News in brief - Wheels Within Wales

The number of speed cameras has almost trebled in six years, according to the latest Department for Transport figures.
The total number of speed camera sites increased from 1,672 to 4,737 between 2001 and 2007. This, together with a rise in speeding fines from £40 to £60, led to revenue increasing from just over £10 million in 2001 to £120m in 2007.

Over 70pc of Brits would like to see the Police given the power to prosecute motorists who ‘hog' the middle lane on the motorway according to Motorpoint.
The poll by the car supermarket giant found 73pc of people would welcome new laws that penalised so-called ‘middle lane morons' who cause delays on the motorway network by refusing to move out of the middle lane. Over 1,990 people participated in the online study.

Company cars could soon come with tachographs fitted that allow fleet managers to accurately monitor driver hours and vehicle use.
A new European Union law, which has just been introduced by the European Commission, has cleared the way for fleets to fit the new digital tacographs in passenger cars, SUVs and light vans if they choose. Until now, tachograph technology was only authorised under EU technical legislation for use in HGVs and buses, but now the European Commission has extended its scope to smaller vehicles.

Volvo has teamed up with the NFU to offer NFU members discounts on the Swedish manufacturer's products.
Fully paid up NFU members will be able to claim discounts of between 3 and 9 per cent on a range of selected models including the Volvo S40, S80, V70 and V50 as well as the new Volvo XC60. Participants in the scheme will also be able to claim 15 per cent off Volvo accessories for up to one month after they purchase the vehicle.

More than 125,000 crashes were caused last year by motorists with colds and flu, as new scientific research reveals the serious impact of driver illness on accident rates.
A new study commissioned by Lloyds TSB Insurance proves that driving with a virus such as cold or flu, impairs driver awareness by as much as 11pc - the equivalent of downing a double whisky before getting behind the wheel.

The Citroen DS range will be reborn.
Plans will be outlined tomorrow and the first prototype will be shown at the Geneva motor show next month. The DS range will complement Citroen's C3, C4 and C5 cars. The DS-badged cars will be sold at higher prices, allowing Citroen to win additional sales at bigger margins without high extra production costs. Citroen's first DS became a style icon in the 1950s and 1960s because of its futuristic, aerodynamic body design. The executive sedan was sold between 1955 and 1975.

Ford plans to sell its automatic transmission factory at Bordeaux to a French company that operates one of the country's historic steel forging operations.
The proposed sale of the Ford Aquitaine Industrie facility, for an undisclosed sum, to HZ Holding will protect about 1,600 jobs at the site and allow continued production of five-speed transmissions for Ford until 2011. It will also generate useful income for the struggling car maker.

Jaguar Land Rover is talking with unions over pay cuts to avoid further lay-offs at its three main UK sites.
Union leaders have been offered a ‘menu' of possible changes to pay agreements in return for a pledge by the company to keep staff at work. In America, General Motors joined Chrysler in offering a new round of hourly worker buyouts and retirement incentives to cope with the industry downturn and meet federal labour-saving requirements for the automaker's rescue package.

Ford and Vauxhall are increasing prices in the UK in response to the drop in the value of the pound.
The pound has fallen by over 10pc against the euro and over 25pc against the dollar in the past six months.