Ford Dagenham’s manufacturing plant is to be powered by a third wind turbine.

The 120 m tall turbine will be assembled on a 475-acre site and erected just east of Ford’s Dagenham manufacturing site, by the Thames.

It will join two other wind turbines at Dagenham which already produce 6.7 million units of energy (kilowatt hours) per year. The new turbine should increase this by 70 per cent, to 11.5 million units.

Three per cent more eco-friendly vehicles, such as the 1.4-litre diesel engine, and the 1.6 powering frugal Ford ECOnetics, were at Ford Dagenham’s plant last year, compared to 2008.

Dale Vince, managing director of wind turbine partner Ecotricity, said: "When household names like Ford use windmills for their everyday operations, it’s a sign that wind energy has come of age."

As part of its offshore wind-power project worth £100 billion, the government is planning to construct 70,000 turbines.

Toyota and Fiat have dipped under the target for emissions for 2012 set by the EU.

The manufacturers recorded average CO2 emissions of 127.9 g/km and 129.7 g/km for 2009 respectively, beating the target of 130 g/km three years early.

Ford also performed strongly, just missing the target with a figure of 131.7g/km.

These results helped reduce new car CO2 emissions over the year by 5.6 per cent, with the average output of 149.8 g/km, a record 8.9 g/km less than the previous year.

Jay Nagley, cleangreencars.co.uk publisher, said: "The fact that two mainstream car manufacturers have now met the target means that no major car company has an excuse if it cannot reach 130 g/km by 2012."

Mr Nagley added, though, that the government’s scrappage scheme – due to last until the end of February, or when funding runs out, whichever comes first – was responsible for much of the progress and significant improvement will be necessary in order to keep up the momentum in 2010.

Mazda will reveal its new Mazda5 at the Geneva International Motor Show in March.

The car will be show on March 2nd and joins two other Mazda models being unveiled at the event.

Going on sale later this year, the car is aimed at European families with active lifestyles.

The vehicle is equipped with rear sliding doors and can fit up to seven seats in the cabin.

It is powered by a new 2.0-litre DISI (direct-injection spark ignition) petrol engine and is an eco-friendly C-MAV choice with 15 per cent lower emissions than other petrol models.

Hideki Matsuoka, Mazda5 programme manager, said: "In approaching development of the all-new Mazda5, our team aimed to create a new C-MAV that combines superb practicality with the superior environmental performance these modern times demand and a new expression in stylish design."

Also being previewed at this year’s Geneva show is the Mitsubishi low-emitting ASX crossover.

The search for the best pothole prose is on, as potholes.co.uk is accepting entries to a poetry competition.

Twitter users are encouraged to enter the competition by composing 140-character poems on the subject or alternatively upload their poems to the road maintenance campaign site.

The website will monitor all Twitter entries using the hashtags #potholes and #pothole.

Duncan McClure Fisher, founder of Potholes.co.uk, said: "We’re not looking for a Pullitzer Prize winner here, it’s a spot of fun to once again highlight the embarrassing state of our roads."

The AA recently predicted that the cost of repairing the UK’s potholes after the recent cold snap will total more than £100 million.

Potholes form when, in times of freezing weather, water seeps into cracks in the road and freezes, expanding under the surface and breaking the road up when it thaws.

The Met Office predicted more snow to hit southern England on Tuesday night (January 19th) and Wednesday.

The new ASX crossover car will be on show at the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show in March.

Its environmentally-friendly model follows on from the Japanese RVR which is available in February and its larger counterpart, the Outlander mid-size crossover.

The compact car, offering the feel of a 4×4 without the associated costs, will be revealed at the Geneva Palexpo in Switzerland between March 2nd and March 14th.

Seating five people, the model will be introduced in European countries one at a time from the end of spring.

It comes complete with a Euro 5-compliant 1.8L turbocharged direct-injection diesel engine, Automatic Stop & Go technology and six-speed manual transmission, making it an eco-friendly option.

Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV electric car – used in London mayor Boris Johnson’s eco-motoring promotion at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen – was recently awarded the title of Ecobest 2009 car by the AUTOBEST panel of motor journalists.

Japanese automaker Honda will celebrate British engineering in its newest TV advertisement.

In a 60-second film the group will showcase the breadth of its manufacturing experience – from all-terrain vehicles, to marine engines, motorcycles and humanoid robots – and highlight how the firm uses that knowledge to build its cars today.

The focus of the advert will be on the popular Swindon-built Civic model.

Ian Armstrong, manager of customer communications at Honda UK, commented that the advert provides an opportunity to celebrate engineering expertise and back the popular Civic model.

"Decades of engineering innovation make Honda what it is today. As a result we are able to apply our know-how to constantly evolve the huge range of products we sell," he added.

Earlier this month, Honda unveiled its new small concept car at the Auto Expo 2010 in New Delhi.

The group is planning to introduce an affordable new vehicle based on the design in India and Thailand next year.

Older drivers are no more dangerous on the road than any other motorist, it has been revealed.

A report published today by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) shows that those over the age of 70 are considerably safer than younger drivers and more reliable on bends and overtaking than 50 year olds.

Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research, said that the findings contradict the common assumption that older drivers are a danger on the roads.

"Just eight per cent of drivers are over 70 and they are involved in around four per cent of injury crashes, but of the 15 per cent of drivers who are in their teens and 20s, 34 per cent are involved in injury crashes," he added.

Mr Greig went on to recommend that older drivers are made more aware of the risks they face and offered assessments to help them deal with these dangers.

Last month, the IAM stressed that effective enforcement is key to reducing dangerous driving on UK roads.

Car manufacturer Mazda has moved delivery of its vehicles for Scotland out of Grimsby and into Rosyth, prioritising customers in the country and reducing the firm’s CO2 emissions.

The move makes the company the biggest car importer to Scotland, with a forecast of over 6,000 cars transiting through the port of Rosyth in 2010.

David Rodriguez, head of sales planning and distribution for the group’s British operations, said that Scotland is the firm’s most successful market in the UK.

"With an increasing volume of Mazdas in Scotland we were faced with having to increase the number of lorry journeys which in turn would have led to a greater CO2 footprint, and it was these three factors that were the catalyst for change," he said.

This week, Mazda and US giant Ford denied reports they are planning to dismantle or restructure their joint venture in China with Chinese partner Changan Automobile.

Automaker Skoda picked up three prizes at January’s What Car? awards.

Held last Friday (January 15th), the event saw the firm’s Yeti model named ‘Best buy crossover under £15,000′ in 1.2 TSI S specification, the Skoda Octavia Estate 1.4 TSI take the award for ‘Best buy estate under £16,000′ and the Superb get the gong for the best family car costing less that £17,000.

The prize for the Octavia Estate was the model’s third in succession in its category, while the award for the Yeti added to its Top Gear magazine ‘Family Car of the Year’ honour and the Czech Motoring Journalists Club Car of the Year accolade.

In addition the company announced plans to produce an estate version of the Superb soon.

Last week, the Reading Post reviewed the Yeti, describing the vehicle as stylish and saying that it coped well with snowy road conditions.

The car’s interior can also be transformed through 20 different combinations, providing ample storage space.

Veloce Publishing has launched its first iPhone app giving motorists an insight into what it means to own a VW Bus.

The VW Bus – The Essential Buyers Guide application extends Veloce Publishing’s high-quality traditional media content offering into the digital realm and provides discerning motorists with hints, tips and advice on buying and maintaining VW’s iconic campervans.

According to the apps author Richard Copping, being able to share VW Bus expertise with enthusiasts through their iPhones and iPods is a gratifying experience.

The programme has 18 sections, ranging from cost considerations to common problems.

Veloce publisher and co-founder Rod Grainger said: "This first App represents a bold step into a new form of media with a great future. In App form, sound and video have allowed us to add new dimensions to our core product – excellent practical advice."

Recently, Axa introduced an iPhone app which reminds people what information they need to gather when they are involved in an accident while driving.