SEAT Altea Copa & Altea XL Copa Editions launched. Price from £16,425

The SEAT Altea Copa and Altea XL Copa Editions have been launched by SEAT with more equipment for no more money. The SEAT Altea has been with us for a very long time and is not quite as enticing as it once was as a sporty take on a compact MPV – based on the SEAT Leon with a higher roofline and slightly raised suspension  – so SEAT are launching the Altea Copa (and Altea XL Copa) to try and breathe a bit of life in to Altea sales. In the process of launching the Altea Copa, SEAT are also simplifying the Altea range a bit by dropping the ‘S Emocion trim along with the 1.4 litre 85 PS and 1.4 TSI litre 125 PS petrol engines, which leaves three engines to choose from in the Altea range - 1.2 TSI 105 PS, 1.6 TDI 105 PS, and 2.0 TDI 140 PS.

Citroën C4 Picasso

The all-new Citroën C4 Picasso will come as no surprise to anyone who saw the Thechnospace concept at last month's Geneva motor show as it's essentially identical, bar some color and trim details. This five-seat, C-segment MPV/minivan is shorter than the car it replaces by 40mm at 4,430mm, meaning it's closer to the old Xsara Picasso in size. It is a little wider than the old C4 at 1,830mm and its wheelbase spans an extra 55mm at 2,785mm, which Citroën says means it boast more interior and luggage space than before.

EV charging points 'to top 100,000 by 2020'

THERE will be more than 10 times the number of electric car charging points as petrol stations by 2020 – and that’s just one of the planned networks. According to POD Point CEO Erik Fairbairn, the conditions are beginning to emerge to allow electric and plug-in hybrid cars to flourish, leading to an explosion in charge point installations in the coming years that could top 100,000 just in POD Point’s own infrastructure. There are currently fewer than 9,000 petrol stations on British roads.