April Fool's round-up

Land Rover amused us all by creating an automatically levelling tax disc holder. Why? To help owners comply with new Health and Safety regulations! The 4x4 manufacturer ran an advert stating that, to prevent RNS (Repetitive Neck Strain) among traffic wardens, a new law would require tax discs to be displayed at an angle not exceeding 10 degrees. The holder, using Contra-Motion technology, ensures a legally positioned disc whatever the camber. Land Rover also posted a YouTube video showing the ‘launch’ of the product, tellingly hosted by a certain Joe King.

Following on from its AF-J ('April Fool's Joke' if you hadn't got it) teaser it posted on Facebook earlier, Mitsubishi has revealed the official image of its new Evo concept - and it's called the i-MiEVO! It seems that the firm is dropping the four-door saloon format for rally-bred monster in favour of a city car bodyshell based on the electric i-MiEV. Powered by lithium ion batteries producing 261kW - the equivalent of 350bhp - the i-MiEVO gains racy alloys, an aggressive bodykit and an adapted version of the gaping grille currently found on the Evo X. 

Speculation was rife regarding an unusual M3 variant when a pick-up version of the coupe was spotted lapping the Nurburgring last month. It seems that it was all part of an elaborate ruse, culminating in the announcement of the new commercial model today. The ute uses the V8 from the standard car, and features a drop-down tailgate and canvas cover offering access to metal-covered load bay. There’s also a targa-style roof for the cabin.

Mitsubishi used its Lancer Evolution Facebook page to ‘reveal’ this teaser of a new concept for the Evo – called the AF-J. According to the company, the moniker stems from a logical naming system it applies to all its concept vehicles. In this case, ‘AF’ is the initials of the car’s designer, with the ‘J’ denoting Japan. Or you can look at it another way, but we’ll leave that for you to work out. The AF-J will be officially revealed on the Facebook page at 1500 BST today.

We’ve all heard of the celebrity sat-nav voice – now Seat is claiming to have taken bespoke navigation instructions to a new level. The new Seat Media Audio Recognition Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) senses where in the country you are and issues instructions in the local dialect.So, for example, a driver arriving in Glasgow might be told, ‘Aye, right…. you’ve made it at last then, eh? Yer numpty.’

How do car-dealers go about stopping pigeons making a mess of their cars? With the help of local pigeon fanciers of course! Kia has enlisted them to create ‘Feather Free Zones’ to protect dealer forecourts. Pigeon expert Joe Kerr said, ‘When Kia approached me with this idea, I thought they were having a laugh. After all, how can you tell a wild bird where to take its toilet breaks? But I’ve kept pigeons for over forty years; I love birds and any scheme that helps people realise they’re a pleasure, not a mere pest, is worth getting involved with.’

With the forthcoming marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton on everybody’s lips, BMW has announced a special Royal Edition of the M3 Coupe to commemorate the event. The car will be available in three colours: Regal Red, Bridal White and Imperial Blue – with an interior trimmed in Windsor White Dakota leather. A BMW source said ‘Given the Windsor's German heritage, the BMW M3 Royal Edition should make for the ideal wedding gift. ’The best bit? The ‘Will’ emblem derived from an upturned BMW ‘M’ badge.