NEW SCIROCCO READY FOR LAUNCH: Volkswagen is getting set to launch the new Scirocco as it revealed this week the concept car on which the new look will be based.
Currently referred to as the Iroc concept - taking its name from the middle four letters of Scirocco - reports suggest that the design and styling, if not the colour and large wheels, reflects what the new car will look like when it arrives at the end of 2008.
The Iroc concept is based on the same platform as the current Golf and the new Audi TT, but is 10mm shorter 10mm shorter, 40mm wider and 85mm lower than the Golf.
Given the commonality between the models, it's likely that engines and drivetrains will be the same as for the Golf, with front-wheel drive as standard. There is no mention of a four-wheel-drive version as yet.
The original Scirocco, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, offered four full seats, and a large hatchback boot. The new model for 2008 will also feature these elements. The first public unveiling of the Iroc concept will be at next month's Paris motor show.
A BRIDGE TOO FAR: A long-suffering commuter fulfilled the dreams of generations of Washingtonians yesterday morning when he blew up a detested Potomac River bridge.
Maryland electrician Dan Ruefly won a contest to detonate a section of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, which carries the Capital Beltway across the Potomac between Maryland and Virginia just south of the District of Columbia.
Regional authorities have been building a replacement since 2000. The bridge has long been one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in a region notorious for gridlock.
CAYENNE TO FEATURE 'OMELETTE' LIGHTS: Porsche might have reverted to its time-honoured, rounded head lamps on the new Boxster and 911 models, but the so-called "omelette" lights seem set to feature on the next generation Cayenne off-roader, caught testing earlier this month (above).
The latest shots reveal a more aggressive front end for the 4x4. There also appears to be a longer front overhang, perhaps due to tighter front-impact and pedestrian safety requirements. However, whereas up to 80 per cent of body panels were replaced on the new 911 and Boxster models, it appears that the facelifted Cayenne's body shape will remain largely intact.
The car has been on the market since winter 2002 and is now about to undergo a first major restyling scheduled for release in the beginning of 2007 - most likely at the Detroit Motor Show.
RUSSIAN POLICEWOMEN 'LESS CORRUPTIBLE': Russia is to create its first women-only traffic police unit because commanders believe they are less corrupt than men, according to local newspaper reports.
The male-dominated traffic police routinely forgive traffic violations in exchange for bribes.
Many believe this culture helps make Russia's roads among the world's most dangerous: about 35,000 people are killed in accidents each year.