The Volvo C30 Electric has been exposed to rough winter conditions in order to ensure that the battery-powered car runs smoothly in temperatures as low as -20°C. In addition to being subjected to the same test requirements as the rest of the Volvo range, the C30 Electric underwent several new test methods. All in all, over 200 different tests were performed.

The Kia Sportage was specifically developed for the UK's roads and drivers, who make up Kia's largest European customer base. R&D experts from Kia Motors (UK) were involved with the testing of the new Sportage, to be built at the Žilina plant in Slovakia, from the prototype stages in mainland Europe right up until final testing in the UK itself.

The all-new Ford Focus was tested in the most extreme environments on the planet. It's been frozen in Arctic Sweden and baked in the Arizona Desert. It's also been pushed to the limit in Britain – in the Environmental Test Laboratory at Ford's Dunton Technical Centre in Essex, where temperatures reached a sweltering 55°C, and plunged as low as -40°C, thanks to 28 tonnes of refrigerant.

An Audi A1 quattro prototype that brings all-wheel-drive to the premium subcompact hatchback segment for the first time has been undergoing cold-weather testing on Canada’s densely snow-packed roads. The one-off development car is reaffirms Audi’s commitment, made at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, to underpin future high-performance variants of the A1 with this driver aid

Bentley’s Design team offers a rare glimpse inside its studios to follow the development of a Bentley from the first sketch right through to the moment it sweeps through the factory gates. The ‘An Unbroken Line’ exhibition at Bentley’s Crewe headquarters in the UK follows the story of creativity and technical precision behind the creation of the latest Bentleys including the Continental GT and Mulsanne

Many new elements were added to the test program for Ferrari's first four-seater, four-wheel-drive model

BMW X1 durability testing

McLaren MC4-12C

Audi site visit

Rolls-Royce Ghost - Click here to read about Rolls-Royce's first driver's car

BMW X6M - Click here to read about M divisions first four-wheel drive car

IFR Aspid - Click here to read about the lightweight car with a heavyweight punch

Porsche Panamera - Read about Porsche’s most talked-about car for decades

BMW Z4 - click here to read the development story of the BMW Z4

Focus RS - click here to read the development story of the Focus RS

Ford Taurus - click here to read the development story of the Ford Taurus