
The government is speeding up research on safety systems that automatically prevent drivers from operating their cars if they are drunk or aren’t properly buckled in.

The government is speeding up research on safety systems that automatically prevent drivers from operating their cars if they are drunk or aren’t properly buckled in.

Designed to meet the growing demand for cars that are small, practical and fuel-efficient enough for increasingly urban environments, particularly in emerging markets, a production version could be launched as early as 2014.

Volkswagen said global sales of its core brand rose 2 percent in October as falling demand in Europe and the United States was offset by strong gains in China.

Volkswagen is recalling about 2.64 million vehicles globally, including its biggest such recall in China, to fix electronic and drive-system flaws in some of its most popular models.

The new seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf TDI BlueMotion has proved itself to be a real three-litre car managing to use only 2.92 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres (97mpg) from a 995 mile trip from Nantes to Copenhagen.