1998-2002 Lincoln Town Car Custom Real Leather Seat Cover (front Drivers-black) on 2040-parts.com

“Where is the sustainable vehicle design?”

The notion of a 'new paradigm in car design' was a theme running through talks by five panelists at London's Royal College of Art last week, who debated "Seriously now, where is the sustainable vehicle design?" Despite disparate backgrounds, there was broad agreement that a truly sustainable form of personal transportation is unlikely to come from an established automotive firm any time soon. Panelist Rob Holdway of Giraffe Innovation was most vocal in his approach to the subject, saying "Frankly, I think the car is unacceptable - we hear a lot about the sustainable car, but I don't think there is such a thing as a sustainable car". The audience - made up mainly of RCA students - also heard from Nico Sergent of Riversimple about how the company's seven-point business model, and its open source strategy, incentivized the company to build a truly sustainable car and mobility package that the current auto model simply doesn't allow.

One Lap of the Web: XKR-S GT, Honda bikes and a new Bugatti

Journalist Chris Harris got a chance to take the Jaguar XKR-S GT for a spin on the track in the latest Drive video. The GT gets Jag's 5.0-liter V8 making 550 hp and 501 lb-ft, which is the same as XKR-S. However, plenty of improvements are made in the chassis.

Smart For-US

Smart has announced the For-US concept, which will debut at the 2012 NAIAS. The For-US is a two seat 'urban pick-up' that adopts a 'tongue-in-cheek' demeanor and is aimed at youth and the young-at-heart. The pint-sized pick-up is a zero-emission vehicle with a 55kW magneto-electric motor at its core.