Kia is set to reveal the most outrageous people carrier ever at the Detroit Motor Show in January. Known as the KV7 crossover concept, it will have gullwing doors that open upwards, just like the DeLorean and the Mercedes SLS AMG.

The Korean company is no stranger to creating show-stopping concept cars, all of which aim to shed its image as a maker of low budget models.

Kia has only released this concept sketch so far, but promises more information closer to the show. However, it's a...

Kia is set to reveal the most outrageous people carrier ever at the Detroit Motor Show in January. Known as the KV7 crossover concept, it will have gullwing doors that open upwards, just like the DeLorean and the Mercedes SLS AMG.

The Korean company is no stranger to creating show-stopping concept cars, all of which aim to shed its image as a maker of low budget models.

Kia has only released this concept sketch so far, but promises more information closer to the show. However, it's a...

The BBC's 'Top Gear' is once again embroiled in controversy after the famous hosts were shown performing a drive-by shooting of The Stig.

The stunt aired on Tuesday evening (December 21) during the first of two Christmas specials, involving a trip across the US.

The episode has been slammed by some viewers and the BBC has admitted that it has received a 'considerable number' of complaints. TV regulator Ofcom has confirmed that it has also been contacted, and will investigate in due cou...

This is the Range Rover RS500, perhaps the ultimate version of the luxury SUV. It has been created by Range Rover specialist Kahn, but with power from tuning masters at Cosworth.

The result is 500bhp from a 4.4-litre V8 diesel engine. In the standard Range Rover, the same engine develops only 313bhp.

Cosworth hasn't revealed how it has extracted so much more power from the engine, but we do know that the car has a completely new exhaust system. Four huge stainless steel tailpipes sit fl...

It's a gentle evolution for the new Mercedes C-Class. The German firm has sold over a million of them since 2007, so it has decided not to mess with the formula too much for this new version, due to be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in January.

But there are lots of worthwhile changes, particularly to the interior, which is much improved. Better fuel economy is a given and there's a host of new technology help the Merc to keep up with big rivals like the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4....

There's no doubt that owning a 4x4 helps when it comes to tackling snow and ice on the road. But as this video proves, it's not a guarantee.

Captured in the city of Spokane, Washington, US, the footage shows an extraordinary pile-up as a number of doomed 4x4s and pickup trucks, unable to brake on the slippery surface, slowly slide into each other.

If you wait for it, in the midst of the madness, a Ford saloon (which we suspect is wearing winter tyres) casually negotiates its way down the ...

Jeremy Clarkson became a high profile casualty of the snow yesterday, as he was forced to abandon his car and hitch a ride with two strangers.

We don't know what the 'Top Gear' star was driving at the time, but we do know it will probably stay abandoned until after the New Year.

Clarkson was on his way home in Oxfordshire during yesterday's blizzards (December 21 2010) when he realised that he'd probably struggle to make it home. So, he left his car (as did hundreds of other motorist...

Not everything has ground to a halt due to the heavy winter snowfall, as the value of used 4x4s is soaring.

That's according to used car value experts at CAP, who have reported that the average value of a used 4x4 has gone up by almost ten percent compared to this time last year.

The news is even more startling because most other types of car are seeing used values fall. Second-hand convertible prices are down almost eight percent, while small MPVs have seen a massive 9.5 percent dip....

An Italian company called Covini has revealed a peculiar six-wheeled supercar.

Despite its obscure looks, the Covini CV6 isn't the first high performance car with six wheels. The Tyrell P34 Formula One racer and the Panther 6 of the 1970s pipped Covini to the post.

Thanks to a partnership with industrial digger builder PMI, the CV6 is already being offered to interested (and wealthy) customers.

It's an impressive effort, too - on paper at least. It's powered by a 440bhp 4.2-litre V8 t...

The AA has confirmed that yesterday (Monday December 20) was the busiest day in its 105-year history. The breakdown organisation attended 3,000 stranded motorists every hour.

That remarkable callout volume is three times its usual rate, and meant that the AA attended to 28,000 roadside breakdowns throughout the day.

A normal Monday sees around 10,500 callouts, and the previous record was 25,000, set on January 4 2010. The AA has called in extra patrols to cope with demand, which isn'...

MINI has unveiled an all-new model called the Paceman, which will make its debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2011. The company claims that it's the first sports activity coupe in the small premium segment.

The Paceman is effectively a coupé version of the existing MINI Countryman. It's not the first car to try and combine SUV and coupé forms, either - the Range Rover Evoque does the same thing - but the MINI is significantly smaller.

MINI won't be drawn on its plans to put...

Hyundai will unveil its new i40 at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March. It's a large family car that will go head-to-head with the likes of the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia, and Hyundai is promising that it will be a top quality, premium model.

In other words, Hyundai - traditionally a budget car maker - is moving upmarket with the i40, with claims of class-leading quality, performance and technical features.

The car will first appear as an estate, and a saloon version will follow ...

YouTube video: Driving tests in bad weather - what you need to do

DSA has published a new video on YouTube so driving test candidates know what they need to do if there's snow or ice in their area on the day of their practical driving test.

If you run your own website, you can embed the video, or share it on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Watch the video on YouTube

The cost of filling up is more then it has ever been, as average fuel prices hit a record high. Petrol is now 122.14p per litre on average, and diesel is 126.19p.

And prices are only going one way - up. On January 4 the VAT increase to 20 percent will add 2.5p to a litre, and a penny is due to be added three days earlier, on January 1.

The increases will add £1.25 to the cost of filling a 50-litre fuel tank, which is about the average capacity of a family hatchback. At current prices...

BMW has taken subliminal advertising to new levels, by literally getting into the heads of viewers.

In a cutting edge experiment, the company's motorcycle division flashed 'BMW' into the eyes of viewers as they watched an advertisement.

The advert, featuring Superbike World Championship rider Ruben Xaus, used the 'after image' effect so that when viewers closed their eyes, they could clearly see the BMW logo.

The viewers only saw a flash - never the actual BMW logo explicitly - and we...

The landmark new Ford Focus will start at £15,995 when it goes on sale in March 2011, the company has revealed.

That will buy a five-door Edge model with a 104bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine. Prices are bookended by the £25,095 Titanium X Powershift model, which features a 161bhp 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine.

No prices have been revealed for the high performance ST version, which gets a 2.0-litre turbocharged EcoBoost engine developing over 250bhp.

At the moment, the cheapest Ford Focus...

Audi has revealed its next Le Mans 24-Hour racing car - the R18, which is the most advanced car the company has ever made.

It replaces the R15 TDI, which has enjoyed notable success since its introduction in 2008. It won its maiden race, the 2009 12 Hours of Sebring, but lost to Peugeot in the 2009 Le Mans 24-Hour race. It regained its Le Mans stronghold by winning this year's race in June.

The new R18 car has a significantly smaller engine than its predecessor: a 3.6-litre unit as op...

A bus driver in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA, has been forced to resign after he was filmed flattening a snowman on the wrong side of the road.

A group of students at the University of Illinois had built the snowman on the road, then set up a video camera to film drivers slowing down to avoid it.

Much to the shock and amusement of the students, a bus approached on the wrong side of the road and flattened the snowman.

The footage, which can be seen below, was posted online with the ti...

Volkswagen has brought its innovative Taxi Concept vehicle to London as part of a world tour.

Finished in traditional black, with a London crest on its sliding side door, the Taxi Concept is based on VW's forthcoming UP! city car.

Powered by an electric motor and lithium ion batteries, it has a potential range of 186 miles between charges and a top speed of 74mph. An 80% charge would take just over an hour.

Volkswagen has researched taxi usage worldwide and claims that the range is mo...

The Government has officially announced the cars that will qualify for its £5,000 Plug-In Car Grant from January 1 2011.

Nine cars qualify for the £5,000 discount, which despite the potentially misleading title, covers full electric cars and plug-in hybrids.

Buyers of any car on the list, which includes the Nissan Leaf, the Chevrolet Volt and the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, will receive a 25 percent discount on the car up to the value of £5,000.

To qualify for the grant, a car must...

We're not strangers to electric vehicles here at Yahoo! Cars. Browse through our reviews section and you'll find more than a few examples of motors that run off the mains.

Most car manufacturers have a modest number of electric cars in the pipeline or in concept form - but Mercedes-Benz has a whole fleet of them up and running. Some are closer to production than others, but many are undergoing trials across the globe for fine-tuning before they appear in showrooms.

Yahoo! Cars got th...

Thousands of learner drivers failed their tests this year because they were taught by trainee instructors.

Statistics published by the AA show that up to 27,000 learners taught by trainees failed in 2010. The cost of re-taking those tests is estimated at £1.7 million.

In the UK, trainee instructors are allowed to give learner drivers lessons without having passed any exams. Therefore, learner drivers are often taught by a 'learner' themselves, without realising it.

Trainee instructors ...

A parking warden ticketed a car in Cambridge without realising the driver was dead in the back seat.

The grey Nissan Qashqai was parked in a pay-and-display bay in a car park at the River Cam, Cambridge when it was ticketed.

The parking warden didn't see the man slumped in the back seat until after he had put the ticket on the car.

Other people parked in the car park thought the man, who was in his fifties, was sleeping in the car.

Parking wardens are forbidden from waking up people in cars...

More than 250 miles of roadworks on motorways and major A roads should be completed by next week, the Highways Agency has confirmed. A further 64 miles are planned to be suspended between Christmas Eve and 4 January 2011, making things a little easier for holiday traffic.

In all, 142 sets of roadworks are due to be completed ahead of the Christmas and New Year holiday traffic.

A further 34 sets of roadworks and lane restrictions are...

17/12:38: Heavy Snow - South West England

ADVISORY of Heavy Snow for South West England valid from 0000 Sat 18 Dec to 2359 Sat 18 Dec

There are some truly rubbish car-based gifts around. Who really still finds those 'my other car is a...' stickers funny any more (or ever did)? Thankfully, however, there are some useful ones on the market - some of them reasonably tasteful. Here are a few suggestions for you, while there's still time to go out and buy them.

Gift: 'Car Science' by Richard Hammond
Price: £9.99
Where to buy: kelkoo.co.uk

Richard Hammond also writes books in between presenting 'Top Gear' and having terrible...

17/02:58: Heavy Snow - South West England

FLASH Warning of Heavy Snow for South West England valid from 0505 Fri 17 Dec to 1100 Fri 17 Dec

A car crash in South Africa left a family of four with seriously wounded pride. Thankfully nobody was hurt in the crash - but they did end up covered in white emulsion.

The bizarre accident happened as the family were driving their Blue Fiat hatchback through KwaZulu-Natal. Two children were in the back seat along with a 25-litre tub of white emulsion.

It's not certain how the car ended up colliding with a van, but the impact sent the tub of paint flying forward, covering the occupan...

Insurance claims have leapt by 23 percent during the week ending 5 December, compared to the week previous.

The startling leap shows the dramatic affect the first week of major snow had on drivers in the UK. A total of 1,888 clams were made during that time, compared to 1,453 the week before.

The claims, taken by the AA's Cardiff call centre, include some very unfortunate, almost comical prangs. One claimant said he 'skidded on black ice, hit a kerb, bounded off a tree, hit another ca...

Drivers are being warned that they could face a £60 fine and three penalty points if they drive with snow on the roof of their car.

However, rumours circulating on Facebook and via text message stating that drivers will face on-the-spot fines for a snowy car roof have been dismissed by police as an 'urban myth'.

Rule 229 of the Highway Code states that drivers should 'remove all snow that might fall into the path of other road users'.

For that reason, police may prosecute for careless ...

15/02:05: Heavy Snow - South West England

ADVISORY of Heavy Snow for South West England valid from 0001 Sun 19 Dec to 2359 Sun 19 Dec

A powder blue Mercedes-Benz 600, formerly owned by Elvis Presley, has sold for £80,700 at auction - less than half the £200,000 it was expected to raise.

The 600 Saloon Limousine, one of two owned by The King, went under the hammer at Mercedes-Benz World in Surrey yesterday (December 6 2010).

The 1970 car was one of two 600s owned by Presley, and according to auction house Bonhams, was also one of only 'a handful' of cars he registered to himself. He kept it for two years before gi...

14/01:18: Widespread Icy Roads - South West England

ADVISORY of Widespread Icy Roads for South West England valid from 0001 Sat 18 Dec to 2359 Sat 18 Dec

The worst ever pothole season is just around the corner, according experts at potholes.co.uk.

Extremely cold weather, led by the earliest seasonal period of major snowfall for 17 years, means countless potholes will spring up across UK roads.

Last year, British motorists paid an estimated £320 million for repairs as a result of pothole damage to cars. That includes damaged wheels, suspension, tyres and bodywork.

However, Dunclan McLure Fisher of Warranty Direct, which runs potholes.co...

13/00:36: Heavy Snow - South West England

ADVISORY of Heavy Snow for South West England valid from 0001 Fri 17 Dec to 2359 Fri 17 Dec

Some insurance companies are increasing premiums for drivers that fit winter tyres because they are a 'modification', according to Auto Express magazine.

The move has been met with fury by policyholders, safety groups and car industry experts alike. Winter tyres are designed for safer use in cold, snowy conditions.

An article in issue 1,143 (December 1-6) of Auto Express quotes reader David Gana from Oldham, who said that his insurer, Frizzel, told him that the 'modification' of winte...

Pope Benedict XVI has underlined his reputation as being the 'green Pope' by investigating the possibility of an electric Pope-mobile.

The Pope, who regularly comments on the importance of 'protecting creation', has already had solar panels installed at the Vatican.

The Pope now wants to replace his heavily modified, petrol-powered Mercedes-Benz with a solar-powered electric alternative.

SolarWorld, a German firm that fitted the Vatican's solar panels, has discussed the possibility of...

It's the game everyone is talking about, but Caterham has decided to prove that reality is better than the virtual world by driving a GranTurismo track for real.

Caterham drove Route 246, a city circuit around Tokyo that starts and finishes within sight of Sony's global headquarters.

The driver, wearing a Stig-like helmet and white race suit, drives a Caterham Superlight R300 around Tokyo's streets.

Famously congested, the drive was undertaken early in the morning to avoid traffic snarl...

09/19:54: Widespread Icy Roads - South West England

FLASH Warning of Widespread Icy Roads for South West England valid from 2000 Thu 09 Dec to 0900 Fri 10 Dec

Following the introduction of independent driving and the withdrawal of test routes, in this issue we look at the changes to the theory test questions.

We also look at how DSA is working with stakeholders to improve rider trainer services and we hear from actress Michelle Yeoh on how she is getting involved in the ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety’ campaign. For this and more, see the links below.

There are three ways to read Despatch:

• view the interactive Flash version ...

08/23:16: Widespread Icy Roads - South West England

FLASH Warning of Widespread Icy Roads for South West England valid from 0120 Thu 09 Dec to 1100 Thu 09 Dec

Find out when the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) customer service centre and driving test centres are open over Christmas and New Year.

Online services available as normal

DSA's online services will be available throughout Christmas and the New Year at direct.gov.uk/drivingtest. You can book, check, change or cancel your:

• theory test, 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• practical test, between 6.00 am and midnight, seven days a week

Thursday 23 December 2010

• DSA is o...

07/22:28: Widespread Icy Roads - South West England

ADVISORY of Widespread Icy Roads for South West England valid from 0001 Wed 08 Dec to 2359 Wed 08 Dec

The electric-powered Nissan Leaf hatchback has caused a shock by taking the 2011 European Car of the Year title.

It's the first time an electric car has won the award, and it succeeds 2010's winner, the Volkswagen Polo.

The Leaf was one of a shortlist of seven finalists, drawn from a total of 41 contenders for the title. The finalists included the Ford C-Max, Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Citroen DS3 and Dacia Duster, which isn't sold in the UK.

The jury comprises 58 motoring experts from 23 cou...

06/20:20: Widespread Icy Roads - South West England

ADVISORY of Widespread Icy Roads for South West England valid from 0001 Tue 07 Dec to 2359 Tue 07 Dec

A sharp increase in the number of roundabouts in America is creating confusion and anger among drivers, according to a report by the New York Times.

Roundabouts are commonplace in the UK but they're still a rare sight on US roads. They began to appear in the early 1990s and there are currently around 2,000 in the entire country.

Most American motorists will rarely have to use a roundabout. However, the comparative safety and environmental benefit of roundabouts compared to traffic li...

05/20:37: Widespread Icy Roads - South West England

ADVISORY of Widespread Icy Roads for South West England valid from 0001 Mon 06 Dec to 2359 Mon 06 Dec

A report by the Government has admitted that air pollution caused by traffic and power stations is shortening the average life expectancy by six months.

The shocking admission comes in a newly published response to a March report by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC). The EAC report highlighted that air pollution could be contributing to 50,000 deaths per year.

Strict EU emissions targets aim to reduce the concentration of pollutants like sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen...

04/09:48: Widespread Icy Roads - South West England

ADVISORY of Widespread Icy Roads for South West England valid from 0000 Sun 05 Dec to 2359 Sun 05 Dec

With the winter snow already inches thick in some parts of the UK, Vauxhall has released a set of 'snow socks' for tyres that are as timely as they are clever.

They're effectively a pair of fabric snow chains that slip over the driven tyres of your car to provide extra grip.

Vauxhall claims that they're more effective over ice and snow than winter tyres, but far less cumbersome than snow chains. They're made from a fabric with fibres that are: 'Arranged at right angles in the direction...

The AA has urged drivers to take extra care today as the first snow of the year causes misery for drivers across the UK.

Last night's blizzards (24 November 2010) marked the earliest heavy winter snowfall since 1993, with over 15cm settling in northern England and Scotland. The Met Office is warning the snow will keep falling until the end of next week.

The AA is already seeing increased activity, with callouts 'significantly up' in North Yorkshire and Newcastle. Yesterday afternoon t...

The Department for Transport’s ‘Know your traffic signs’ booklet is now available on Directgov. You can go to an individual section for images and information on traffic signs, signals and road markings. Or, you can download the booklet in full, free of charge.

To take a look, go to direct.gov.uk/trafficsigns.

Why know your traffic signs?
Traffic signs play a vital role in directing, informing and controlling road users’ behaviour in an eff...

02/02:50: Heavy Snow - South West England

FLASH Warning of Heavy Snow for South West England valid from 0255 Thu 02 Dec to 1100 Thu 02 Dec

Designated drivers will be rewarded in thousands of pubs across the country as part of the THINK! Christmas drink drive campaign, launched today by Road Safety Minister Mike Penning.

Designated drivers will be rewarded in thousands of pubs across the country as part of the THINK! Christmas drink drive campaign, launched today by Road Safety Minister Mike Penning.

In addition to running radio advertising, posters in pub washrooms and online search act...

30/15:38: Widespread Icy Roads - South West England

FLASH Warning of Widespread Icy Roads for South West England valid from 1705 Tue 30 Nov to 1000 Wed 01 Dec