Automotive

Jennifer A. Janus Yeager, 49, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of endangering the health or life of a child and two counts of reckless conduct.

Volkswagen is halting production of the last version of its Beetle model this week at its plant in Puebla, Mexico. It is the end of the road for a vehicle that has symbolised many things over a history spanning the eight decades since 1938. The car has been a part of Germany’s darkest hours as a never-realised Nazi prestige project, and a symbol of Germany’s postwar economic renaissance and rising middle-class prosperity. VW Beetles are assembled in lines at the...

A woman stole a vehicle after throwing a snake at the driver, then crashed through barricades set up for a pole-vaulting exhibition in South Carolina. Greenville Police identified the suspect as 29-year-old Hilmary Moreno-Berrios. They say she was injured in Friday’s crash but was discharged from hospital on Monday. Authorities say Moreno-Berrios demanded a woman’s keys and then threw a live black snake at her. She drove the stolen SUV with the snake still in it into barriers set up...

The Bloodhound supersonic car is heading for high-speed tests on its specially prepared race track in South Africa. The project, which aims to hit speeds of 1,000mph, will take to the Hakskeen Pan track in October this year. More than 300 members of the local Mier community have moved 16,500 tonnes of rock for the 12-mile desert track. Bloodhound reached speeds of 200mph at Cornwall Airport Newquay in 2017 and aims to hit 500mph in South Africa. The vehicle will...

The owner of the car claimed not to have seen warning signs on the beach

BMW stopped producing engines at its Warwickshire factory for cars built in South Africa because of fears over post-Brexit tariffs, a senior figure at the firm has revealed. Production chief Oliver Zipse, who has been tipped to become the company’s next chief executive, said the decision was implemented in early 2018 and is “bad for the UK”. BMW has built petrol engines at its Hams Hall plant in Coleshill for use in several factories around the world since 2001. But...

The first fully electric Mini car has been unveiled at the car-maker’s Oxford factory. Mini claimed the car could be a “tipping point” and encourage motorists who have been considering switching to an electric vehicle to “take that step now”. Manufacturing of the Mini Electric will begin at the plant in Cowley, Oxford, later this year, with deliveries beginning in spring 2020. The zero-emission vehicle will be fully integrated into the production process at Oxford, running down the same lines...

Police say the Citroen driver lost control and ended up balancing on top of a mound of earth

All the thrills, spills, wacky costumes and vehicles from the North London soapbox rally.