the first production car to lap the legendary Nürburgring in under eight minutes.

The Skyline GT-R became the flagship of Nissan performance, showcasing many advanced technologies including the ATTESA-ETS 4WD system and the Super-HICAS four-wheel steering. The GT-Rs remained inexpensive compared to its European rivals, with a list-price of ¥ 4.5 million. Today, the car is popular for import Drag Racing, Circuit Track, Time Attack and events hosted by tuning magazines. The GT-R actually is the winner in the 2007 Tsukuba Time Attack held in Japan-- the M-Speed GT-R . Production of the GT-R officially ceased in August 2002.

The Skyline GT-R was never manufactured outside of Japan, and the sole export markets were Australia, in 1991.Despite this the car has become an iconic sports car, including in countries from the Western World (mainly the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada).It has become notable through pop culture such as cinema and video games like the The Fast and the Furious series and Gran Turismo.

Mercedes-Benz has also produced a sports car with McLaren Cars, an extension of the collaboration by which Mercedes engines are used by the Team McLaren-Mercedes Formula One racing team, which is part owned by Mercedes. The 2003 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren has a carbon fiber body with a 5.4l V8 supercharged engine.

This is the same block as featured in SL55 AMG and the CLS55 AMG, though modified to give 460 kW (630 PS; 620 hp) and 780 N·m (575 ft·lb) of torque. The SLR has a maximum speed of 337 kilometres per hour (209 mph) and costs approximately US$500,000. Due to European pedestrian-protection regulations, McLaren has decided to cease production of the SLR in 2009.

The most recent new joint-venture model, expected to reach production, is the mid-engine P8 sports car. Based around a unique carbon fiber monocoque, manufactured by McLaren, the P8 was originally predicted to receive the new naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 from Mercedes-AMG, but insiders say that the engine will be modified for the car and will probably be twin- turbocharged to produce in excess of 600 bhp (450 kW).

The car is still in development, but likely to reach production to go on sale in early 2008, and have a price tag less than that of the SLR.

Car buyers will be able to find the most environmentally friendly vehicles for their needs from today, as Transport Minister Jim Fitzpatrick launched the Department for Transport's 'Best on CO2' car rankings.

The rankings system - compiled in association with What Car? magazine - is the latest part of the Department's ACT ON CO2 campaign to help tackle climate change.

People considering buying a new car can now visit the link below, search for the type they're looking for by What Car? category, transmission and fuel type and automatically be given a list of the lowest CO2 emitting models according to their requirements.

Climate change affects everyone and everyone can make a contribution to tackling it. By choosing the car with the most fuel efficient engine in its class, drivers could reduce their engine CO2 emissions by 24 per cent and potentially save a quarter on fuel costs. So the message is simple - the car you choose can help reduce your impact on the environment, and help save money."

Steve Fowler, Editor of What Car?

"These car rankings are exactly what consumers need to make an informed choice about the type of car to buy in order to minimise their fuel consumption, save money and help tackle climate change. Car buyers are making increasingly difficult choices about the cars they buy and these rankings will help them to include environmental factors when making that vital decision."

The Best on CO2 rankings were developed using emissions data from the Vehicle Certification Agency, the DfT Agency responsible for conducting the official tests to determine CO2 emissions from cars.

The 14 car categories were developed by What Car? magazine, based partly on groupings used by the motor industry to classify cars and partly on their expertise following extensive reader research about perceptions of the market.

Last week in Frankfurt Motor Show Fiat has officially introduced the Punto Evo, which is an evolution of the Fiat Grande Punto. The Fiat Punto Evo expected to go on sale in early 2010.It is expected that the new Fiat Punto Evo is destined to repeat the success of its predecessor.

I t has more stylish looks with number of safety features. It is built to please the most demanding customers.

It has number of number of engine options but highlights include the a 1.3 liter Multijet diesel as well as a 1.4 liter MultiAir petrol unit, but unfortunately the auto maker did reveal power figures. Punto comes with 1248cc engine with four-cylinder. It gives about 75 bhp@4000 rpm. Punto gives a great riding experience. Fita Uno is no doubt Fiat’s flagship for excellent riding experience.

But Yes, It has the Fiat’s Start&Stop system which switches off and restarts the engine in stop-and-go traffic, and the Blue&Me–TomTom system which is portable satellite navigation unit that lets you manage telephone, navigation and information functions on a practical colour touch-screen.

The Evo is near about 3 cm longer than the Grande and comes with checkered grills look absolutely MultiJet badged. Its tail lamp cluster is well researched. An over all design is pretty worked out. It has 14-inch alloy wheels.Other features include ABS with EBD, ESP, Hill-holder function, adaptive cornering fog lights, a total of seven airbags

The Evo has heavily revised interiors with a renewed fascia, seats, storage compartments and instrumentation. The Italian auto maker has given a hint that two alternative fuel engines will find their way into the Fiat Punto Evo soon, including a methane and an LPG version.

And Frankfurt was bursting at the seams with awesome new supercars that mean several firms will be praying the recession really is over. The new models were planned up to five years ago when manufacturers, like all of us, thought the good times would never end, so they had no chance but to go ahead with the cars. It means a heavyweight battle for customers as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes and Audi battle it out with new models.

The list will eventually include the new Mc Laren that wasn't at the show plus established models from Porsche and Maserati. ablished models from Porsche and Maserati.

But whatever the opposition, the Ferrari Italia is the car to beat because it is the best-looking Ferrari for years and will go like a rocket thanks to a 5.4litre V8 engine and 562bhp. That means 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds and in excess of 200mph, which should guarantee a queue of customers when it goes on sale in the UK next year for £155,000. Aston Martin open the doors to new supercar customers with their first four-door model, the Rapide. Unlike its bulky rival the Porsche Panamera, the Aston manages to make four doors look sexy and elegant, even if the rear space is tight for adults.



It will go on sale early next year for around £150,000 and Aston believe they could sell 2,000 a year. Sadly, it won't be built in the UK but under contract in Austria.Audi have become serious players in the supercar world with the instant success of the R8 and Frankfurt saw the debut of the stunning convertible Spyder version that will hit the UK next year with a price tag of £111,955.
Mercedes join the supercar scrap with their exotic SLS. It comes with dramatic gullwing doors inspired by the legendary 300SL Gullwing. The SLS is a replacement for the SLR McLaren. Its £155,000 price is a bargain in comparison, especially with 0-62 in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 195mph. Mercedes are working on bringing out an electric version within the next few years. If you like your supercars raw and wild, try the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster, which looks as if it will suck in and spit out the opposition.

Car sharing is generally not cost-effective for commuting to a full-time job on a regular basis. Most car sharing advocates, operators and cooperating public agencies believe that those who do not drive daily or who drive less than 10,000 kilometers annually may find car sharing to be more cost-effective than car ownership. But variations of 50% on this figure are reported by operators and others depending on local context. If occasional use of a shared vehicle costs significantly less than car ownership, this makes automobile use more accessible to low-income households.

Subaru Rally Team Japan led by Noriyuki Koseki ran Subaru Leone coupé, sedan DL, RX (SRX) and RX Turbo in the World Rally Championship between 1980 and 1989 a few rallies per season. Drivers for individual rallies included Ari Vatanen, Per Eklund, Shekhar Mehta, Mike Kirkland, Possum Bourne and Harald Demut.

Mike Kirkland finished 6th overall and won the A Group at the 1986 Safari Rally. That year Subaru was one of the only manufactures combining 4WD and turbo. Subaru changed the rally model to Legacy RS for the 1990-1992 period and took part in the first complete season in the World Rally Championship with the same model in 1993.

Modified versions of the Impreza WRX and WRX STi have been competing successfully in rallying; drivers Colin McRae (1995), Richard Burns (2001) and Petter Solberg (2003) have won World Rally Championship drivers' titles with the Subaru World Rally Team, and Subaru took the manufacturers' title three years in a row from 1995 to 1997. Subaru's World Rally Championship cars are prepared and run by Prodrive, the highly successful British motorsport team. Several endurance records were set in the early and mid-nineties by the Subaru Legacy.

Subaru was briefly involved in Formula One circuit racing when it bought a controlling interest in the tiny Italian Coloni team for the 1990 season. The Coloni 3B's 12-cylinder engine was badged as a Subaru and shared the boxer layout with the company's own engines, but was an existing design built by Italian firm Motori Moderni.

The cars were overweight and underpowered and the partnership broke down before the season finished.[14] With the rise of rally racing, and the Import scene in the US, the introduction of the highly anticipated Subaru Impreza WRX in 2001 was successful in bringing high performance, AWD compact cars into the sports car mainstream.

On the 16 December 2008, it was announced that Subaru would no longer be competing in the World Rally Championships,[15] due to the issues with the current global economic crisis, combined with the prospect of a car which still needed development for the 2009 season and a change in regulations for the 2010 season.

The TSX would also eventually replace the Acura RSX (which in turn succeeded the Acura Integra coupe). As of 2008, the TSX is the smallest vehicle in the Acura model line, other than the Civic-based CSX sold only in Canada. All TSXs are built in Sayama, Saitama, Japan.

The TSX is badge engineered from the CL-series Accord (also known as the European Accord or JDM Accord) sold in Europe, Japan and Australia . The TSX initially had a restyled interior and different suspension tuning than the European Accord when it was introduced, however since 2008 the interior is now standardized for all three markets.

In the Australian & New Zealand, the CL-series is sold Accord Euro, a smaller mid-size car, where the USDM Accord is sold in the large car category. In North America, the TSX is sold alongside the mid-size luxury Acura TL, which is based on the USDM Accord, which in itself is a rebadged JDM Honda Inspire.

The Opel Vivaro – sold in the United Kingdom as the Vauxhall Vivaro – is a medium-sized light commercial vehicle (LCV or PKW) originally launched in 2001, and is available in panel van, minibus, combined bus/van and platform-cab configurations. Two wheelbases and two roof heights are available, as well as three diesel engines and a petrol engine.

The vehicle resulted from a joint venture between General Motors (owners of Opel and Vauxhall) and French manufacturer Renault, and is also sold as the Renault Trafic and by their ally Nissan as the Nissan Primastar. It is primarily manufactured at GMM Luton Vehicles (previously IBC) in England, and also by Nissan at their Zona Franca facility in Barcelona.

The vehicle is distinguished by its somewhat flamboyant and unconventional front design, compared with its more traditional competitors such as the smaller variants of the Ford Transit and Volkswagen Transporter.

There was a mild facelift in 2006 during which the front indicators were moved from the front bumper, up into the headlight housing.

A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional internal combustion engine propulsion system with an electric propulsion system. The presence of the electric power train is intended to achieve better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle. A hybrid electric vehicle is also a form of electric vehicle; a variety of types of HEV exist, and the degree to which they function as EVs varies as well. The most common form of HEV is the hybrid electric car, an automobile driven by a gasoline internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric motors powered by batteries.

Modern HEVs make use of efficiency-improving technologies such as regenerative braking, which converts the vehicle's kinetic energy into battery-replenishing electric energy, rather than wasting it as heat energy as vehicles equipped with conventional brakes do. Some varieties of HEVs use their internal combustion engine to generate electricity by spinning an electrical generator (this combination is known as a motor-generator), to either recharge their batteries or directly feed power to the electric motors that drive the vehicle.

Many HEVs reduce idle emissions by shutting down the ICE at idle and restarting it when needed; this is known as a start-stop system. A hybrid-electric produces less emissions from its ICE than a comparably-sized gasoline car, as an HEV's gasoline engine is usually smaller than a pure fossil-fuel vehicle, and if not used to directly drive the car, can be geared to run at maximum efficiency, further improving fuel economy.

By following the tips below you could save one month's worth of fuel over a year and reduce your emissions.

Drive smoothly and slowly

* drive smoothly and at a slower speed to reduce fuel consumption
* check the road ahead, anticipate traffic and avoid harsh acceleration and braking
* stick to the speed limits - at 70 miles per hour (mph) you could use up to 15 per cent more fuel than at 50 mph

Change gears at the right time

* correct gear changing will save fuel and reduce your emissions
* shift up a gear at 2,500 revs per minute (rpm) for petrol cars and 2,000 rpm for diesel cars
* a vehicle travelling at 37 mph in third gear uses 25 per cent more fuel than it would at the same speed in fifth gear

Stop and start less

* keeping the engine running or pumping the accelerator wastes fuel, increases engine wear and increases emissions
* get in and go - modern engines are designed to be most efficient when you do this
* switch your engine off if you won't be moving for a while

The benefits of car sharing

Car sharing schemes allow people to share vehicles for some journeys. The benefits of car sharing include:

* improved air quality and fewer carbon emissions due to reduced traffic
* reduced travel costs for each person
* less congestion and shorter journeys due to fewer cars being on the road
* an increased chance of finding a parking space, because fewer cars means less competition for spaces
* increased personal security if your car share means you walk to and from the car with somebody else

Car clubs

Car clubs give people access to a car for essential journeys without the need to own one.

Belonging to a club allows you to hire a vehicle which is parked in a reserved parking space, close to homes or workplaces. Vehicles can be used and paid for on an hourly, daily or weekly basis.

Using a car club can be less expensive and less hassle than owning your own car. You don't have to buy a vehicle or pay for expenses like maintenance, an MOT or car tax, and the system is usually simple:

* a car is booked through a central office using the telephone or internet
* cars can be hired 24 hours a day for as little as an hour at a time
* cars are left in parking bays close to homes or workplaces
* keys are either kept at a nearby safe, or in the car, which is accessed using a smart card
* drivers usually pay a monthly or yearly fee, and are billed for hours hired and miles driven
* servicing and maintenance is taken care of for you

The domestic auto industry posted a robust over 24 percent jump in August sales, fuelling hopes of an even better performance in the coming festival season. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the industry sold 10,08,702 units in August as against 8,11,341 units in the same month last year.

Passenger car sales continued to grow for the seventh straight month for August, up 25.59 percent while sales for motorcycles soared by 25.94 percent for the same month, SIAM said.

In terms of units sold, domestic passenger car sales rose to 1,20,669 from 96,082 units in the same month last year, while bikes increased to 6,11,173 units against 4,85,270 units in the corresponding month a year ago.

"During the last few months, sales were consistently growing. Of course, in last month it was fueled by some stock build-up at the dealer level for the anticipated festive demand," SIAM Senior Director Sugato Sen told reporters at New Delhi on Tuesday.

The low-base effect during the same period last year also had a positive impact on sales, he added.

Asked about the expected demand in the festive season, Sen said: "Government has announced that the last installment of the pay commission (revision) will be released, this will help people to fund their purchases... Also lot of activities in the infrastructure sector are going on... The growth trend is expected to continue."

Buying and adapting a car can be expensive. The Motability Scheme - run by the independent not-for-profit organisation Motability - gives disabled people the opportunity to own or lease a car at an affordable price.

You must pay for parking in most controlled parking zones and car parks. Parking without paying or exceeding the period allowed means you may be issued with a penalty fine.

There are two types of parking controls:

• restrictive parking - for waiting and loading only
• designated parking - identifies where vehicles can be left and under what conditions and includes residential parking zones
  

There are also areas where parking or waiting is banned:

• double yellow lines - parking is banned, although there may be specific exceptions for loading
• single yellow lines - parking is banned at specified times
• red routes - a single red line usually bans stopping and parking during working hours, while a double red line bans stopping and parking at any time