News in brief

29th July 2007

German firm Audi is on an efficiency drive. It’s dropping the current 1.6-litre FSI engine from the A3 range in favour of the 1.4 TFSI turbo and supercharged unit from VW’s Golf. The change will take place from 1 August.

However, this is not the only revision in the line-up. The A4 and Q7 will both get the new 240bhp 3.0-litre TDI diesel from the A5 as well. This powerplant will eventually be offered with super-efficient Bluetec technology, which gives improved economy and reduced CO2 emissions.

WHATa milestone! Mazda has built its 40-millionth car.
Company president Hizakazu Imaki hosted a commemorative ceremony to greet the Jade Green 2 at the factory gates. The Japanese manufacturer produced its first vehicle, a three-wheeled truck, back in October 1931.

Meanwhile, rival Honda has just made its two-millionth Jazz – a former Auto Express New Car Honours winner. The supermini is now sold in 115 countries and produced in five factories.

THE DVLA generates a staggering £4.2million in online transactions each day – that’s 25 per cent more than Tesco. Over 273,000
customers a week now pay for their car tax using the agency’s website, compared to the quarter of a million who log on to the supermarket’s Internet service.

In the past financial year alone, the DVLA handled seven million transactions – nearly double that of Argos. On its busiest days, the service collects £10million in revenue, and it has raised more than £1billion since it was first introduced in January 2006.