Mazda Rx-8 2004 Front Bumper Reinforcement [3710120] on 2040-parts.com

Concept Car of the Week: Volkswagen Microbus (2001)

The turn of the millennium seemed to induce a feeling of nostalgia among car manufacturers and with it a plethora of heritage/retro designs, including the new Mini, new Ford Mustang and Nissan Z. Following the runaway success of its New Beetle, which probably started the trend, VW asked itself whether it could enjoy the same success with a modern interpretation of the legendary T1 Microbus. Designed at the surf-central design studio in Simi Valley, California, the Microbus Concept took ample inspiration from its distant ancestor, but was modernized in every way.

Driven: a week with a Chevrolet Volt

In Fall 2010, before the Volt went on sale in North America, we sampled an early build model and came away so impressed, we declared it the car for the digital age. Since then the car has received harsh criticism from the press and been outsold by the Nissan Leaf in the North American market. Given the unique powertrain, we felt longer exposure to the Volt was therefore in order, so on a recent trip to Michigan, we lived with one for five days.

Nissan e-NV200 electric van gets a headline starting price of £13,393

The Nissan e-NV200 electric van (pictured) – the start of an EV revolution for commercial vehicles? We’ve always been reluctant to see the electric car as a proper replacement for an ICE car, but an electric van for commercial deliveries in a reasonably confined area is a different animal altogether. So the arrival of the Nissan e-NV200 electric van is a big deal and could revolutionise how deliveries are made in our towns and cities, usefully shifting not just CO2, but NoX and particulates off to where the electricity is generated and making much less noise too.