Car Parts 2011

The Mitsubishi i-Miev, which goes on sale in the UK at the end of January, is the first electric vehicle to benefit from the government's Plug-In Car Grant. The scheme introduced at the beginning of the year offers buyers up to £5,000 off the cost of an EV.

For now the i-Miev is the only EV that can be bought outright under the scheme, with the Peugeot iOn and smart for two electric drive available for lease from January. The Nissan LEAF will be available to buy from March.

The Japanese manufacturer have shipped around 2,500 units of the i-Miev to Europe, countries such as Britain, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, France and Belgium have been the first to receive the European-spec model. A total of 19 European countries are set to receive the i-Miev over the coming year.

In the UK 13 approved EV centres have been chosen, and each will have a dedicated Mitsubishi-trained EV salesman, a charging bay and a demonstration vehicle, to allow customers to experience driving and owning an EV. Two Mitsubishi dealer in London have been chosen, with the rest spanning the country.

Lance Bradley, the UK's managing director said:'This is a really exciting time for Mitsubishi Motors and having the first mass produced fully electric vehicle in the UK market puts us at the forefront of a new era in the automotive industry.'

The Super Sport model endeavors to recall the days of big block power. Chevrolet's website states that this 6.2 liter V8 can get a real world 19 miles per gallon in the EPA test cycle. But with 422 horsepower on tap, many will not be able to restrain themselves enough to see their best mileage. In fact, after driving the SS, it was hard to return it to the dealer. The SS does everything the RS does, but with more force. The handling is somewhat compromised by the heavier engine, but the suspension does a good job of reigning that in. Should understeer become an issue, judicious (not unbridled, particularly with the SS) application of the throttle will help that independent rear step out and correct the vehicles' direction.

At this week’s 2011 New York Auto Show, we’ll get a first taste of Suzuki’s plans with the Kizashi EcoCharge concept model. The prototype sedan is motivated by a 144HP 2.0-liter inline-four gasoline engine, working in tandem with an electric propulsion system comprising of a liquid-cooled 15-kW motor/generator unit tied to a 115-volt air-cooled lithium-ion battery.

Joining the Kizashi EcoCharge Concept at the New York Auto Show is a second prototype version of Suzuki’s sedan model called the Kizashi Apex Concept. While the EcoCharge hybrid is all about improving fuel economy, the Apex version concentrates purely on the performance aspect of the build while also showcasing the link between Suzuki's automotive division and its championship-winning motorcycles.