Vauxhall, Opel and other General Motors companies will continue to develop cars to suit local conditions rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach.

This is in contrast to arch-rival Ford, which has developed a 'One Ford' policy under CEO Alan Mulally, under which cars are developed with global sales in mind.

'Where do we develop our vehicles? We do it always in the region where they will be sold,' said Rita Forst, Vauxhall's head of engineering.

'You can change a lot of things by specification, but in the end you have to understand what Vauxhall and Opel stands for.

'We stand for German engineering, high quality and flexibility. That means there has to be autonomy (in the different regions). Our mainstream cars will always be designed and engineered "at home", but even with niche cars that are brought in from outside (such as Chevrolets from America and Korea) my people are involved at an early stage to ensure that they have the right DNA.'

 Has spring finally sprung, or are we due another deluge?

Do you fancy a new 10 plate convertible to make the most of the sun now it's arrived? Or do you think you need a 4x4 just to make it to the local shop?

Either way, What Car? can help save you plenty of cash with hundreds of offers on all manner of cars. Whet your appetite with these deals or click on New Cars For Sale

to start searching for more savings.

BMW 3 Series Convertible

Great to drive and refined whether the roof?s up or down. You can save more than £5000 on the list price of a 325d M Sport with Coast2coastcars.co.uk.
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Audi A5 Cabriolet

The Audi's not as fun to drive as the BMW, or as refined, but it's a super-stylish option, and with nearly £4000 off it's worth a look.
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Ford Focus CC

If your budget can't stretch to the Audi or BMW, don't despair. There are plenty of more affordable options and with more than £5000 off the list price you can have the Focus CC for less than £18,000 with Autobytel.
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Volkswagen Eos

The VW Eos is another great convertible with a folding hard top. It's always been a bit pricey, but £3499 off the list price with UKnewcars.co.uk takes a bit of the sting out.
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Deals on 4x4s
Audi Q7

Transport for seven no matter the weather, the Q7 is a big car with a big pricetag. Drivethedeal.com can chop more than £6000 off the price, however.
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BMW X5

Another Audi/BMW head-to-head. At £6718 less than the list price with Coast2coastcars.co.uk, you're saving almost £1000 a seat on the X5.
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Honda CR-V

The CR-V is a great car, but Honda dealers are really stingy. No problem. Hop over to Drivethedeal.com and they'll save you £3190 with a price of 20,235.
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Land Rover Freelander

Superb ride and refinement, and real go-anywhere ability, the Freelander is happy on the road or off it. You'll be happy with a near £6000 saving off a top-spec 2.2 TD4e HSE, too.
Find the Land Rover Freelander deal here

 It's our review of the good and the bad in a week of motoring-related ups-and-downs?

Good week for new cars, Mini, Vauxhall and Whatcar.com visitors
The Geneva Motor Show is always busy but this year it seemed even more packed than usual.

Sales of new cars were also up, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The SMMT reckons the good news will continue after the scrappage scheme ends this month.

GM has pledged £1.7 billion to Vauxhall, Mini has announced a sub-100g/km model and What Car? has secured the new Nissan Juke for an exclusive preview, especially for you.

Bad week for politicians, roadworks and Kia crash tests
There have been too many people in charge at the Department for Transport, a report says, and Government claims about lower transport emissions are incorrect.

Utility companies face bigger fines for digging up roads and then taking their time while the new Kia Venga had a hiccough in crast tests. A weakness was found in the restraint system during Euro NCAP crash tests so owners have been advised to get in touch with their dealer.

Toyota's week ? good or bad?
Mostly bad. Again. The company believes there's nothing wrong, but US owners have been complaining of unintended acceleration in recalled and remedied cars.

The good news? The Toyota Verso was the only car to get the full five-star rating in the latest round of Euro NCAP crash tests.

This is the week that was...
Chinese hybrid and electric cars for UK

Politicians' plans for motorists Introduction

Nissan Juke exclusive preview

No hangover after scrappage party?

Too many cooks at the DfT

Bentley's bid to come clean thwarted

Japanese disagree over electric vehicles

Crash tests show Kia Venga safety worry

Revised Toyota RAV4 on sale in spring

New Mini to drop below 100g/km

Saab: back to Swedish basics

Opel Ampera takes to the road

Vauxhall plans Mini rival

Dacia to launch in UK in 2012

Geneva motor show on video

GM pledges £1.7 billion to Vauxhall/Opel

Vauxhall announces prices for new Meriva

Seat IBe electric concept car

Geneva motor show report 2010

Porsche 918 Spyder revealed

Late roadworks face higher penalties

Most economical Auris announced

Save with our Target Price The big price rise

 Over the past year or so, a number of internet-based companies have sprung up offering to buy any car, no matter what its age, mileage or condition.

Whatcar.com wants to hear from you if you?ve recently used one of these companies.

We?d like to hear experiences, good and bad, including how competitive the price offered was, how easy the company was to deal with, and how you?d rate the whole process.

Please e-mail What Car? used car editor Matt Sanger at Matt.Sanger@whatcar.com, or write to him at Teddington Studios, Broom Road, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 9BE. Mark your envelope 'Internet car buyer survey'.

 Mercedes is preparing for all possibilities as we move towards greater electrification of the car. The F800 concept revealed at the Geneva motor show, although only a research vehicle at this stage, previews a flexible architecture for rear-drive models that could support plug-in hybrids, all-electric and range-extender electric cars, or even those powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.

Mercedes has already promised that there will be a plug-in hybrid of the next-generation S-Class. At the Frankfurt motor show last September, CEO Dr Dieter Zetsche said it would be capable of 90mpg and have CO2 emikssions of only 74g/km.

Mercedes had previously announced how it would use the platform of the A- and B-Class to support a variety of electrically-propelled front-drive models.

It may look like Mercedes is having to bet on every horse in the race to ensure it is prepared for whichever future technology wins out, but this isn't so, according to Prof Dr Herbert Kohler, the company's head of environmental research and development. He said: 'You can't bet on the right horse until you know who is part of the race, and at this stage it is too early.

'If all current technology were to be electrified it would bring us a market share of around 20% of the total volume, but pure electric ? battery or fuel cell ? would have only around 5%. It is totally new technology'

In the medium term, Mercedes favours plug-in hybrids and range-extender electric cars ? powered by electricity, but with a small internal combustion engine on board to serve as a generator when needed. Hydrogen fuel cells are a longer-term goal.

'Fuel cells would give us the kind of mobility we are used to. You could never achieve that with a battery electric vehicle because of the amount of time you are forced to invest in recharging,' said Kohler.

An alternative propulsion system needs an alternative infrastructure. For electric vehicles, that can not be supported purely by the household grid.'

He is unimpressed by the idea of a chain of quick-swap battery stations, as proposed by Renault and Nissan. 'We looked at this pattern in 1996, but there are two or three reasons why it would not work,' he said.

'First, the battery needs to be a supportive part of the car (stressed member) for crash safety reasons. Second, you are dealing with currents of 400, 500 or 600 volts, and there are only a few people trained to handle that ? even in our own workshop. Third, we still do not know a lot about the cars during normal running. Why do you think it is you cannot buy one of our Smart electric cars yet?'

Kohler admits that the electrification of the car introduces 'huge opportunities for different business models', however, and says that manufacturers 'may no longer simply supply and sell cars'.

 It's the groundhog day from hell for Toyota because US owners are now complaining of unintended acceleration in cars that have been recalled and remedied.

Toyota received reports of the problem from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and has investigated.

A statement from the manufacturer said: 'Although these reports involve a tiny fraction of the more than one million vehicles dealers have repaired to date, Toyota takes them very seriously.'

Toyota's investigations are now being evaluated by NHTSA before the next step is taken, but the company said that it found no evidence of a failure of the throttle control system, brake override feature or in the actual work carried out during the massive recall campaign.

Toyota also says that 'many' of the complaints to NHTSA could not be verified or followed up because of a lack of owner information.

The manufacturer said it would be inappropriate to provide more specific information about its investigations since they are now being evaluated by NHTSA, but asked owners with any concerns to get in touch directly with the company.

 BYD (Build Your Dreams), the first Chinese manufacturer to export cars to the UK, won't do it with conventional petrol and diesel models ? instead there will be a plug-in hybrid and an all-electric vehicle, probably in 2012.

Both cars ? the hybrid F3DM and the electric e6 ? went on show for the first time in Europe at the Geneva motor show, with Mr Paul Lin of BYD's export division promising that the UK is an important part of the company's European plans.

'By 2015 we will have a dealer network and a full range of cars in the UK,' he said.

BYD began selling cars only five years ago, but it has years of expertise in battery technology, and is a key supplier to companies such as Apple, Blackberry and Nokia. It is also big in the new energy business, including solar and wind power.

'Our core competence is in new energy and new energy vehicles. We are a battery-based company. That is why we have chosen to launch with a hybrid and an EV,' added Mr Lin.

F3DM saloon
The F3DM, a mid-sized saloon, is the world's first commercially available dual-mode plug-in hybrid, combining a 1.0-litre petrol engine, a generator and an electric motor with a combined output of 168bhp. It is said to be capable of 60 miles on electric power alone and another 350 miles driven by the petrol engine.

e6 hatchback
The e6 medium-size hatchback, which is just about to go on sale in China and will also be sold in the US later this year, has an expected range of just over 200 miles in cruising mode, according to BYD.

'BYD is a Hong Kong-listed and -registered company,' said Mr Lin. 'We will begin producing the e6 in right-hand drive for Hong Kong later this year, and after that it will be in the UK.'

Heading to Europe
Long-term, the company also plans to set up European design and manufacturing facilities. 'It is impossible to keep China as our supply base,' said Mr Lin. 'We will probably introduce a design centre in Europe first, and then a manufacturing plant.'

BYD sold 450,000 cars in China last year ? the maximum it can build ? but it plans to increase capacity to a million by the end of 2010, and eventually to double that to two million.

It is currently China's sixth-largest auto-maker, but has ambitions to be number one by 2015 and the largest car manufacturer in the world by 2025.

Get interactive with whatcar.com...

 Toyota has now recalled more than eight million cars worldwide because of potential issues with a sticking accelerator pedal and a brake problem in its Prius hybrid.

Here's the story so far:

Wednesday, March 5
Complaints from owners of remedied cars

Owners in the US complain of unintended acceleration in cars that have been through the recall process and remedied.

Wednesday, February 23
Toyota eats humble pie

Toyota bosses, including the grandson of the company's founder, appear before a US congressional committee and admit failures in dealing with the recalls.

Wednesday, February 17
New brake-override and Corolla recall

Toyota announces it is to fit a new brake-override system to all new cars - plus it's considering recalling the Corolla model.

Wednesday, February 10
Toyota starts recall repairs

Toyota's service centres are extending hours and working at weekends to fix the faulty pedal. An updates for the Prius's 'glitchy' brake software is also on offer.

Tuesday, February 9
Citroen tops recall table

Citroen tops the league table in the number of recall programmes it launched last year, with 15 separate actions.

Insurance is valid, says Toyota

Toyota has obtained a statement from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to confirm that cars affected by recall notices can still be driven without affecting insurance cover.

Toyota Prius in global recall

Toyota has confirmed a worldwide recall of its flagship Prius hybrid to fix a potential problem with its brakes. The recall affects more than 8500 Prius hybrid cars sold in the UK.

Monday, February 8
Toyota Prius recall imminent

The Toyota Prius is expected to be recalled worldwide amid fears that its brakes could fail, according to reports from Japan.

Friday, February 5
Toyota chief makes recall statement

Toyota's president, Akio Toyoda, has issued a statement, detailing his regret about the worry that the worldwide recall of Toyota's cars has caused his customers.

Toyota Prius may be recalled abroad

Some of Toyota's 2010 Prius hybrids may be recalled after brake problems with some cars.

How to stop if your accelerator sticks

How to cope in the unlikely event your car's accelerator pedal gets stuck.

Thursday, February 4
Extended hours for Toyota workshops

Toyota says its UK service centres will be open for extended hours and at weekends to cope with the massive recall.

Wednesday, February 3
Toyota confirms vehicles for UK recall

Toyota has identified the vehicles in the UK that are to be recalled to rectify an accelerator safety problem.

Tuesday, February 2
Toyota announces recall 'fix'

Toyota has said it has a 'comprehensive fix' for the 'sticky accelerator' pedal problem that has resulted in eight models being recalled across Europe.

Monday, February 1
Citroen and Peugeot join Toyota recall

PSA, the company that owns Citroen and Peugeot, is to recall more than 97,000 Citroen C1s and Peugeot 107s.

Friday, January 28
Toyota and Honda recall 2 million cars

Toyota will be recalling eight models in Europe in order to solve a potential accelerator pedal problem, and Honda has announced that it will recall Jazz models after one caught fire.

Thursday, January 27
Toyota confirms European recall

Toyota is to recall UK-based cars that might be affected by a faulty accelerator pedal.

Wednesday, January 26
Toyota suspends sales in US

Toyota has revealed that it is to suspend sales of eight of its most popular vehicles in the US.

 The Nissan Juke was revealed at the Geneva motor show

this week, but how would you like to be one of the first people to see the car in the UK?

What Car? is looking for six readers to attend an exclusive private preview of the car, and tell us in their own words what they think of Nissan's baby Qashqai.

The preview will take place What Car?'s offices in Teddington, Middlesex, from 4-6pm on Wednesday March 17.

If you would like to take part, e-mail readertestteam@haymarket.com

by midnight this Sunday, March 7, including the following: what car you currently drive, where you'll be travelling from on the day, your mobile number and a few lines on why you're interested in seeing the new Nissan Juke.

Your comments and photographs will appear in the May issue of What Car? magazine's Reader Test Team feature. You will also be asked to speak on camera for footage at whatcar.com.

Please bear in mind that you will not be able to drive the car ? this is a chance to give your views on its design, ergonomics and specification.

Six readers will be invited to attend ? we'll get in touch on Monday March 8 if you've been successful, with further details of the event.

Want to know more?
Click on the links below to find out more about the Nissan Juke and see other new car previews.

Nissan Juke revealed

Aston Martin Rapide

BMW 5 Series

Citroen DS3

Get interactive with whatcar.com...