News in brief

12th June 2007

It's just gone on sale, but Peugeot is already planning a revamp for the 207 GTi. The firm will give the 175bhp hot hatch a beefier bodykit and a £15,395 price - up by £400 - in July. Bosses have decided the car looks too 'understated' to compete with the likes of the Vauxhall Corsa VXR and Renaultsport Clio 197.

MOTORISTS get their tyres back to front when fitting new ones, claims safety organisation TyreSafe. It says half of motorists think new rubber should go on the front, when the opposite is true. "Fresh rear tyres disperse water better, improving braking," explained a spokesman. "If they are put on the front, the older rears can promote oversteer."

BRITISH caravanners are more likely to experience road rage in the UK than on the Continent. In a poll by travel firm Eurocamp Independent, more than 75 per cent of 'vanners said that UK drivers are the most aggressive in Europe. German, French and Spanish motorists were more co-operative, while the M25 was named the UK's 'most vicious' road for caravan owners.

EXPERTS at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents say drink-drive limits should be slashed to curb deaths involving young motorists. New police figures show 17-24-year-olds make up a large proportion of drivers in alcohol-related incidents. RoSPA said the findings demonstrate an "urgent need" for change. It claims a drop in the limit from 80mg to 50mg would save 65 lives and 230 injuries a year.

KIA DESIGN chief Peter Schreyer will be given an Honorary Doctorate at the Royal College of Art. Schreyer, who graduated from the RCA in 1980, penned the original Audi TT and VW's new Beetle, and will receive the honour on 29 June. Only two other designers have been awarded the accolade - legends Battista Pininfarina and Giorgetto Giugiaro.