Car and Van News

Mercedes’ new compact four-door coupe, the CLA, will be available with special aerodynamic tweaks that can reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 20g/km at speed.

A reduction of just 0.01 in a car’s drag co-efficient, or Cd, brings down CO2 by 5g/km at motorway pace, say Mercedes aerodynamics engineers.

Mitsubishi’s stand at the Geneva show this week is all about hybrids, following the brand’s previously-announced objective of having 20 per cent of its cars electric-based by 2020.

On show are a plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander SUV, the Concept CA-MiEV electric compact SUV and a hybrid pickup truck, the Concept GR-HEV.

Centrepiece of the Lexus stand at Geneva is the new IS, the Japanese brand’s direct rival to the BMW 3 Series.

Yet seemingly remarkably in the fleet-heavy sector both cars compete in, the new IS range will not include a diesel model.

Nissan is blatantly waving a British flag at the Geneva show – launching the new Note by inviting staff from the Sunderland plant that will build it onto the stage.

The all-new Note is a very different car to its predecessor – no longer a

Star of the SEAT stand at the Geneva show is the Leon SC, the second of the three-strong new Leon range to be unveiled.

The SC is a three-door, sitting alongside the five-door first shown at last year’s Paris show, and set to be joined later in the year by the ST, an estate.

Skoda’s latest Octavia family hatch is in the process of launching in the UK, and from June it will be joined by an estate version unveiled at Geneva.

Like its saloon sister the third-generation Estate is longer, wider and with a longer wheelbase than its predecessor.

Dacia has unveiled the fourth model in its new European line-up in Geneva, the Logan MCV.

The car is an estate sister to the recently-launched Sandero, and is expected in the UK in July at prices that could start from under £8,000.