Mazda’s Russian concept car: first picture

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 16 June 2008 10:18 Want proof that the Russian car market is on its way to becoming one of the world’s biggest and most important? Mazda today confirmed it would build this bespoke concept car for the 2008 Moscow International Automobile Salon. The one-off show car will be a compact crossover specifically aimed at the Russian market.

Diesel drivers 'pollution penalty'

DRIVERS OF DIESEL CARS could have to pay more in road tax or face additional levies to travel into city centres in an effort to tackle pollution, it is reported. Major cities around the UK are considering bringing in low emission zones to force out older diesel vehicles that are responsible for higher levels of fumes, The Times said. Almost all diesel vehicles driven into central London will trigger a £10 charge under plans being considered by mayor Boris Johnson, who will also reportedly lobby the Government to increase road tax on diesel cars to encourage motorists to move to cleaner vehicles.

One Lap of the Web: Porsche flat-fours, hot rod artists and German car shows

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- You've heard of watching paint dry, but NHTSA has a new hobby: watching Fords rust.