Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid (2008): first official pictures

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 18 September 2008 17:00 These are the first pictures of the new Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid. With a combined economy figure of 35.8mpg and a CO2 rating of just 190g/km, Mercedes claims it is the world’s most economical petrol-powered luxury saloon. But put your chequebook away – it’s not coming to the UK.

“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.

The Race of Champions Returns To Wembley

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 26 June 2008 13:46 Schumacher is back! The battle to decide the world’s fastest motorsport star returns again to Wembley Stadium on the 14th December – and the seven-time F1 champ has already signed up. Covered in almost 2000 tonnes of tarmac, the pitch will once be transformed into a bespoke circuit which will see the cream of the motorsport world go head-to-head on equal terms and in identical cars.