95 240 Sx Interior Dome Light on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes Teases Its 911 Rival Ahead Of Autumn Launch

MERCEDES has released teaser images of its hotly anticipated new Porsche 911 rival. The German firm has dropped the familiar ‘Benz’ element of its name, with the car being called simply the Mercedes-AMG GT. Name and cabin layout aside, Mercedes is giving little away as to the car’s looks and motive power.

MIT develops self-transforming materials that behave 'like robots without robots'

A cross-disciplinary research lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a suite of programmable materials, including carbon fiber, printed wood grain, textile composites, rubbers and plastics, that self-transform when exposed to an external stimulus. Director of the Self-Assembly Lab, Skylar Tibbits, presented a TED talk on 4D printing in 2013, where he demonstrated how a flat sheet of material could effectively build itself when exposed to water, like a robot without a robot. Following positive feedback from industries including aviation, automotive and manufacturing, his lab has been working on developing materials that change according to different activation sources, including heat, light, and air pressure, in addition to water – all of which have automotive relevance.

Audi A3 Concept (2011): first pictures

Audi has released first sketches of the Audi A3 concept, ahead of its debut at the 2011 Geneva motor show. Audi is previewing the upcoming A3 with this saloon concept. It's powered by the fan-favourite five-cylinder turbocharged engine in 408bhp specification. Quattro four-wheel-drive and a seven-speed S-tronic double-clutch transmission complete the powertrain.  Sizewise, the new A3 saloon is 4440mm long, 1840mm wide and 1390mm high.  That's longer than the current A3 Sportback (4.3m) but shorter than the current VW Jetta saloon (4.64m). The new concept is slightly wider and lower than the current A3.