Car News

The emirate of Dubai will begin testing "Tag 2 Connect" digital number plates from next month. Sultan Abdullah al-Marzouqi, head of vehicle licensing at Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), has told the BBC the digital plates can inform emergency services if the vehicle they're attached to has been involved in an accident.

The facelifted Toyota Prius has surfaced in the Japan's Best Car magazine this week, previewing an upcoming mid-life refresh for the Japanese hybrid. It's worth remembering, these could just be a set of renders commissioned by the popular Japanese magazine, but past form on the Toyota Supra would suggest they're accurate.

Kia has used its popular (in America, at least) Soul EV to trial a new wireless charging system, making it easier to keep your battery-powered vehicle topped up at home. Developed in tandem with the Kia America Technical Centre (HATCI) and Mojo, a wireless technology company, the charger is the culmination of a three-year development process. The compact charging pad is capable of a 10kW charge rate, and the development team has chased an 85 per cent grid-to-vehicle efficiency figure.

Local details for the 2018 BMW M3 CS have been revealed, with the "most potent M3 ever built" to kick off at $179,900 before on-road costs when it goes on sale in June. Priced $33,000 dearer than the M3 Competition, the M3 CS gets an uprated version of the 'standard' car's 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight six, now making 338kW of power and 600Nm of torque – 7kW and 50Nm more than the Competition Pack. Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

Update (11/4): Honda Australia has confirmed 180 examples of the Civic VTi-S Luxe will be available locally. The limited-edition Honda Civic VTi-S Luxe is now on sale in Australia, priced from $26,490 before on-road costs. Based on the VTi-S grade, which is one rung up from the base level, the Luxe gets several luxury and convenience items for an extra $2000 over the standard variant.