Life Car
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Under the skin: How carbon tubes can slash emissions
Nawa Technologies has been showing how versatile its carbon nanotube technology is for, ironically, reducing carbon emissions. Its latest use of the technology, called Nawastitch, is a method of strengthening traditional carbonfibre to achieve a 900% increase in impact damage resistance while cutting weight by 20-30%. Already in commercial use in sports bicycle wheel rims, the material is also aimed at producing tougher, lighter EV battery casings and hydrogen storage tanks for fuel cell vehicles. It can also be used inside fuel cells to improve performance and increase lifespan. As well as cutting weight, the plan is to use the…
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Honda Jazz Crosstar 2023 UK first drive
Jazz music has endured in popularity as many of its contemporaneous genres have dropped into history, and so too has its Honda namesake, which has just been updated while a supermini cull is occuring. Essential to its ongoing viability are its relatively high price – £27,000 is the minimum you will pay – and the low impact on Honda’s fleet emissions made by its innovative e:HEV powertrain. ‘Update’ is far more accurate than ‘facelift’ in this instance, because said hybrid system has been the primary target of Honda’s attention, while the external design changes are limited to a refreshed front grille…
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Editor’s Letter: Vauxhall is now more than just cheap fleet deals
For much of its recent past, Vauxhall seemed forever trapped in a cycle of discounting its cars and distress selling at the end of the month, activities that undermine any notion of a brand seeking a positive image and the ‘upper mainstream’ positioning it desired. Then it became part of PSA in 2017 and things began to change. Back then, the average price of its cars sold, once adjusted for relative vehicle line ups and specification, sat six to seven percentage points behind Volkswagen. Source link
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New Lexus LBX arrives as hybrid entry model
The TNGA-B platform was also modified to ensure the LBX drives like a Lexus, with Endo referring to 1989’s seminal LS saloon as a reference. The wheelbase was stretched by 20mm, the overhangs reduced and the track widened, meaning the crossover is 4190mm long, 1825mm wide and 1545mm high, with a 2580mm-long wheelbase. For reference, the old CT hatchback was 165mm longer and 195mm wider, yet its wheelbase was only 20mm longer than that of the LBX. The front suspension has also been reworked to optimise the LBX’s handling, with feedback from Toyota chairman and famously enthusiastic driver Akio Toyoda…
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Spike in fleet sales drives recovery of UK new car market
A spike in sales to fleets has allowed the UK’s car market to continue its recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, with volumes rising for 10 consecutive months. More than 76,000 cars were sold to fleets during May, a 36.9% rise compared with May 2022, according to new data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This increase – which meant fleet sales comprised 52.5% of May’s new car market – reflects a “regularisation” of supply, said the SMMT. Sales to businesses rose by 22.5% year on year to 3065 cars. However, the private car market stalled in May,…
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Bold new look for heavily updated Kia Picanto
Leaked images of the heavily updated Kia Picanto show boldly redesigned front and rear ends and a lightly restyled interior. The new Picanto, one of the cheapest and smallest cars on sale today, is set to be revealed in the coming weeks and will adopt styling cues from Kia’s new ‘Opposites United’ design language to bring it into line with newer models, including the Sportage, Sorento, EV6 and EV9. The images, leaked by Autospy, show a prominent ‘Tiger Nose’ front grille, vertical LED headlights with EV9-inspired daytime-running lights and an LED rear light bar. The boot release has been moved to just…
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Best selling cars in the UK 2022
6 Kia Sportage – 14,976 units Consistency is key for the Kia Sportage, which entered its fifth generation at the tail end of last year. It looks like the SUV will once again prove a smash hit for Kia in 2023, thanks to its eye-catching design, on-trend powertrains and strong value for money. It consistently finished in the top 10 last year. 7 Tesla Model Y – 14,012 units Tesla’s influence on the UK car market continues, and the Model Y is the driving force. The crossover first went on sale last February on our shores in a Long Range specification, and…
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The Fastest Ever Nürburgring Lap Times 2021
The Radical SR8LM had held the lap record since 2009, when it lapped in just 6min 48sec in the hands of Michael Vergers, until it was dislodged by the Porsche GT2 RS. The king may be dead, but the Radical still holds a place in the top five. Vergers was driving the car just 24 hours after it was driven from England to Germany for the record. Controversially, the SR8LM only has British single-vehicle approval, not full type-approval, and so there’s some debate as to whether it qualifies as a true street-legal production car record. 7 – Lamborghini Huracán Performante –…
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BTCC 2023: Sutton celebrates sixth win of the season
Ash Sutton claimed his fifth and sixth race victories of the 2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Thruxton this weekend, as the Napa Racing UK star extended his advantage in the drivers’ standings. The final reverse grid race was won by team-mate Dan Rowbottom to complete a fantastic day for the Ford Focus ST squad at the UK’s fastest circuit, which welcomed a huge crowd basked in glorious sunshine throughout the weekend. Tom Ingram and Josh Cook completed the podium positions in each of the first two races, before Adam Morgan and Aiden Moffat claimed silverware in the finale.…
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Clean Air Zones: what you need to know
The general rule is that to travel within a CAZ without a charge, your vehicle has to be at least a Euro 4 emission standard compliant petrol model – in other words, registered after January 2006 – or, if it is a diesel, compliant with Euro 6 standards (registered after September 2015). If your vehicle meets these standards, in all probability you will not have to pay a charge. However, even if your vehicle does fall outside of Euro 4 or 6, you may still be able to avoid a charge, depending on what kind of vehicle it is and…
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