Currently reading: Quick news: Aygo is go; China attacks pollution; Aston's £20m revamp
Toyota Aygo production is underway; Chinese government axes polluting cars; Aston Martin invests in production revamp at Gaydon

Production of the second-generation Toyota Aygo has begun in preparation for the city car's arrival in Britain later this year. The TPCA (Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile) factory in Kolin in the Czech Republic is building the car and its Peugeot 108 and Citroën C1 siblings. Production is ramping up, and by early June the plant will be working at full capacity, with 1000 cars coming off the line every 24 hours.

The Chinese government will eliminate six million high-polluting vehicles from its roads before the end of 2014 in a move to bring down air pollution. The mandatory rule applies to vehicles that do not meet exhaust emissions standards. One-fifth of the affected vehicles are in the sprawling cities of Beijing and Tianjin, as well as Hebei Province – all northern regions frequently troubled by smoggy air in recent years.

Aston Martin is investing £20m in an expansion of its manufacturing capabilities at its factory and global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The development plan includes the creation of a new chassis and pilot build facility, new offices, and an extension of the parts and logistics storage area. The new facilities will cover an extra 10,000 square metres and the major development work is due to be completed in 2015.

Pricing for the revised Chrysler Ypsilon range has been revealed. Three trim levels are offered – Silver and Gold replaces the old S and SE models, while the top Platinium trim is new. The entry-level variant is powered by a 1.2-litre, 68bhp petrol in Silver trim level and starts from £9895. At the top of the range is the 0.9 TwinAir in Platinum trim, which includes 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic climate control, rear power windows, cruise control, part leather seats and parking assist. It costs £14,895.

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n50pap 29 May 2014

Even more Ypsilon model names?

The Ypsilon seems to have had several model names in its brief time in Britain. The Limited was dropped, Red and Black seems to now be the "S" series which was recently tested by Autocar and there's another S and SE range which are really the basic and one step up. Could this confusion be the reason why the car hasn't exactly been a huge sales success? There are also a few pre-reg models which are a better bet, since they seem to be very well discounted. Nearly £15k for a top-spec Platinum seems a bit high, but give it a couple of months and they'll be sitting on a forecourt near you with minimal mileage at a considerable discount.
fadyady 28 May 2014

Instead of axing polluting cars

The Chinese will perhaps be better off taxing them. No need to use a canon to do an air-gun job.