True Smart Battery Isolator on 2040-parts.com

CAR tech: what's next for car interior design?

Your new car could soon be as thoughtful, powerful and communicative as KITT from the Knight Rider TV series. That’s the ultimate expression of the connected car, a trend which is intensifying rapidly. Over the next five years, car cockpits will be able to relay more information on bigger, multiple screens and through the windscreen, and you’ll be able to give commands far more intuitively thanks to voice recognition and gesture control software.

New Mercedes C-Class UK pricing & specs revealed – costs from £26,855

The 2014 Mercedes C-Class (pictured) costs from £26,855 The new Mercedes C-Class for 2014 was revealed in December – looking like a proper baby S-Class – and now we get the specifications and prices for the UK market ahead of its arrival in Mercedes showrooms. To start, there will be just two engines available – 2.0 litre four-cylinder petrol in the C200 and 2.1 litre four-cylinder diesel in the C220 BlueTec – and a choice of six-speed manual and 7-speed auto boxes and three trim levels – SE, Sport and AMG Line. Mercedes say the new C-Class will be the best equipped in its sector, and all models come with a touchpad to control the Infotainment functions, Climate, Media Interface and Artico upholstery.

2011 VW Jetta gets launched

The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta Volkswagen reckons that this latest Jetta is no longer a Golf with a boot to make a saloon but is instead a completely new stand-alone model, even though under its new skin – inspired by the VW NCC (New Compact Coupe) concept at New York this year – it sits on a stretched (by 70mm) Golf platform. To make the Jetta stand apart from its Golf sibling VW has fitted the Jetta with an all new dashboard with aluminium highlights and a leather trimmed steering wheel. All Jettas will come equipped with AirCon and CD stereo with touchscreen SatNav an option.