2002 Polaris Rmk 600 700 800 Ves Edge Brake Master Cylinder Handle Lever on 2040-parts.com

Ford door protector takes the sting out of dings

Nothing ruins car joy like a door ding--whether it's the first blemish on your pride and joy or the latest door divot. Now, the engineers at Ford in Europe have developed a way to take the sting out of the parking lot--a retractable door-edge protector for the Ford Focus. It's no surprise that this comes from Europe, where roads are narrow and parking spaces are squeezed tight.

2015 VW Polo GTI gets new 1.8 litre TSI with 189bhp

The VW Polo GTI gets a facelift and new engine for 2015 The 2015 Volkswagen Polo GTI is being updated for 2015 – and heading for a debut at the Paris Motor Show – with VW bucking the trend for ever smaller engines by dropping the current 1.4 litre turbocharged and supercharged lump in favour of a new 1.8 litre TSI with 189bhp and 236lb/ft of torque. The extra power lets the new Polo GTI get to 62mph in 6.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 147mph and, unlike the current GTI, you’ll also be able to do that with a six-speed manual ‘box as well as the optional 7-speed DSG. Aside from the new engine, you’ll need to look quite hard to see the changes, but the 2015 Polo GTI does get updated headlights, a new grill (complete with red stripe), more aggressive bumpers with the interior keeping its tartan seats and getting the same updates as those on the rest of the Polo range.

End of Maybach may jump-start Mercedes S-class convertible

A couple of nondenial denials from Mercedes-Benz execs at the New York auto show this week sure made it sound like there's a convertible coming, based on the redesigned S-class due out next year. If the brand follows its usual practice, the convertible would come out a year or two after the sedan. Significantly, Mercedes-Benz showed the Ocean Drive convertible concept five years ago with a Mercedes-Benz badge, rather than Maybach.