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| Man loses licence drink driving in pink Barbie car
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| Straight from the “are you serious?” files, a UK man has been banned from driving for three years after being caught drunk behind the wheel of…a toy pink Barbie car. 
Paul Hutton, 40, a former RAF aeronautical engineer, had been tinkering with the battery powered toy car, which he found dumped in another suburb. While changing the gearbox with his son, he downed a few drinks, and then couldn’t resist taking it out for a spin. Quite obviously the urge was strong, because the car has a top speed of 6.4km/h. He was caught twice the legal BAC limit. "I drove up to the Brooklands and I had to go on the road because there are no pavements "The police pulled up and asked if I was all right”, Mr Hutton told the Colchester Gazette. "I'd had a few drinks but I felt fine. I hadn't spoken to anyone all day – then I found out I couldn't talk!"
"You have to be some kind of contortionist to get in and then you can't get out," he said, revealing you have to drive with your knees under your chin. "I was very surprised to get done for drink-driving, but I was a twit to say the least," he admitted.
With the three year driving ban, Colchester magistrates gave Mr Hutton a 12-month conditional discharge. . | | |
| Mercedes-Benz CLS Coupe Shooting Break concept
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| Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its own take on the four-door coupe with the new Mercedes-Benz four-door Coupe CLS Shooting Break concept. 
Following in the footsteps of the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide, the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Break concept signals the arrival of a new market segment for the brand. Due to make its debut at Auto China 2010, the Shooting Break concept features elements introduced with the latest models from the Mercedes stable, including the radiator grille, with the large star and bionic slats from the SLS AMG super sports car. 
The grille is flanked either side by full LED headlamps which for the first time feature LED technology for all of the dynamic light functions. The side profile – the bane of four-door coupes – makes a successful compromise between coupe and shooting break, finishing with an estate-like rump to complete the aggressive package. 
The coupe element has been emphasised with a low window design which also highlights the greenhouse with polished aluminium trim. The interior is a combination of natural wood and leather materials, with a full-length centre console and four-seat layout now typical of cars in this new market segment. 
The Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Break concept is powered by a forthcoming new engine generation from Mercedes, boasting a 3.5-litre V6 powerplant which produces 225kW and peak torque of 370Nm. 
To cap off the unveiling of this latest concept, Mercedes has also supplied a brief history lesson of the origins of the name “Shooting Break”. Break, or the homonym Brake, was the name once given to carriages used to “break” in wild horses and also to restrict (or “brake”) their urge to move, so that they could be put to use as work horses. Since the carts could easily be broken as part of this process, people tended not to use ones which they may have urgently needed for other purposes. Where necessary, “Brakes” were often fitted out with variable bodies, which were only really used to carry along anything that may have been necessary for the hunt, for example. Any such vehicle which was used when going out shooting was called a Shooting Brake or Shooting Break. In the 1960s and 1970s motorised Shooting Breaks were popular in Great Britain – exclusive cross-over vehicles, which combined the luxuriousness of a coupé with the luggage space of an estate.                    
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| Subaru Forester X special edition with SatNav
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| Subaru has released a special edition Subaru Forester X which includes factory-fitted satellite navigation, priced at $990 more than the standard car. 
Satellite navigation is not normally available on the Forester X, and is a $2500 option on the higher-spec models. Only 900 examples of the special edition Forester X are headed to showrooms, priced from $31,980 for the manual variant with an optional four-speed automatic transmission also available. The SatNav system also includes Bluetooth connectivity and a reversing camera, making this a very appealing prospect for many families. The Forester also boasts a five-star crashworthiness rating for occupant safety from ANCAP, with every new Subaru featuring dual front, side and curtain airbags, plus Vehicle Dynamics Control electronic stability system. . | | |
| Peugeot RCZ coupé enters the Nurburgring 24 Hour race
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| To mark the launch of the limited edition Peugeot RCZ coupé and the brand’s 200th anniversary, Peugeot will compete for the first time in the Nürburgring 24 Hours race. 
Peugeot will race two diesel-powered RCZ coupes in the D1T category which will be mostly standard, save for the compulsory safety equipment and a few select part from the Peugeot Sport “client motor racing” range. Specifically, Peugeot will use the 2.0-litre HDi FAP RCZ which develops 147kW – with the brand hoping it has found a competitive balance between power and economy to take the class win. 
The two RCZs will display the numbers 200 and 201, to symbolise 200 years of innovation, and will be driven respectively by a Peugeot French team and a Peugeot German team. 
Among the list of drivers is Jean-Philippe Peugeot, Vice-president of the PSA Group’s Supervisory Board, Stéphane Caillet, ground link technician, Cyrus Ayari, sales executive, and Olivier Perez, Peugeot Marketing executive. . | | |
| Garbage Truck to 5-Star Luxury Camper
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There are conversions and then there are conversions, but this thing takes the cake, hands down. 
Following a garbage truck in peak hour traffic is more akin to modern day-torture; with smells atrocious enough to make you dry reach, should you be unlucky enough get caught with your windows down. 
But German based company UNICAT is converting garbage trucks into 5-star luxury campers worthy of some serious attention. 
Adventure trips to the middle of nowhere, have never looked so good as they do inside this amazing 'go anywhere' vehicle. 
While it may look like a working garbage truck, the UNICAT shares little with its former self, as you can clearly see by these amazing photos of the vehicle's unique interior design features.            
©2010 Car Advice | News | Reviews - http://www.caradvice.com.au - All Rights Reserved. . | | |
| Citroen Metropolis Concept inspired by China
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| With China surging past the United States in 2009 to become the world's largest automotive market, Citroen has paid homage to the country's extraordinary development with the new Citroen Metropolis concept. 
Penned by Citroën's international design team based in Shanghai, the Citroen Metropolis underlines the importance and expectations placed on the rapidly developing Chinese market, with the concept due to be unveiled in the French Pavilion at the Shanghai World Fair. The Citroen Metrpolis boasts a hybrid drivetrain using a 2.0-litre V6 petrol engine which on its own develops 200kW and 375Nm, mated to a 40kW electric motor which can peak at 70kW if the extra power is required. 
At slower speeds the Citroen Metropolis is effective a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV), relying solely on its electric motor, although when additional acceleration is needed – such as when overtaking – both powerplants come together to deliver a maximum power output of 345kW and 430Nm. The power is channelled to a part-time all-wheel-drive system via an efficient seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, with the combined drivetrain delivering CO2 emissions of just 70g/km – approximately one fifth that of a conventional engine with equivalent performance. 
The Metropolis also features Citroen's Hydractive suspension, which dampens even the roughest of road surfaces and improves the car's aerodynamic performance – further helping to reduce CO2 emissions.       
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| Ford Focus RS Mountune upgrade matches RS500 power
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| With all 101 examples of the limited edition Ford Focus RS500 already sold out across the UK, Ford is introducing a factory-backed Focus RS upgrade kit to meet the unprecedented demand. 
Ford Focus RS owners can now turn up the power on their ‘regular’ 224kW superhatch with an extra 33kW and 20Nm of torque – matching the performance of the Focus RS500. The MP350 RS kit brings the total power output of the Ford Focus RS to 257kW and 460Nm, and is priced at £1,995 or just over A$3,310. 
Developed by Ford Team RS in partnership with Mountune Performance (MP), the package offers similar engine upgrades to the RS500 but misses out on other extras such as the matt black wrap finish. The MP350 RS upgrade includes a larger intercooler and air filter box, larger diameter exhaust downpipe and a higher-capacity fuel pump, along with uprated software calibration, all the while keeping the factory warranty intact. 
Mark Simpson, Ford Britain marketing director, said: "Focus RS500 has raised the Ford performance bar in every way – it's the fastest-selling model in Ford's UK history, with five times more customers than we had cars for.”
“The MP350 kit has been developed to meet some of this additional demand and allow enthusiasts with cars in standard tune to enjoy even greater performance, without endangering their warranty. If you couldn't get an RS500, which sold out within seven days, this is the next best thing."
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| Fiat 500 four-door
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| Italy’s Fiat is reported to be building a four-door version of the Fiat 500 small car for North America and Europe. The Fiat 500 which is currently only available as a two-door will be available in a four-door variant in Europe by the end of 2011. 
Little else is known about the project expect that the four-door model of the Fiat 500 is code-named L0. It’s likely to be in the small minivan category in Europe given it has a hatch in the rear and a high roof. Reports say the Fiat 500 four-door will be built at the manufacturer’s Mirafiori plant in Turin and be based on a longer and wider platform than the two-door model. March saw Fiat sell 32 Fiat 500s in Australia, making a total of 88 sold from beginning of the year til end of March. CarAdvice has contact Fiat Australia regarding the 500 four-door variant and its Australian availability in the future. Article will be updated once we hear back. Read our Fiat 500 Review. . | | |
| Ferrari 599 GTO sold out ahead of public reveal at Beijing Motor Show
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| The first car from the prancing horse brand to wear the GTO nameplate in almost a quarter of a century, the Ferrari 599 GTO, was officially unveiled to some of the brand’s wealthiest clients at a special ceremony in Modena, Italy this weekend. 
Held at Modena’s Ducal Palace, now a military academy, the grand gala involved the participation of Ferrari factory test drivers and military cadets before a crowd of Ferrari’s most elite 500 customers. The exclusive limited edition special is the brand’s fastest ever road car, and although inspired by the production version of the Ferrari 599, is in fact based upon the 599XX – Ferrari's advanced experimental track car. A strictly limited run of just 599 examples of the Ferrari 599 GTO will be produced, the car already proving quicker than both the Ferrari Enzo and Ferrari 430 Scuderia, lapping Ferrari’s Fiorano test circuit in just one minute and 24 seconds. The Ferrari 599 GTO is powered by a 6.0-litre V12 engine developing 500kW at 8250rpm and peak torque of 620Nm at 6500rpm. It is mated exclusively to an F1-style six-speed transmission resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of just 2.23 kg/hp. Using F1-inspired chassis design principles, the car’s dry weight is just 1495kg. Top speed is rated at 335km/h with the sprint to 100km/h managed in just 3.35 seconds. Sadly, for customers wishing to express an interest in the Ferrari 599 GTO at its first public appearance, scheduled for the Beijing Motor Show next week, Ferrari tells us that every last one of the exclusive models has now been sold. . | | |
| Toyota Prius hybrid minivan to go on sale from 2011 – report
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| A report published today in Japan’s Nikkei business daily, says Toyota Motor Corporation will launch a competitively priced, family-friendly Prius hybrid minivan using lithium-ion batteries, possibly by as early as next year. 
The report says Toyota will keep the price of the Prius MPV at a similar level to current hatch variants, and hopes the new, larger hybrid vehicle will help strengthen its lead in the hybrid vehicle market. Offering a more spacious, taller and longer interior, the Prius hybrid MPV will likely feature three rows of seats for carrying five to seven passengers. It is also reported to feature sliding doors. Most other technical and drivetrain specifications are believed to remain unchanged. The vehicle’s battery packs will initially be produced in-house at Toyota’s Teiho plant in Aichi Prefecture, with subsequent units to be made in conjunction with Panasonic EV Energy Company, as demand increases. Lithium-ion batteries have the advantage of being able to store more electricity than their nickel-metal hydride counterparts, enabling them more endurance from a single charge. CarAdvice will keep you posted on any developments on the Prius hybrid MPV as they come to hand. . | | | | 
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