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The penalty facing VW is the largest against a car maker in American history(AP/Gene J Puskar)

VW faces £3.5bn fine after admitting emissions cheating charges in US

Car giant Volkswagen has pleaded guilty to three criminal charges in the US in connection with the emissions scandal and will pay a 4.3 billion US dollar (£3.5 billion) penalty.

Faraday Future's Nick Sampson, SVP of R&D + Engineering, introduces the FF91 electric vehicle at the company's press conference at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES2017) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 3, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Frederic J. BROWNFREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

CES 2017: Futuristic cars are big draw at Las Vegas tech show

Futuristic cars powered by voice controls that can read passenger emotions and drive themselves drew the biggest crowds on the first day of the Consumers Electronics Show (CES) 2017 in Las Vegas.

Early models of driverless cars are expected to operate more cautiously than regular vehicles

Driverless cars could increase congestion on UK roads, report warns

Driverless cars could increase congestion on some UK roads for several years, according to a Department for Transport (DfT) study.

1. 2,037 Ford Fiestas were sold in August

Revealed: Northern Ireland's best selling cars in 2016

The number of cars sold in Northern Ireland in the run-up to Christmas shot up by 2.1%, fresh figures have shown.

Faraday Future's just introduced FF91 electric vehicle on display at the company's press conference at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES2017) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 3, 2017. AFP/Getty Images

Faraday FF91: Futuristic electric car that does 0-60 in 2.39 seconds revealed at CES 2017

Faraday FF91, the most futuristic car ever made, has just been revealed – an electric vehicle with the acceleration of a Formula 1 car and the ability to learn about its driver.

Donald Trump has launched a social media attack on General Motors (AP/Evan Vucci)

Donald Trump threatens car giant GM with 'big border tax' over Mexico imports

US President-elect Donald Trump has launched a social media attack on General Motors, threatening to slap a tax on the US car giant for importing compact cars from Mexico.

The counterfeiting operation, based in the defendant's garage in Templepatrick, saw fake goods produced in China and sold to customers

No prison for fake Ford goods scammer who declared all to taxman

A Co Antrim businessman who ran an international counterfeiting operation from his garage has been given a suspended jail sentence.

The Volvo S90 oozes class and prestige, writes Roger St Pierre

Volvo S90 D4 road test

It’s an offence under law to drive a car if you are not wearing a seat belt.

All Mitsubishi L200 models now get air-con, Bi-xenon headlights and switchable four-wheel drive

Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian road test

Is it just me or have you also noticed how cars, like the people who drive them, are getting bigger and bigger?

Audi A3 Cabriolet is 50kg lighter than its predecessor

Enjoy driving the open road with the wind in your hair? Well, as ongoing strong sales of open-top cars like the cabrio version of Audi’s pert little TT roadster evidence so well, our love affair with convertibles continues unabated.

Northern Ireland man buys LaFerrari Aperta for a cool £1.6m

A businessman has just taken delivery of one of the most expensive cars ever sold in Northern Ireland - the exclusive new LaFerrari Aperta - for £1.63m.

Lexus iS 300h: Bean counters will also note that the electric motor has its own eight-year warranty

Road test: Lexus iS 300h: Silky, smooth…

iS 300h might sound like a secret code number. In fact, it is the rather discrete nomenclature for a superb compact executive saloon in the determinedly upmarket Lexus range.

Lexus RC's story dates back to a concept vehicle that proudly unveiled its striking good looks at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show

Lexus RC review

There’s no denying that the Lexus RC is among the most beautiful and distinctive cars on our roads today – but could beauty prove to be only skin deep?

Road test: Toyota RAV4 Excel AWD

Foreseeing that clean running economy would challenge looks, performance and safety for number-one tick on the average car buyer’s wants list, the boffins at Toyota have spent the past four decades bringing the hybrid concept to market right across their range.

Volkswagen Touran review: Family favourite

Now looking far less like a converted van and more akin to an estate car raised on stilts, Volkswagen’s roomy and eminently practical Touran mid-sized MPV has evolved into quite a handsome creature.

Peugeot 308 GTi review: What a sport!

Can 300,000 performance motoring addicts be wrong? Well, that’s how many of them have bought a Peugeot hot hatch worldwide since the French company launched the near-legendary 205 GTi back in 1983.

Range Rover Evoque review

When Range Rover launched their mid-range Evoque SUV back in 2011 it was to considerable acclaim but our own immediate reaction was: “What an ugly car!”

Seat Leon Cupra review: The best gets better

We’ve said it before but it bears saying again: where once there were bad cars and worse ones, today there are good cars and better ones – and it may be added that they are getting better all the time.

Northern Ireland car sales for September [Photos]

The number of new cars sold in Northern Ireland has fallen by 1%

There are now no less than eight versions of the Cayenne to choose from, including a very fuel efficient 83.1-mpg S E-Hybrid

Porsche Cayenne review: Hot to trot

Shock! Horror! Back in 2002, hard-line Porsche enthusiasts greeted the launch of the company’s original groundbreaking Cayenne 4x4 SUV with incredulity.

The firm is looking to expand into glamping lodges and caravans

Revealed: Northern Ireland's most popular car brand - with more than 100,000 licensed...

A European marque has been crowned Northern Ireland's most popular choice of car.

General Motors recalling 4m vehicles (AP)

General Motors recalling four million vehicles over software defect linked to at least one...

General Motors is recalling four million vehicles worldwide for a software defect linked to one death.

Vauxhall Insignia: This Mondeo challenger is one of the good ones

Vauxhall Insignia review: Insignia of the times

In a motoring world ever more dominated by computer-generated lookalike styling, branding is clearly a major issue.

Revealed: Northern Ireland's best selling cars for August

The number of new cars sold in Northern Ireland has increased by 2.5% while vehicles sold in other regions slumped, according to new figures.

The Northern Ireland top 10 car sales for August. Number 10 - VW Polo sold 79 units.

Northern Ireland car sales for August [Photos]

The number of new cars sold in Northern Ireland has increased by 2.5% while vehicles sold in other regions slumped, according to new figures.

Michelin, the world's second-biggest tyre manufacturer, is looking at the possibility of making tyres using natural materials, such as sugarbeet, straw or wood

Rubber to lose out as lab-made synthetic tyres on the way

Kicking a tyre on the sales lot and being told by the salesman "there is plenty of rubber left there" could soon become a thing of the past. In future, there may be little if any rubber in tyres. Laboratory-made synthetic tyres are on the way.

The stylish new Kia Niro Hybrid brings frugal motoring to the crossover market

There's something familiar about the Niro, but it's an all-new car. Sitting close to the Sportage, but nevertheless at the foot of Kia's SUV range, the jacked-up hatchback is the first car Kia has designed solely to be a hybrid.

The Ford Transit and Ford Transit Custom are the number 1 and 2 best-selling CVs in the UK

Vans galore to help power your business to new levels

Commercial vans are the lifeblood of the economy - they allow small and medium-sized businesses a degree of flexibility that would be impossible without them.

Levorg GT Races Ahead

Subaru's Levorg GT is the spiritual successor of the Legacy tourer, the much loved and long-legged former flagship estate of the Japanese manufacturer's range. Levorg is an entirely new model developing more power from a smaller, meaner turbocharged flat-four engine. Subaru have consistently outsold Volkswagen Audi and BMW combined in the American market and with Levorg have maintained faith in the...

Pricing for the Kia pro_ceed kicks in at £15,250 for the entry level 1.4-litre SR

Kia pro_cee’d review: One for Europe

Kia's busy designers have added sophisticated new power-trains, a sporty GT-Line trim level and major additions to connected car systems, making their stylish three-door pro_cee’d even more of a winner.

Graphic shows anatomy of a mild hybrid and target carbon dioxide emission levels by country

48 volt 'mild hybrid' cars coming soon [Infographic]

New high-voltage “mild hybrids” -- which use 48-volt batteries -- cut both fuel consumption and emissions by boosting acceleration with electric power following Stop/Start and using regenerative braking.

Range Rover: This British masterpiece has, down the years, become simply better and better

Range Rover Rogue review: Who’s the daddy now?

Back in 1948, the original Land Rover was conceived as a rugged, utilitarian, go-anywhere vehicle. It was immediately adopted enthusiastically by our farmers and the military, winning a huge presence across the Commonwealth and beyond.

The third generation Audi TT has been put on an intensive weight-loss programme

Audi TT review: Iconic little coupé is all grown up

How time flies when you are having fun – it’s hard to believe that the iconic little Audi TT has been on the scene for 18 years.

Last month saw a return to the top for Volkswagen, with the Golf topping the chart as the most popular car to be bought new in July, jumping up from fourth place in the top 10 here in June

Car sales drop down 8% from 2015 in Northern Ireland

New car sales in Northern Ireland slumped last month - down 8% on last July.

Volkswagen Golf has remained the template against which hatchbacks are measured

Volkswagen Golf review: The magnificent seven

Evolution, not revolution has been Volkswagen’s mantra for its best-selling Golf ever since the original model was launched, way back in 1974.

The first US self-driving car fatality has been confirmed

First self-driving car fatality reported in US

The driver of a Tesla S sports car using the vehicle's "autopilot" automated driving system has been killed in a collision with a truck - the first US self-driving car fatality.

Desi Henry finished in third place in the British championship

Henry clinches top three finish as Evans wins to retake leadership

Desi Henry achieved his first podium finish in the British championship with third place behind Welshmen Elfyn Evans and Tom Cave on the Scottish Rally.

The compact and stylish interior of the BMV i3 comes equipped with the latest tech, including satnav, heated seats and climate control to make your journey as comfortable as possible

BMV i3 review: Cut costs and plug into the future

Research suggests that 26% of car buyers think electric cars are more expensive to run than conventional combustion-engined cars, but that may not actually be the case.

The Isuzu D-Max is set for another record

Isuzu D-max pick-up a real record breaker

Isuzu D-Max, Northern Ireland's best-selling pick-up, is on the brink of another sales record - by the end of this month the mighty D-Max will have sold more pick-ups here in the first half of this year than it did in the whole of last year - itself a third record year of sales.