The FCX concept, displayed...
The FCX concept, displayed on the firm"s Paris stand alongside the Civic Type R, has one of the world"s most technically advanced fuel cells. And a production version based on the FCX will be made available in the UK, according to chief executive Takeo Fukui.
The new listing - Band...
The new listing - Band G - was introduced last week in Chancellor Gordon Brown"s Budget speech among a raft of changes designed to show the Government"s environmentally friendly side.
Anyone whose vehicle now sits in Band G will pay ÷£210 for their annual tax disc. Band F models - the previous top grouping - have also been stung for an extra ÷£25 a year, taking their total to ÷£190. The Budget decisions were designed to affect drivers of large-engined luxury limos and sports cars.
But Edmund King, of the RAC Foundation, says it will also hit owners of models from the likes of Ford, Audi, Mitsubishi and Vauxhall, plus many four-wheel-drive cars which it was initially feared were going to be singled out for blanket "Chelsea tractor" treatment.
"The extra ÷£25 on Band F affects all petrol Ford Mondeos, for example," King explained. "Family cars are hit. Band G is set too low, and ordinary models are being affected by it." Christopher Macgowan, chief of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: "Stability, certainty and long-term must be the watchwords when changing sensitive taxes. None of these appears to have been applied here."
Band A rate is zero, while Band B is down to ÷£40. Owners of cars in Bands C, D and E pay ÷£100, ÷£125 and ÷£150 respectively. Our chart shows a selection of the models now in the top group.