Timbersled Eibach Spring 300 Lb/in on 2040-parts.com

Rinspeed to debut autonomous XchangE concept at Geneva motor show

Dutch coachbuilder Rinspeed has built a reputation for imagining and creating cars from 10 years in the future and making them a reality, either for well-heeled customers or for auto show crowds. So it came as no surprise when it revealed its newest project slated for the 2014 Geneva motor show, meant to preview the interiors of the self-driving cars of tomorrow. Yes, that's a Tesla Model S underneath with a (mostly) muted restyling of the front fascia, though it is really the interior that's meant to be the showpiece.

Peugeot 2008 Crossover: UK price from £12,995

That meant the Urban Crossover Concept from Geneva in 2012 turning in to the new Peugeot 2008 at the start of 2013 – before heading to Geneva 2013 for its public debut – and with that other French car maker, Renault, going a similar route with the Clio-based Captur, it’s clear the French see the future of compact cars moving away from hatchbacks to something more rugged. But unlike the Captur – which was a bit of a disappointing looking Clio on stilts – the Peugeot 2008 does look a more convincing offering, even if it’s a more generic-looking compact SUV than the Nissan Juke and would, for our money, be the pick over the Captur. Peugeot are targeting 8,000 sales a year in the UK for the 2008, and with prices starting at £12,995 and heading up to around £19,000 it seems, if anything, a quite modest target, especially as Peugeot reckons 65 per cent of 2008 customers will be new to the brand.

Nissan rekindles Almera with new Golf rival

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 08 April 2010 09:26 Nissan plans to re-enter some of the heartland markets it departed with the loss of the Almera and Primera, CAR can reveal. It's a U-turn from a strategy that saw Nissan desert mainstream models in favour of crossovers and niche cars such as the Qashqai and Note. In an interview at the signing of the Daimler-Renault-Nissan cooperation yesterday, the Japanese firm's global product chief told CAR a new Golf rival to replace the unloved Almera was underway.'There's a live, upstream project,' Andy Palmer confirmed.