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The new theft-resistant...

The new theft-resistant registrations are designed to crack down on vehicle cloning and curb the rising number of cases where stolen reg plates are being used to evade parking tickets and speeding fines. Police figures show that more than 33,000 sets of plates were taken from vehicles in 2004. Motorists will be expected to cover the cost of the new technology, as the theft-proof versions are likely to be twice the current price of standard ones at around ÷£20 a pair.



The allegation is that...

The allegation is that administrator PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) "discriminated" against Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) when it accepted the measly í‚á£50million rival offer for the collapsed MG Rover/Powertrain empire from Nanjing. Fed-up corporate fixer and entrepreneur David James is, understandably, causing further ripples by claiming his bid was í‚á£15million higher than Nanjing"s. The UK unions don"t believe at this early stage that the Nanjing bid is best for British employees, either, and that could lead to industrial action, which is the last thing that"s needed.


News of the day
The world"s first ever...

The world"s first ever four-door Jeep Wrangler will debut at April"s New York Motor Show. The car gets the same traditional styling as the two-door seen at the Detroit expo earlier this month (issue 892). Both versions will come to the UK with a choice of the 3.8-litre petrol engine and the all-new 2.8-litre diesel.

Analytics

Euro NCAP is whipping...

Euro NCAP is whipping motor manufacturers into shape!

The independent crash testing body has introduced a rear impact assessment, to measure the level of whiplash protection a car provides.

And the first batch of results has shown a number of models with five-star ratings are falling short of the mark. The Peugeot 308 CC, Ford Kuga and Citroen C5 were all awarded top scores for adult occupation protection ò€“ but were among the bottom five in the new whiplash test.

The C5, plus Suzukiò€™s Splash and Daihatsuò€™s Terios, picked up zero marks in the study ò€“ while Volvoò€™s XC60 came top.

In fact, only one-fifth of the 25 vehicles tested gained the highest rating by actively reducing the chance of injury. Turn to Page 54 to see all the figures and explanations in full.

The results come as the UK was branded the ò€˜whiplash capital of the worldò€™ in a separate study. The Association of British Insurers found more than three-quarters of personal injury claims from crashes are for neck complaints, costing cover providers nearly Ò£2billion a year in compensation.

Euro NCAP has also released its latest ratings for new cars. Whiplash scores are not included yet, but from February rear impact performance will be integrated into the overall Adult Occupant Protection rating.

Model / Adult occupant protection / Child occupant protection / Pedestrian protection

Ford Fiesta - 5 / 4 / 3

Honda Accord - 5 / 4 / 3

VW Golf MkVI - 5 / 4 / 3

Renault Mégane - 5 / 4 /2

Vauxhall Insignia - 5 / 4 / 2

Volvo XC60 - 5 / 4 / 2

Alfa Romeo MiTo - 5 / 3 / 2

Peugeot 308 CC - 5 / 3 / 2

Ford Ka - 4 / 3 / 2

Mercedes Viano - 4 / 3 / 1

Dacia Sandero - 3/ 4 / 1

Ford Ranger - 2 / 3 / 2




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