The Department for Transport has announced that it will hand more than £100 million to local councils to help fix the UK's pothole-ridden roads.

Transport secretary Philip Hammond announced the funding today (February 23), and confirmed that it will be in addition to the £831 million already provided to councils for road maintenance this year.

The Government has pledged £3 billion in total over the next four years. During the announcement, Mr Hammond said: "Millions of motorists a...

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Volkswagen will officially unveil the new Golf Cabriolet at the Geneva Motor Show next week. It's the third convertible in the German firm's line-up.

Despite being similar in size to both the Eos and the Beetle Cabriolet, the Golf is set to be the most practical of Volkswagen's soft-tops.

The company claims that the electric folding soft-top means that 250 litres of luggage space remains, even with the roof down. The Golf hatchback has a 350-litre boot - and even with the roof up the B...

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Rocketman! No, we can't get the Elton John song out of our heads either. At least MINI's Rocketman concept car isn't mind-numbingly average.

The quirky company's centrepiece at next week's 2011 Geneva Motor Show is a concept car that isn't much bigger than the original, classic Mini, and it has the most unusual set of doors seen since the MINI Clubman.

Inside it's no more conventional, with a 3+1 seating arrangement to maximise the space of a car that's only just over three metres lo...

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Italian performance car maker Maserati has revealed the first pictures of the GranCabrio Sport - a new, hardcore version of the existing GranCabrio.

Due to be unveiled at next week's Geneva Motor Show, the GranCabrio Sport is the convertible version of Maserati's GranTurismo coupé, and it's powered by the company's existing 4.7-litre V8 engine.

This engine will deliver more power than that of the standard GranCabrio, though. Maserati has fitted the hotter 442bhp engine, from the Gra...

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BMW has announced that its super clean hybrid and electric cars will come under a new 'i' sub brand.

The first such cars to appear under the new brand are the i-3 city car and the i-8 sports coupé concepts - both of which are due for release in 2013.

This isn't the first time that BMW has showcased the i-3, though it was previously known as the BMW Mega City Vehicle.

In its current form, the i-3 is a small, four-seat city car, powered by electricity only. It features a 170bhp electric...

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Tuning company G-Power has modified a BMW M5 Touring to make it the fastest estate car in the world.

The power crazy German firm has added a pair of superchargers to the M5's existing 5.0-litre V10, which, along with other hi-tech tweaks means an overall total of 740bhp.

Such huge figures make the tuned M5 Touring - renamed the G-Power Hurricane - capable of 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds and 224mph flat out.

All that power comes at a price, though, as the G-Power Hurricane costs a hefty €242...

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Audi has revealed a saloon version of the A3 ahead of its Geneva world debut.

The four-door A3 is the latest model to come out of Audi's base in Ingolstadt, but in a break with tradition for Audi it's not a niche model.

In fact, the car due in Geneva is aimed squarely at rally-bred cars like the Mitsubishi Evolution X and the Subaru Impreza (which is soon to ditch the hatchback format and become a saloon again).

It's powered by a 2.5-litre turbocharged engine developing more than 400b...

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Volvo has confirmed that a V60 estate car will appear in its showrooms in 2012, boasting an incredible 150mpg. It will be the world's first diesel plug-in hybrid production car.

Diesel hybrid technology is relatively new. Peugeot is set to become the first company to bring such a car to market later this year, with the 3008 diesel hybrid crossover.

But the new Volvo will be twice as efficient as the Peugeot by adding plug-in technology.

Its CO₂ emissions are only 49g/km, which is less ...

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It's come to that time where the A-Class has to be updated and changed and I've plugged for the brand new, car of the year, the Audi A1.  The car will be ready in Mid to late April.  If you are thinking of taking a test around that time and have been learning in the A-Class, book your test for before mind April!

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If parking charges are a constant drain on your finances then you might consider moving to Bradford, which has just been named the home of the UK's cheapest parking spaces.

And it's no surprise which city comes out at the other end of the list: Westminster, London, is the most expensive place to park in the UK.

The difference between the two places is shocking: it costs almost seven times more per hour, on average, to park in a Westminster car park than a Bradford one.

The average hou...

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Gumpert will aim to take centre stage at next month's Geneva Motor Show with an all-new model called Tornante.

The German performance car maker says it's a more comfortable version of the Apollo racing car, built with regular road use in mind.

Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera designed the car. It's famous for making custom 'estate' versions of the Bentley Continental GT and the Maserati Quattroporte.

Gumpert has confirmed that the Tornante will use the same mechanical compone...

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Toyota has updated its information about the build dates of vehicles affected by their February 2010 recall. The dates now cover a much shorter period.

The Corolla and RAV4 are no longer subject to recall.

Peugeot Citroen information from the same recall hasn’t changed.

Read the updated recall notice on Directgov
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A rural Australian town has changed its name to 'Speedkills' to raise awareness of speeding.

The name may be controversial, but it's not too big a change - the town was called Speed anyway and has a mere 45 residents.

One of those 45 residents, sheep farmer Phil Down, has agreed to change his name to Phil Slow Down as part of the campaign.

Situated in Victoria county and 250 miles north of Melbourne, Speed will only become Speedkills for one month throughout March.

Residents in the town are...

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A motorway tailback - particularly one you can't see an end to - is one of the most infuriating experiences in modern motoring. And it's especially annoying when you reach the end of the tailback only to find that there was no apparent reason for it.

That is of course not the case - there's always a reason. And, believe it or not, there's every chance you've contributed to a tailback or two in the past.

In our 'Britain's worst roads for traffic' feature we touched on the 'domino effe...

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A dead policeman's signature on red light camera tickets means around 2,000 penalties could be overturned.

The camera, in the US city of Baltimore, keeps an eye on motorists ignoring the red light.

The 2,000 tickets in question are just a fraction of the 9,300 in total issued in Baltimore in January this year.

Should you jump the red light you're penalised automatically, though the film is supposed to be checked by an officer of the law before a ticket is issued.

One motorist noticed that...

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The Government has announced a series of measures to crack down on the abuse of disabled parking badges.

Under the new rules, GPs will no longer be allowed to issue patients with the badges - they will have to visit independent centres for assessments, which are expected to be held at hospitals or council buildings.

Parking attendants will also be able to seize suspected fake badges. Currently, only the police have the power to do so.

Disabled parking badges themselves will also become ...

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Quirky Swiss car maker Rinspeed has revealed the first pictures of BamBoo cabriolet concept car.

It's powered only by electricity and includes a number of weird and wonderful features. Rinspeed describes it as a modern take on the convertible.

Unusual additions include roll bars that change colour according to the driver's mood.

There's also a unique grille, which Rinspeed refers to as an 'Identiface'. It allows passengers to display their pages from social networking sites like Facebo...

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A driver in the process of filming a 'speed run' in his BMW M3 was pulled over for doing 118mph - but convicted of driving at 140mph after officers watched the tape.

Stanislav Bakanov was caught travelling at the outrageous speed in Marion County, Oregon, US, by traffic officers.

They noticed his camera as they approached. He admitted that he had made a dashboard mount for it for the purpose of filming a YouTube video.

When officers looked at the tape, they saw that it had been fixed o...

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Lamborghini is readying its most sensational model ever - the Aventador LP700-4.

It's the replacement for the Murciélago supercar and will be the fastest and most advanced car that Lamborghini has ever made. Expect to see it in the metal at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Aventador name isn't official yet, but Lamborghini is known to have registered it as a trademark, so it should be confirmed when the car is officially unveiled.

The car was expected to be badged 'Jota' before Aventador wa...

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British company McLaren has always promised that its MP4-12C would be something special, and now the car is finally revealed as the Ferrari 458 Italia's superior.

In fact, it's not only quicker than any current production Ferrari, but every car bar the exceptional Bugatti Veyron. Despite nearing the end of its production run, it's still possible to buy a new Veyron for a seven-figure sum.

McLaren has revealed the MP4-12C's incredible performance, economy and technical statistics in f...

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This orange crossover is the car Renault will use to draw crowds at the Geneva Motor Show. The Captur combines a convertible roadster with an SUV and is, says the French company, "the second concept car to demonstrate Renault's new design strategy."

In other words, get used to these unusual looks because they're coming to a Clio and Mégane near you soon.

The Captur pulls of the unusual trick of combining a two-seat roadster and an SUV. That makes it a new type of crossover, which Renaul...

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BMW will wow the Geneva Motor Show with this, the Vision ConnectedDrive Concept. Its looks are, thankfully, sharper than its name.

The concept not only previews the styling of the next BMW Z4, but is also thought to be the precursor to a smaller roadster, about the size of the Mazda MX-5.

That means you could soon be behind the wheel of a BMW that looks just like this. For now, the concept showcases some amazing future-gazing technology.

The advancement most likely to hit BMW options l...

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A group of taxi drivers took revenge on a clamping company after one of its operators tried to extract a fine from a cab dispatcher.

Maureen Lansley's car was clamped and blocked by a clamper van, even though she had a parking permit. The clampers demanded that she paid a fine on the spot.

When Maureen, 53, phoned work to say that she'd be late and told them why, a convoy of taxis immediately rushed to the scene to help her.

Within minutes, over 20 taxis had formed a roadblock that pr...

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A price study by 'What Car?' magazine has exposed motorway service stations that are ripping off drivers.

The study revealed WH Smith and M&S to be the worst offenders, whose service station outlets are adding staggering mark ups on common items.

The biggest single mark up is the 91 percent hike on a 750ml bottle of Buxton water at WH Smith. Its high street shops charge £1 per bottle, whereas it costs £1.91 at service stations.

M&S adds 25 percent to the cost of its Scottish Water. ...

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A road in Lambeth, South London, less than half a mile long, made £914,040 in fines from drivers in 2010 - the most in the city.

Two bus lane cameras and traffic wardens generated 16,800 fines on Clapham Park Road, which were worth as much as £2,500 per day.

The shocking figures came from a Freedom of Information request by London's Evening Standard newspaper.

The investigation also revealed the top 20 earning roads for London councils.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, a spokesman for ...

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A US inquiry into faults with Toyota's vehicles following a series of recalls has declared that the cars are free of electronic faults.

Reports by Toyota owners involved in accidents suggested that the cars had 'minds of their own' and were prone to surges of acceleration on occasion.

More than 12 million of the Japanese company's models were recalled in 2009 and 2010 as a result of the scare.

Floor mats, sticky accelerator pedals, software faults and steering problems were all attended...

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It pales into insignificance next to football in the UK and Europe, but the Super Bowl, which took place on Sunday (February 6), is the biggest event on the sporting calendar in the US.

The huge crowds at the event meant that car manufacturers were keen to get in on the action, and fight it out for maximum coverage with a series of quirky, unique adverts. Some even featured new model unveils.

Arguably the most entertaining of the bunch was Volkswagen's Star Wars-themed Passat advert....

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Volkswagen has hinted that it will build a Golf capable of 100mpg.

Due to go on sale in 2020, the cleanest Golf ever will have a CO₂ emissions rating of only 75g/km.

Top brass at Volkswagen told 'Autocar' about its plans for the model, which is thought to be called the Golf blue-e-motion.

It's expected to be powered by a two-cylinder engine along with an electric motor, rendering it a hybrid.

A tiny engine and an electric motor won't be enough to get the Golf's emissions as low as Volkswag...

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A London taxi driver has become so fed up with the glare from modern headlamps and daytime running lights (DRL) that he has started a campaign to ban them.

The protest is now gathering pace, as the Driving Instructors Association is officially backing it.

Known as 'Lightmare', the campaign was set up by cabbie James Perham. It aims to persuade the Government to limit High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps and DRLs because they dazzle oncoming drivers.

Popular on premium and luxury car...

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Ford is set to announce a brand new GT supercar - featuring a hybrid drivetrain.

It's said that the new GT will be both faster and more environmentally friendly than the car it replaces.

The last GT (pictured), released in 2005, was the based on the Ford GT40 racing car of the Sixties - famous for its multiple wins at the Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race.

The 2005 car was powered by a supercharged 5.4-litre V8 with 550bhp, and only 100 found their way to Europe. 'Top Gear' presenter Jere...

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Mercedes-Benz is planning a new, small 4x4 to rival the BMW X1.

According to 'Autocar', it could be called the GLC and is just one part of a number of new models in the pipeline from the German firm.

The GLC will powered by a range of small, efficient petrol and diesel engines - some of which will be shared with Renault.

It's thought that alternative fuel versions will appear too: a petrol-electric hybrid and possibly one with hydrogen fuel cell power.

The new Merc 4x4 will appear in 2...

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Renault has blown some sporty Gordini magic over the Wind. This is the new flagship version of the French firm's baby convertible.

Renault has given the Wind convertible a Gordini makeover. This is the fourth car in the French company's line-up to bear the name, which harks back to its classic, blue motorsport models.

Despite the racing heritage linked to the Gordini brand (Gordini began as a Formula One team in 1950) there are no mechanical changes to this version of the Wind. The ne...

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At last the very large roundabout up by the retail park has been finished.  No satellite images are available yet of the changes, but it's far simpler now.  From the test centre heading north there are now 3 lanes.  Left for left and straight, the middle for straight and right for right.  From the other direction it's left for left only, the middle for staright across and the right for right and straight.  From the reatial park, up the slope it's left for left, middle for straight and for rig...
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Alfa Romeo is planning to unveil a new coupé concept car at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

The 4C Coupé will be a rival for the Audi TT, and it's expected to look a lot like the stunning 8C Competizione supercar (pictured).

Details are sketchy at present, but according to 'Autocar' the 4C is destined for production and will cost around £35,000.

The concept car will also preview a new styling direction for the company, which has never struggled to come up with a good looking car. The ...

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The crossroads on Shirehampton Road are being dug up and a 4 way traffic light system has been put in.  The extra traffic isn't helpful for most of us, but if you're on your test this could infact be really useful, specially coming from the side roads onto the main one as this can sometimes be very busy indeed.



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F1 and performance car specialist McLaren has begun production of the MP4-12C supercar.

The stunning British model will put Formula One technology on the road, but it will also be cheaper than its main rival, the Ferrari 458 Italia.

The pictures you see here are of the very first car in production. It's being built at McLaren's £40 million new production facility in Woking, Surrey.

First shown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last summer (2010), McLaren has made some astonishing clai...

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German performance car maker Porsche has unveiled a more powerful, limited edition version of its entry-level convertible - the Boxster S Black Edition.

It's powered by Porsche's existing 3.4-litre flat-six engine, which has been tweaked to add an extra 10bhp and 7lb.ft of torque over and above the standard Boxster S. That brings the total power output to 316bhp and 273lb.ft.

Expect 0-62mph in a mere 5.2 seconds, which is a tenth of a second faster than the standard car.

In keeping wit...

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The Government has introduced a new generation of average speed camera that can track motorists across entire networks of roads.

The first versions went live on a stretch of the A13 carriageway that heads from southeast Essex into East London on January 31.

Existing average speed cameras only monitor a car's speed between fixed points on the road, but the new models are capable of consistently tracking a vehicle.

The latest system has 84 cameras and 37 average speed monitoring points...

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Fuel retailers are in the firing line for keeping petrol prices at such high levels.

Despite record costs at the pumps, average wholesale petrol prices actually dropped by 2p from 41p to 39p since January 11 this year according to the AA.

But drivers are still paying the highest ever prices for petrol and diesel on filling station forecourts.

Motorists on the continent have received a better deal than those in the UK. Drivers in Germany, France, Ireland, Holland and Spain have enjoyed ...

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Musician and car fanatic Jay Kay has defended his love of fast cars, denying accusations of environmental hypocrisy.

Critics of the Jamiroquai lead singer claim that the green message of his early music isn't compatible with his love for gas-guzzling supercars.

The flamboyant frontman has amassed a collection of almost 50 classic cars and modern high performance models.

That has led some to question the authenticity of his early lyrics, particularly those on Jamiroquai's debut album 'Emer...

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A Ferrari owner was left in despair when a huge Ford pickup truck drove on top of his 458 Italia.

The driver had owned the car for just two weeks when the freak accident occurred, leaving the huge wheel of the truck parked on its bonnet.

A video shows the aftermath of the accident. It's not clear quite how it happened, but the giant Ford F150 seems to have driven onto the wedge-shaped Ferrari like it was a speed hump.

Further footage shows the Ferrari owner, on a mobile phone and wearin...

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A British company has invented artificial petrol that emits no greenhouse gases and could cost as little as 19p per litre at the pumps.

Cella Energy, the Oxfordshire-based firm that is developing the fuel, uses hydrogen, which is currently much cheaper than oil.

The first road tests of the as yet unnamed fuel are scheduled to take place next year. If everything goes to plan, then the miracle 'petrol' could be available in three to five years.

Though a figure of 19p per litre has been su...

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British supercar maker Noble has revealed its next production car - the M600.

With a price tag of £200,000, the Noble M600 is powered by a 4.4-litre V8 engine, supplied by Yamaha.

That V8 engine means the M600 is certainly not short of punch, as it develops 650bhp and 602lb.ft of pulling power.

Noble claims that the M600 will hit 60mph in only 3.5 seconds and reach an estimated top speed of 225mph. Even the 0-100mph sprint takes just 8.9 seconds.

The mighty performance is largely down to ...

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For the child who has everything except a driving licence, here's the ultimate toy car.

This 1:18 scale Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is covered in Swarovski crystals and costs a whopping £1,500.

Unveiled at the Olympia Toy Fair in Kensington, London, only 250 examples will be made. Models have already gone on sale at Harrods and Hamleys stores.

Each car is made by renowned die-cast model maker Maisto and uses over 7,800 crystals for the bodywork.

A numbered certificate of authenticity is inclu...

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European car safety organisation Euro NCAP has named the safest cars of 2010, according to the results of its crash tests.

The winners are listed below, with each car achieving a maximum five-star rating overall.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the company's latest family hatchback, was awarded the highest score for adult occupant safety - an impressive 97 percent.

The BMW 5 Series was awarded an incredible 100 percent score for its safety assistance features. That category was introduced in...

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A massive congratulations to Amy for passing yesterday over at Southmead in the afternoon.  Amy was very nervous, but over came her nervs with 7 minors.  Well done Amy, see you on the road.  Two passes in one day, yay!

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Congratulations to Tom for passing first time yesterday at Southmead with just 4 minors.  Tom was a bit of a machine, obtaining his licence with just 14 lessons from start to finish, a record at A-Class Driving School!

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British performance car maker Aston Martin has unveiled the new Vantage S.

It's an updated version of the existing V8 Vantage, which is the company's smallest current road car.

The new model is inspired by Aston's successful GT4 racing car. It features more power and some sharp exterior features.

The Vantage S is powered by a 4.7-litre V8 engine, which produces 430bhp - 10bhp more than the standard car. It also has an additional 15lb.ft of pulling power, which brings the total to 361lb.f...

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Press release from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)

Proposed amendments to minimum medical standards for drivers in relation to eyesight, epilepsy and diabetes were published today by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

The measures are contained in a consultation on the implementation of European minimum medical standards for drivers. While UK standards must be at least at the level of a minimum standard, the UK is not required to relax existing domestic standa...

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Congratulations to Joe for passing first time yesterday at Southmead test centre!  Well done and see you on the road.

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Watch out for emails claiming to be from DVLA asking you to verify your driving licence details via an online link – it's a scam. DVLA has not sent any such email, so if you get one delete it immediately.

Scam phishing email

The email appears to be an attempt to trick drivers into providing personal details. If you get the email below, do not respond to it and delete it immediately.

This warning has also been published on the Directgov website:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/...

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European car safety organisation Euro NCAP has named the safest cars of 2010, according to the results of its crash tests.

The winners are listed below, with each car achieving a maximum five-star rating overall.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the company's latest family hatchback, was awarded the highest score for adult occupant safety - an impressive 97 percent.

The BMW 5 Series was awarded an incredible 100 percent score for its safety assistance features. That category was introduced in...

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British performance car maker Aston Martin has unveiled the new Vantage S.

It's an updated version of the existing V8 Vantage, which is the company's smallest current road car.

The new model is inspired by Aston's successful GT4 racing car. It features more power and some sharp exterior features.

The Vantage S is powered by a 4.7-litre V8 engine, which produces 430bhp - 10bhp more than the standard car. It also has an additional 15lb.ft of pulling power, which brings the total to 361lb.f...

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