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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A spokesman for the force told the Daily Telegraph that, without the introduction of additional measures, such as speed bumps,  the new limits would only reduce motorists’ average speed by 2mph.

He said: “Simply putting a different number at the end of a road and relying on enforcement alone to achieve compliance is not the answer. Any 20mph limits should only be sought where there is a need to protect residents, particularly children and the road is either engineered to encourage compliance or the mean speed now is 24mph and below.”

The proposed new limits have also met with scepticism from local residents. Campaigner Steve King said they would serve little purpose. "For the most part of the day, you cannot achieve 15mph, let alone 20mph," he said.

Last week, the Institute of Advanced Motorists issued a set of guidelines on driving safely in pothole-prone areas.

The Institute advised motorists to leave plenty of room between them and the vehicle in front when driving in pothole-prone areas, and to resist the temptation to pull out abruptly to avoid holes. Drivers should also check their tyres as quickly as possible if they do encounter a pothole.

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According to new statistics released today by the Finance & Leasing Association, motorists bought 82% more cars using dealer finance than in November 2008.

Private car buyers were also keen to make the most of the lower VAT rate with 45.8 per cent of all private new car sales financed through dealerships in the 12 months to November.

There was also growth in the number of used cars bought using dealer finance of 4 per cent.

Geraldine Kilkelly, Head of Research and Chief Economist, commented:

"Today's figures are encouraging, especially as there was also growth in the used car market. Buying a new car is a sign of consumer confidence, as replacing an older car is usually a discretionary, rather than an essential purchase.”

She added: “We expect December's new car finance figures also to show strong growth as consumers scrambled to beat the VAT increase."

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There are sufficient funds remaining for less than 82,000 vehicle orders, according to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said: "I'm pleased to see that the scheme has been taken up by so many people, supporting our automotive manufacturers through a very difficult time. With limited orders as we near the close of scrappage there is a risk of disappointment for car buyers. I would urge people who are still keen on taking part to put their orders in as soon as possible as time is running out.”

Scrappage take-up has been highest in the South East (18 per cent), followed by the East of England (12 per cent), with the North West and South West taking up an equal 11 per cent.

Meanwhile, Toyota has launched its own form of the scrappage scheme, dubbed ‘Swappage’.

Swappage, which will continue when the official scrappage scheme closes, offers a £2,000 discount on new Yaris, Auris or Avensis models and is available to owners of Toyota models between seven and ten years old – registered between 1 March 2000 and 28 February 2003.

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The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), part of the Department for Transport, has published 1,200 pages of detailed information on the track record of different vehicle makes. The figures reveal significant differences between vehicle models regardless of their age.

The publication, the first time such material has been published, follows a Freedom of Information request first made by the BBC in July 2008. According to a BBC report, VOSA had resisted the request, claiming that the information would be misleading and a breach of commercial confidentiality but their objections were overruled by the Information Commissioner.

The figures released apply to 2007, as this was the most recent yearly data available when the BBC made its initial request.

Amongst three-year-old vehicles – those manufactured in 2004 – the three models with the highest MOT failure rate were the Ford Transit Connect (30.5 per cent); the Renault Megane (28.1 per cent); and the Ford Transit (26.3 per cent). By contrast, three year-old Toyota Corollas have a MOT failure rate of just 11.2 per cent.

Ten year-old vehicles predictably had a higher failure rate. The top three were the Rover 420 (52.6 per cent); and the Fiat Punto and Ford Ka (both with a failure rate of 51.7 per cent).

Earlier this week, the Institute of Advanced Motorists issued a warning about the latest internet dashboard systems, saying such technology could be a significant distraction to drivers.

A number of different internet-enabled dashboards are currently under development.

IAM Chief Examiner Peter Rodger said: "If drivers were tempted to use the internet or watch videos on the move, the results could be deadly.”

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Electric vehicles will take centre stage at the event, which remains one of the most important events in the US motor industry. According to a BBC report, the Michigan city hopes to transform its image from one of old-fashioned heavy industry into a centre of new vehicle technologies.

Detroit has been hit hard by the recession, with unemployment reaching 15.8 per cent last year.

Around 160 new models will be unveiled at the show. Small form-factor petrol cars are also set to be highlighted, as cash-strapped Americans look to vehicles with lower running costs.

Last month, an official electric car trial has begun in the West Midlands.

Around 110 vehicles are undergoing testing in Birmingham and Coventry in the first of a series of government-supported national trials.

The Midlands trial will be conducted by the Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators (Cabled) consortium. Motoring journalist and former Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson is one of the initial 25 test drivers.

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In the latest of his regular columns for the New York Times, the 49-year old Irishman sets out ten ideas which he believes might make the next decade “more interesting, healthy or civil”. Number one on the list is the “Return of the Automobile as a Sexual Object”.

The singer, born Paul David Hewson, claims that the US “has failed, with only a few exceptions, to produce a single family sedan with the style and humour and grace of the cars produced in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s”.

In contrast to the ornate and eye-catching vehicle designs of the post-war era, we now “have the mundanity of our marriage to the minivan and the S.U.V. and long-term relationships with midsize cars that are, forgive me, a little heavy in the rear cargo hold”.

The musician calls on President Obama, whose government has bailed out significant sections of the US car industry, to “inject some style fascists into the mix” and place a renewed emphasis on attractive vehicle design.

Meanwhile, Ford of Britain has selected the 100th vehicle for its Ford Heritage Collection, a historical fleet used by the media and Ford dealers to promote the brand.

The recently launched Focus RS joins such historic Fords as Sir Jackie Stewart's 1970 March 701, in which he won the Spanish Grand Prix. 

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There would be “significant” problems without new supplies, council bosses told BBC Scotland.

Bob McLellan, Head of Transportation at Fife Council, said he expected current road salt supplies to run out today (January 4).

He said: "We did receive an additional supply of salt but at a very low level - 50 tonnes. To put that in perspective we are at the moment expending between 500 and 600 tonnes, sometimes up to 1,000 tonnes, per day.”

Renfrewshire Council, meanwhile, announced that gritting would be restricted to main routes only for the time being.

Councillor Marie McGurk said: "The move has been prompted by the severity and duration of the freezing weather. Like other councils, we are having to prioritise the use of our available resources.”

Last month, the Institute of Advanced Motorists warned drivers travelling in snowy weather not to drive too cautiously to avoid additional problems.

Whilst excessive speed remains a clear danger, noted the organisation, driving at an inappropriately slow speed may increase the risk of sliding on icy slopes, many of which will not have been gritted.

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The robot, called RUTH (Robotized Unit for Tactility and Haptics), is used by Ford engineers to refine the experience of touching the interior of its cars, to create a high quality and pleasing experience for customers.

RUTH is based at the company’s European Advance Research Centre in Germany and has helped to create and develop the interiors of all current and future Ford models.

A number of key parameters are assessed by RUTH, including friction, temperature, roughness and softness.

Ford Vehicle Interior Technologies Engineer Mark Spingler said: "All these little measurements add up to a much greater sense of quality from the moment you sit down inside a Ford. We're leading the way in measuring touch so that high quality interiors can be delivered in affordable cars, not just expensive luxury models."

Meanwhile, an official electric car trial has begun in the West Midlands, the BBC reports.

Around 110 vehicles are due to be tested in Birmingham and Coventry in the first of a series of government-supported national trials scheduled across the country which are to feature a total of 340 vehicles.

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