Toyota has announced it will temporarily halt production at two British plants before Easter.

Production at the plants will be stopped from March 29th until April 9th because of a predicted drop in sales due to its safety recall.

Around 3,500 workers at the Burnaston plant in Derbyshire, and 500 at the Deeside factory in Wales, will be affected by the closure.

Toyota also confirmed it will still go ahead with its voluntary redundancy scheme at the two plants, which aims to cut 750 jobs.

It is considering implementing a workshare arrangement from the end of March too, meaning short-time working, but a decision has not yet been reached.

More than eight million cars have been recalled worldwide by Toyota, with around 180,000 in the UK alone.

Workers at the Burnaston plant make the Auris and Avenis models, which have both been recalled in the UK and Europe due of concerns surrounding the accelerator pedal.

Hydrogen taxi cabs are being developed for use at the London Olympic Games in 2012, it has been claimed.

The new cab, which will run on the latest hydrogen fuel cell technology, can reach a top speed of 81mph, according to the Guardian.

It is capable of going from 0-60mph in 14 seconds and can travel more than 250 miles on a full tank of hydrogen.

The taxi has been developed by Intelligent Energy, which has designed and built the fuel cell, and Lotus, which is responsible for putting the cell into the design.

It will not produce any emissions from its tailpipe, which is the same as other electric vehicles.

However, the taxi has the added bonus of filling up in only a few minutes, which is not the case with battery-powered vehicles.

London mayor Boris Johnson already has a scheme in place to reduce the carbon footprint of the capital’s 21,000-strong fleet of cabs, turning black cabs green.

The scheme to reduce CO2 emissions from black taxis has received £1 million funding from Transport for London’s Climate Change Fund, and Cenex, the National Centre of Excellence for Low Carbon and Fuel Cell Technologies.

UK car production has risen by 64.8 per cent in January 2010 compared with 2009, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Some 101,109 cars were produced in Britain last month. The increase in production was the biggest recorded in more than 30 years.

There was a rise in the number of commercial vehicles, such as vans and lorries, produced too with a 9.6 per cent increase.

Vehicle and engine production rose for a third successive month in January, and this is thought to be largely due to the government scrappage scheme.

As the scheme finishes at the end of next month, SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt, said he expected "a modest recovery in 2010 output".

The scrappage scheme, implemented by the government to provide short-term relief to the flailing car industry, has proved to be highly successful in boosting new car sales.

More cars with lower carbon emissions are also on the roads as a result of the government-funded scheme.

Volkswagen has launched its most efficient model of Polo, which emits only 91g/km of CO2, yet returns 80.7 mpg.

This means that, in theory, the 1.2 litre TDI Polo BlueMotion can travel more than 800 miles on a single tank of diesel.

Not only are there technological advancements to the model that make it more efficient, but also aesthetic changes have been made to increase efficiency.

The model has bespoke bumpers, side skirts as well as an extended roof spoiler. It also has 15-inch ‘Greenland’ alloy wheels that are fitted with low rolling resistance tyres, all adding to its efficiency.

A Polo BlueMotion accelerates from zero to 62 mph in 13.9 seconds and can reach a top speed on 107 mph.

The European Union has pledged to reduce the carbon emissions of all cars registered in the EU to below 130g/km by 2012.

A long-term target of 95g/km is hoped to be achieved by 2020, however the new Polo model already emits fewer carbon emissions than either of these targets.

In a poll by Which? Car, the Smart ForTwo Coupe has come out top with a 64.8 per cent score, giving it the ‘best visibility’.

Which? Car awarded cars in the test points out of 100 for visibility based on a number of different criteria.

These included interior and exterior mirror visibility, windscreen wiper clearance, pillar thickness and all-round view.

Sports cars fared the worst in the tests, with the Porsche Boxster in overall bottom place with 31.4 per cent visibility, however visibility increased in models where the roof could be lowered.

All-round visibility is generally worse than 15 years ago on all models, as car roofs and pillars are strengthened to ensure less damage is done in a crash.

Around 25 fatal accidents a year could be avoided if vehicle blind spots were eliminated, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Research from the society, a charity which promotes safety and the prevention of accidents, shows that one per cent of accidents are attributed to vehicle blind spots.

Honda has re-launched its scheme offering zero per cent APR finance on its Jazz model to encourage customers to make the most of the last month of the scrappage scheme.

The Jazz, which is built at Honda’s Swindon factory, has been the brand’s biggest-selling car during the scrappage scheme, with more than 7,300 sold.

Customers can receive zero per cent finance for two years from the new hire purchase finance package.

They have to pay a 35 per cent deposit on the model and 24 monthly repayments, which start at £299.

Honda is also offering its customers savings of £2,000 as part of the government-funded scrappage scheme.

The scheme is due to finish at the end of March and was implemented as a short-term solution to the economic problems faced by the car industry.

It also allows people to replace their old cars with more environmentally-friendly models.

The Jazz finance offer, which is available on all cars registered before March 30th, is for non-scrappage scheme customers too.

The new Chevrolet Spark has been shipped into the UK ahead of its nationwide launch.

Spark, is the brand’s all-new city car, which measures only 3.64m by 1.6m, much smaller than its appearance would suggest.

Some 348 cars were brought into the UK to help with pre-sales of the model at the 87 Chevrolet retailer sites across the country.

The engine in the new model features port deactivation, which improves the exhaust gas recirculation of the car, making it very fuel efficient as well as keeping maintenance and running costs low.

It also boasts CO2 emissions of only 119g/km, which is below the European Union’s 2012 target for all cars to emit less than 130g/km.

As long as people order a new Spark before March 31st, they can also take advantage of savings from the government-funded scrappage scheme.

The scheme allows people to trade in cars registered before February 2000 to receive £2,000 off selected Spark models.

The new generation of the Kia Magentis will make its debut at the New York International Auto Show in April.

An all-new version of the saloon car from the Korean manufacturer is being released and will encompass a more sporty design.

The new Magentis is lower and wider than the previous model and has a longer wheelbase too, which allows for more space for people and luggage.

It will not be on sale in Europe until spring 2011, with the UK date not yet confirmed, however it will be available in the US and non-European markets from autumn this year.

Kia, which is an official partner of the FIFA World Cup 2010, has an innovative eco-friendly scheme where it applies Design for Recycling guidelines to its vehicles.

This means the company has partners across Europe that can recover and recycle as much material from an end-of-life car as possible.

Hyundai has been named as Carmaker of the Year by the leading motor industry publication AM Magazine.

The South Korean manufacturer beat rivals Ford, Land Rover, Jaguar and Kia to take home the coveted award.

It was voted for by a panel of experts including the fortnightly publication’s editor, Jeremy Bennett, who said the brand was "pumping out high quality vehicles" and "selling them at the right price".

Hyundai’s UK managing director, Tony Whitehorn, said the brand has doubled its sales and strengthened its retail network, bringing exciting prospects for the brand in 2010.

It has made some changes to its successful scrappage scheme in 2010 too.

From the beginning of the year until February 28th, Hyundai has been offering additional savings on some models with its Top-up Plus scheme.

This means you could save £1,000 courtesy of the government-funded scheme then a further £1,000 from Hyundai.

Carmaker Jaguar will unveil the fastest ever version of its supercharged XKR coupe at the Geneva Motor Show next month.

The new vehicle offers a significantly raised maximum speed – up to 174mph from 155mph – and bold new styling changes.

Customers will also be given the option to personalise their vehicle and create a car that offers even greater performance.

Russ Varney, chief programme engineer for the XK Series, commented: "The car has always had the potential to reach speeds far beyond its original electronically limited maximum and many of our customers have expressed an interest in a car that can safely be driven faster where conditions permit."

The company added that in order to ensure the car remains stable at high speeds a revised front aerodynamic splitter and larger rear spoiler are used to provide increased balance and a reduction in lift.

Running from March 4th to 14th, the Geneva Motor Show is now in its 80th year.