News In Brief

Pagani stereo...and more

Supercar firm turns up the volume, biofuel boost, birthday Czech and more....

Auto Express Car Reviews

25th March 2008

Pagani stereo is calling the tune
There's only one thing more tuneful than a Pagani Zonda’s quad tailpipes, and that’s the Italian supercar manufacturer’s new home hi-fi! The stereo, inspired by Pagani’s road car, is crafted from carbon fibre and aluminium. It incorporates twin vinyl decks, a CD player and a control unit similar to the one found in the Zonda’s dash.

New germ-based biofuel on way
Not all bacteria is bad! Boffins at the University of Maryland, US, have found one strain that can be used to produce up to 75 billion gallons of ethanol each year. The enzyme can break down a variety of materials, such as forestry residue, into sugars used in biofuel production.

Skoda party as Octavia hits 2m
Two million and still counting! That’s the major production milestone that Skoda has just hit with its Octavia, since the car was first launched in 1996. The current-generation model, which arrived in showrooms in 2004 and is built at a plant in Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic, accounts for 685,000 of these. There are also assembly factories in India, Russia and Kazakhstan.

Nissan pick-up in crash test boost
The Nissan Navara’s star is rising. After being awarded a struck-through one-star rating in its first Euro NCAP crash test, the new 2008 version of the pick-up has upped its score to three stars for occupant protection. The improvement is largely due to upgrades to the airbag software, which was suffering from delayed triggering in frontal impacts.

Latest drop-top ’Vette up for hire
Driving to and from the airport has never been so much fun! Rental firm Avis has added the 424bhp 6.2-litre Corvette C6 convertible to its fleet. The US supercar can be hired for around £80 per day. But as you might expect, it will only be available in the sunny states of Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada.