Judging by this van...
Judging by this van, there"s no end to Vauxhall"s VXR sporting intentions. While this Vivaro is a one-off to support the VX Racing team in the British Touring Car Championship, the firm plans more VXR models. Insiders say the VX220, Monaro and 2005"s hot Astra will be followed by a 230bhp VXR Zafira and a 1.6-litre Meriva turbo.
Although this might...
Although this might sound merely worthy, Saab reckons that the public need to be persuaded to give up their petrol engines with sporty performance - so the Hybrid"s vege-powered engine develops 260bhp, in tandem with the 38kW eletric motor.
When these are all pulling together they generate three times the torque of the petrol-engined equivalent, and yank the car to 62mph in a lightning 6.9 seconds. And it"s an auto.
However when the car is in congestion-busting "zero mode" it runs silently on just the electric motors, drawing on the batteries that are also charged by some of the energy reclaimed under deceleration, dubbed regenerative braking.
Saab claims to have achieved all this without sacrificing cabin space or ride quality. If so, this could be the start of the green driving revolution that does not just appeal to the tree-huggers and tofu-eaters. Who knows, by the end of the decade maybe petrol-heads will be bio-heads?