Hyper-tech 50015 Programmer on 2040-parts.com

Volvo S80 gets new diesel engine

Most of the talk in the last few months about Volvo has revolved around Ford’s efforts to ditch the last of its prestige marques in its fight for survival. Poor old Volvo appears to have been hawked around the world’s car makers in the hope of finding a fit for the pride of Sweden. But there have been no takers so far, not even Volvo trucks or the Swedish Government.

BMW i3 EV revealed. It’s clever, but it’s not exactly pretty

The BMW i3 electric city car (pictured) has been officially revealed The BMW i3 – the first of BMW’s production ‘i’ electric cars – has finally been revealed at events in London, New York and Beijing as BMW plots its course to bring a premium electric city car to the world. Looking much like the original Mega City Concept, the i3 debuts a number of innovations from BMW – which are very clever – but it also debuts perhaps the worst looking BMW we’ve ever seen, with its incongruous lines, bulging bonnet, odd shapes on the flanks and slab-backed rear view. But what underpins the i3 is clever indeed, with a lightweight inner body made from carbon fibre and carbon fibre reinforced body panels providing the skin, all conspiring to make the i3 light – 1195kg, despite 25 per cent or so of that being batteries – and very rigid.

Audi Urban Concept again, this time with photos and detail

Audi Urban Concept EV- just a posh toy car It looks like we may have to dub the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show the EV Go-Kart show, such is the proliferation of fun – if ultimately rather pointless – electric go-karts. And today, just ahead of its debut, we get real photos and decent detail on the Audi Urban Concept EV. We’ve had the teasers for the Audi Urban Concept and a set of CGI images a few weeks ago, but now we get photos of the real car (is car the right word?) and some detail about its powertrain and abilities.