Dash Valve Freightliner/ Columbia Century International on 2040-parts.com

2014 FIAT Panda Cross goes on sale in the autumn priced from £15,945

The appealing little Fiat Panda Cross goes on sale in the autumn There really isn’t a lot of choice in the car market if you want a rugged little 4×4, and the only real choice is from Fiat. So it’s a good job the new Fiat Panda Cross is such an appealing little car. Based on the Panda 4×4, the Panda Cross gets some chunky bumpers so you know it means business, big tyres so you know it can actually do of-road stuff and uncreased ground clearance and underbody protection so you don’t wreck your new Panda Cross the first time it finds a small rock.

Middlecott Sketchbattle Experiment contest pits auto designers against Detroit talent

Local creative and design talent from outside and inside the car industry will go head-to-head in a multi-round competition for the title of Sketchmaster in the Middlecott Sketchbattle Experiment (MSBE). To be held at an underground afterparty for the Auto Show Charity Preview on 17 January at the Kunsthalle Museum in Detroit, the self-styled car design fight club will be attended by industry leaders, designers from Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota and Tier One suppliers. Car enthusiasts, artists and designers from around the globe will also be present.

General Motors boss Dan Akerson gets into the Woodward Dream Cruise act

General Motors chairman Dan Akerson personally led a parade down metro Detroit's famed boulevard for car aficionados, Woodward Avenue, on Thursday as part of festivities for Chevrolet's 100th anniversary and in advance of the Woodward Dream Cruise. Taking the wheel of a cherry-red 1960 Corvette, Akerson helmed the procession of Chevy icons, which included 51 Volts. The group was augmented by Camaros, more Vettes and other classics.