1998 Ford Explorer Floor Center Console Gray 2583970 on 2040-parts.com

Peugeot 2008 DKR heading for the Dakar Rally. Not that it looks much like a 2008

The Peugeot 2008 DKR (pictured) is heading for the Dakar Rally After steering clear of the Dakar Rally for a quarter of a century, Peugeot is back in the endurance rally game with the Peugeot 2008 DKR, a rally car that shares its name with Peugeot’s 2008 Crossover – but little else. Instead of the almost cutesy looks of the 2008, the 2008 DKR gets looks that could have come from Mad Max with a sinister-looking black paint job, just two doors, short overhangs for better obstacle negotiation, 37″ off-road tyres and a thumping great wing at the back. Unlike most cars that tackle the Dakar, Peugeot has decided that rear-wheel-drive is the way to go as it allows for bigger wheels and more suspension travel, rather than the four-wheel-drive preferred by the majority of entrants.

Audi S8 (2011) Confirmed – Audi S7 and Audi S1 planned

Audi has confirmed the 2011 S8 and an S1 and S7 The ink has just dried on our report on the new 2011 Audi A8 (well, you know what I mean) when we got news that Audi are going to produce an Audi S8 , despite earlier reports that there would be no S8 for the 2011 model, or even the W12 A8. But it doesn’t stop there. In an unguarded moment Audi’s Design Director Stefan Sielaff said that the ‘Design Grammar’ of the A8 would extend in to the S8, the S7 and the S1.

Bob Lutz returns as General Motors adviser

The raspy voice of Bob Lutz will again be heard at General Motors. The company announced on Friday morning that its former product czar is returning as an adviser. Lutz had been advising GM executives on an informal basis, the company said.