Articles by CarsGuide team

The first public trials of Toyota's Winglet mobility assistance robot have taken place in Tsukuba, a science and environment city in Japan.After a three year development program, Winglet will be assessed for safety, convenience, practicality and public reaction. It features zero-emissions thanks to lithium-ion battery power and has a range of up to 10km with a maximum speed of 6 kmh.Winglet will be tested on the city's pavements to assess its safety and practicality for moving among pedestrians. The trial will continue until March 2016, with the emphasis in the first year being safety and from 2014 on functionality, convenience and prospective public demand.It will be used by 80 local authority workers and employees of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in a part of the city that has been hosting mobility robot test programs since 2011. Toyota first presented Winglet in 2008. It is a compact, lightweight two-wheeled machine that is ridden in a standing position and manoeuvred using a long, vertical T-bar handle -- like  Segway.The handle is adjustable, so people of all heights can use the machine. When not in use, Winglet can simply be folded up and carried. Winglet is powered by a lithium-ion battery and has a range of about six miles (10km) on a full charge.Top speed is around 3.5mph (6kmh), and battery charging takes an hour. Performance is emissions-free, so Winglet is also suitable for use in some indoor environments, for example in airports or office complexes. 

A 40-year-old Russian man faces up to two years in prison after admitting he stole 82 reinforced concrete slabs that made up a road in northwestern Russia.The man, from the city of Syktyvkar in Russia’s Northwestern Federal District, has admitted to using an industrial manipulator to dismantle the slabs from the road that links the village of Parcheg in the republic of Komi with the Vychegda River, The Moscow Times reported.The slabs, worth 200,000 rubles ($6,750), were then loaded onto three trucks, which police later stopped, the regional interior department said in a statement.The report said the man, who had a criminal record, admitted stealing the road. We imagine it would have been hard to say to the police “I have no idea how that got that there” when asked about the contents of the three trucks.

In its 40th anniversary year and 20 years since the original turbocharged "pocket rocket" WRX went on sale in Japan, Subaru Australia has launched the last of its current generation WRX special editions, the RS40. Priced at $44,490 the all-wheel drive WRX RS40 adds more than $7000 of value-packed features that pay tribute to Subaru's motorsport heritage. The Subaru WRX RS40 will be in showrooms from the end of August, with a host of extra kit. The list includes Recaro seats with blue coloured Alcantara inserts, STI rear spoiler, STI front lip spoiler, STI short shift gear assembly, STI flexible tower strut brace, Gold-coloured 17" WRX alloy wheels, exclusive RS40 decals, and numbered RS40 internal badge. It's only available in sedan and is strictly limited to 300 units, all in WR Blue Mica paint.  

The Honda Civic Hybrid has received technology upgrades, leather trim and two new colours... and a new price of $33,990 (flat paint). Honda's second-generation Insight has also been repositioned, with VT-i price reduced to $26,990 (flat paint) and the VTi-L to $30,490 (flat paint).The current Civic Hybrid receives satellite navigation with SUNA live traffic updates, DVD player, reversing camera with guidelines, Smart Entry and push-button start, daytime running lights and vanity mirror illumination. It also features leather seats in a grey trim and has two new colour options: White Orchid Pearlescent and Carnelian Red Pearlescent ($575 for metallic and pearlescent paint).The five-door Honda Insight hatch with its intuitive cockpit and dual-zone dash features a CVT for smooth and responsive acceleration, Creep Aid System to prevent roll-back momentarily when starting on an incline and of course Honda's unique ECON button with ECO Assist, helping the driver get the most out of each tank of petrol. 

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