News in brief

Wraps of Welsh wagon....and more

Battery-powered Brit, VIP Motor Show tickets, diesel hybrid canned, Bentley blows clean.

Auto Express Car Reviews

13th March 2008

Battery-powered Brit in family way
An all-new electric family car that’s designed and built in Britain goes on sale this week – just as petrol and diesel prices near £5 a gallon. The five-seater Zecar costs £15,000, and manufacturer Stevens Vehicles, based in Port Talbot, Neath, says it will quickly pay for itself with running costs of less than two pence per mile. It uses a lead acid battery and electric motors to give a 56mph top speed and a 56-mile range.

Bag your VIP pass for Brit show now
Fancy seeing some world debuts for yourself as they happen? Well, you will be able to at the British Motor Show at the ExCeL arena in London’s Docklands this summer. Organisers are selling 500 special VIP tickets for press day on 22 July. The limited access passes cost £100 each, and are available now on a first come first served basis. Visit the www.britishmotorshow.co.uk website to place your order.

Citroen axes HDi hybrid hatchback
Plans for the C4 Diesel Hybrid have been canned for cost reasons, according to Citroen. But the firm still aims to have the technology on sale by 2011. Top brass have so far refused to speculate on what car could offer the drivetrain, which is said to deliver up to 90mpg. Yet it’s thought more expensive Citroens, such as the C6 executive model and the C-Crosser SUV, are most likely.

Bentley ready to clean up its act
luxury giant Bentley is promising its future vehicle line-up will have vastly reduced CO2 emissions, thanks to the development of an advanced engine. While details are scarce, bosses have confirmed the unit is not a hybrid, but uses new technology to cut carbon output to between 260g/km and 280g/km without sacrificing performance. The company also says its engines will be able to run on biofuel by 2012.