News in brief

27th January 2007

Fire engines carrying cameras could be used to catch errant motorists, under a proposed partnership between South York­shire Police and the local brigade.

Tenders would be fitted with camera equipment linked into the force's data records, which can identify vehicles in seconds.

SCIENTISTS are changing the make-up of car paint so it can attract the eye with more than colour alone.

Experts at paint supplier BASF Coatings have tinkered with mixtures to produce pigments with a soft 'glow', such as that created by crystals in rocks, while other metallic finishes dazzle like glittering confetti.

And the firm has invented a new painting system so that one hue gradually changes into another across the bodywork. We can expect more developments in the future, too. BASF colour stylist Michaela Finkenzeller claimed that matt finishes will soon rival high-gloss coatings. Her prediction came after the firm monitored motor show visitors, who were keen to touch satin finishes, but ignored glosses.

A NEW study shows the amount of aluminium used in European cars has risen from 50kg in 1990 to 132kg in 2005, and will grow by another 25kg by 2010.

Weight savings from the lighter metal will lead to an annual fuel reduction of one billion litres, and cut 40 million tonnes of CO2 emis­sions over the vehicles' lifespan.