2005 Harley Davidson Touring Flht Electra Glide Front Light Bar on 2040-parts.com

Interior Motives China Conference 2011 – Day 2

Following on from the colorful discussions started yesterday, delegates returned to the Millennium Hotel in Shanghai for the second and final – and no less thought-provoking – day. Again the context for the discussion was 'The challenge of being different: establishing a local design direction for China's maturing market', with the day segmented into three distinct topics. David Muyres: As a car manufacturer, what's next?

Volkswagen XL Sport Concept gets Ducati power: Paris 2014

The Volkswagen XL Sport Concept (pictured) gets Ducati power The Volkswagen XL 1 may well be an impressive ‘Supercar’ (that’s super-economical, rather than plain ‘super’), but it’s a daft amount of money and, unless you’re trying to make a ‘Green’ statement, not for everyone. But this Volkswagen XL Sport Concept is a more appealing car – both visually and mechanically – as VW take the XL 1 and rework it in to a sports car with a little help from Ducati. Because under the skin of the XL Sport lies a 197bhp V2 that’s come from Ducati (just as we reported a year ago) and delivers 197bhp through a seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box, with a reduction gear between engine and gearbox to boost torque, revs to 1,000 rpm and can get to 62mph in 5.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 157mph.

Brighton Speed Trials under threat

Nearly 8,000 people have signed a petition to see the Brighton Speed Trials return in 2014. The event, which dates back to 1905, was cancelled last year while an inquest determined the cause of a fatal motorbike crash that occurred in 2012. Now organisers are urging the local council to give them permission to return to the Speed Trials to Brighton’s Madeira Drive this summer.