Niederzimmern, located in the state of Thuringia, has responded to a shortfall in road repair funds by offering potholes for sale

People who ‘purchase’ a pothole will see it repaired and will have their name and a personal message put on top of it. 

Mayor Christoph Schmidt-Rose told local radio station MDR: “It's about using a funny idea to find people prepared to help us sort out our roads" who can then "sort of feel like they own the hole in the road”.

According to the politician, TV channels and newspapers have bought some of the potholes as a way to advertise.

Last month it was reported that UK councils are increasingly tackling pothole damage by using a Jetpatcher machine, a vehicle which can fill potholes in a fraction of the time a manual repair team would take.

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Comprising part of the manufacturer’s global electric vehicle plan, Ford will follow the 2011 release with the Focus Electric in 2012, two new hybrid-electric models and a plug-in hybrid-electric model in 2013.

John Fleming, Chairman and CEO of Ford Europe said the organisation was expanding its range in response to increasing demand for electrified vehicles among its European customers.

It is hoped the range will enable motorists to improve fuel economy and lower emissions.

He said: “Our goal is to provide consumers with access to significant fuel economy improvements and reduced CO2 emissions to meet their functional needs and without compromising their driving experience.”

In other news, Nissan has announced February sales in Europe, reporting that “customer demand for our core models continues to be strong”.

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Speaking at the London launch of a new funding scheme to support transport improvement measures, the minister challenged cities to “take bold decisions” to ensure delivery of economic, health and environmental improvements at the same time.

Local authorities will only be eligible for the Urban Challenge Fund if they can demonstrate proposals that will improve journey choice; tackle congestion; improve safety; reduce carbon emissions; and lead to healthier lifestyles - either by improving air quality or encouraging more walking or cycling.

Mr Khan said: “Given the environmental and financial challenges we face, it is more important than ever that urban transport planning is embedded in broader economic and spatial planning. That sounds obvious, but the extent to which urban authorities have been successful in doing this varies tremendously.”

In related news, the Confederation of British Industry has called for fuel-efficient driving to be made a mandatory part of the driving test to lower UK emissions and save drivers money.

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A ‘plug-in car grant’ of £5,000 will be available to buyers of electric, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell cars from next January. In order to be eligible, the cars will need to meet safety, reliability, performance and warranty standards set by the Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV) in consultation with industry.

Buyers will be entitled to a 25 per cent discount from the list price of eligible vehicles, up to a maximum of £5,000.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) welcomed the announcement.

SMMT Chief Executive Paul Everitt said: "This incentive scheme signals a significant commitment by government and industry to promote ultra-low carbon vehicles and is great news for motorists. The UK is determined to be a world-leader in developing the field of ultra-low carbon vehicles, sustaining and creating high-skill jobs, attracting inward investment and producing cutting-edge products."

Earlier this month, motor industry analysts CAP claimed that the future performance of electric vehicles is too uncertain to allow reliable forecasting of residual values.

Battery replacement costs are a key issue, claims the organisation. At the moment, they are often high enough to make replacement after expiration of warranties uneconomical.

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Ahead of a congressional committee hearing in Washington where he was expected to be questioned about the crisis and Toyota’s handling of it, Mr Lentz wrote in a prepared statement that the manufacturer had taken “too long” to respond to the issues it faced.

Toyota has been hit by a series of three main safety issues: faulty accelerator pedals, floor mats hindering accelerator pedals, and a braking system fault on certain hybrid models.

It is now facing a major criminal investigation and potentially huge lawsuits.  Problems with the vehicles have allegedly caused at least 30 road fatalities.

In his statement, Mr Lentz wrote: “It has taken us too long to come to grips with a rare but serious set of safety issues, despite all of our good faith efforts. 

“We acknowledge these mistakes, we apologise for them and we have learned from them."

Earlier this week, Toyota said it was considering the recall of its Corolla model, the world’s best-selling car, following complaints about the vehicle’s power steering.  A decision is still yet to be made.

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The admission follows complaints about power steering systems in the Corolla, which is the world’s best-selling car. According to Toyota, there have been less than 100 complaints in the US and no decision has yet been made.

Speaking at a recent press conference, Toyota president Akio Toyoda said a brand new brake override system is to be fitted to all new Toyota models. This will cut engine power when the accelerator and brake are simultaneously applied.

Toyota has recalled 8.5 million vehicles around the world due to various problems with the accelerator and braking systems.

Meanwhile, Toyota has begun fixing the accelerator pedals on the 180,000 vehicles it has recalled within the UK.

The company anticipates approximately 6,000 repairs per day across its 200 repair centres, with the total number of repairs taking approximately one month to complete.

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According to figures from the York Press, traffic levels could grow by 28 per cent over the next ten years and councillors are considering an array of options to help the city cope with the expected rise, including charging a levy to combat congestion.

The news follows calls from cycling campaigners to address the issue of heavy traffic and tailbacks in the city.

Questionnaires are due to be sent to all 90,000 households across York over the next two weeks to gauge public opinion on the best way to tackle the problem. The consultation is expected to last until 26 March.

Four options currently on the table cost between £97 million and £244 million, and include the congestion scheme and increased public transport services.

Councillor Dave Merrett told the York Press: “A radical future solution will be required if we are to avoid the further serious spread of congestion well outside the current problem areas, increasing delays and disruption to motorists and bus users, continuing air quality problems and negative effects on both the York economy and the quality of life in the city.”

In similar news, the banning of buses from London’s busy Oxford Street would help tackle congestion problems in the area, according to a London Assembly transport committee report.

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The firm, Japan’s second largest vehicle manufacturer, began the recall in 2008, recalling 4,000 Accord and Civic sedans. This was dramatically extended to 510,000 vehicles the following year.

The latest announcement includes vehicles in the US, Japan, Mexican, Taiwan and Australia.

In an official statement, the company said: "We cannot be completely certain that the driver's airbag inflator in the vehicles being added to this recall at this time will perform as designed."

It has admitted that in certain circumstances airbags in affected vehicles can overinflate and burst, releasing metal shards. The defect has been linked to 11 injuries and one fatality.

Yesterday, fellow Japanese manufacturer Toyota announced the recall of an additional 436,000 hybrid vehicles, including the latest version of the best-selling Prius hybrid.

The recall, which is intended to fix software problems with the braking system, follows the recall earlier this year of eight million vehicles due to problems with the accelerator and floor mats.

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Mistakes have included overcharging and the removal of vehicles from the system altogether. The problems reportedly date from last November, when IBM introduced a new computer system after taking over administration of the scheme from Capita.

Eighty-five per cent of the fleet managers who responded to a Fleet News survey said they had experienced problems of some kind.

Five thousand four hundred fleets have more than 21,000 vehicles registered under the scheme, which offers a £1 discount on the usual daily congestion charge of £8 per vehicle.

Paul Cowperthwaite is Head of Contracted Services, Congestion Charging and Traffic Enforcement for TfL.  He claims the problems have been fixed. “We are very sorry. We have had some initial teething problems. However, they are all now virtually resolved.”

Meanwhile, the Government has announced plans to extend the scrappage discount scheme for an additional month.

The £2,000 rebate will now be available until the end of March, the BBC reports, in order to allow manufacturers and dealers more time to prepare for the end of the scheme.

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According to a BBC report, the firm has already recalled almost eight million cars in the US, and is in the process of recalling a further 1.8 million across Europe, including 220,000 in the UK.

The huge recall was prompted by a potential fault with the accelerator pedal in affected models, a fault described by the RAC as "incredibly dangerous". The motoring organisation has urged Toyota owners to have their vehicles checked immediately, reports the Guardian.

Eight Toyota models are potentially at risk but the firm stresses that the fault only exists in a small percentage of actual vehicles.

The recall may be extended to the Middle East, Africa and Latin American, where around 180,000 Toyota vehicles have been sold, claims the company.

Meanwhile, Ferraris are currently in short supply at UK prestige car dealers, according to a report on Glass’s Guide. Waiting lists are increasing, and prices on available models have jumped significantly since November, says the site, with the high-end 458 enjoying especially strong demand in spite of a £170,000 price tag.

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The average value reached a record £4,008, a rise of £106, or 2.7 per cent, since November, which had itself been a record month for LCV values.

BCA’s Duncan Ward said: "In review, 2009 has recovered all of the ground lost in 2008 and a little bit more. It seemed that values might have peaked in September, but high demand kept prices firm in the run-up to Christmas, breaking records on the way. With small businesses being significant buyers in the used commercial market, this suggests that confidence is returning to the SME sector and reflects the news that the UK officially came out of recession in the final quarter of 2009."

Average prices fell below £3,000 in January 2009 – so the December figure represented a 37 per cent rise in the course of a year. BCA attribute this steep rise to consistently strong demand after a sharp fall in demand during 2008.

Last week, new data from advice service Consumer Direct revealed that consumers are most likely to complain about second-hand cars bought from independent dealers.

According to a BBC report, Consumer Direct received a total of 50,790 calls and e-mails in 2009, and second-hand cars topped the complaints list for the fourth year running.

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More than £500 million and 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved by buying the most efficient class of car, yet in an online poll of 363 people in the UK only half were able to find the official value for a particular car.

Marian Spain, Director of Strategy at the Energy Saving Trust, said: “Our research shows that in many cases, finding out the running costs of cars and their impact on the environment from the car manufacturer website is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"I want to see the straightforward fuel economy label next to every car model viewed online so people can make informed choices."

The difference between the most efficient family car and least efficient family car is two tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and £1,000 a year.

Earlier this month, a sharp drop in the average CO2 emission per car was attributed to the scrappage scheme by eco-driving website cleangreencars.co.uk.

The average output for 2009 hit 149.8 g/km - a record-breaking 8.9 g/km less than in 1998.

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