750 Cfm Carb Inlet / Velocity Stack / Air Horn on 2040-parts.com

GM Advanced Design California celebrates 10th Anniversary

On the eve of the 2010 LA Auto Show, GM's California Advanced Design Studio opened its doors in North Hollywood, to celebrate its 10th Anniversary. Based in a former bakery, the studio occupies a relatively small space in North Hollywood/Burbank with studio warehouses and small outbuildings sharing the plot, creating an environment that – if not for the palm trees – could easily double for the artisan workshops of a firm in old Europe. Yet on the night itself, the studio took on an altogether ethereal appearance – light-filled globes floated above the buildings and grounds, casting a blue/white hue across the venue.

BMW X5 M50d (2013) first pictures of the new super-diesel SUV

BMW has created the first high-performance version of its new X5 SUV: the X5 M50d. It’s a triple-turbocharged, six-cylinder diesel-powered model good for 42mpg, apparently. Until the new V8 X5 M sends purist enthusiasts into a froth-mouthed frenzy, this circa-£65k leviathan is the most powerful, fastest X5 you can buy.

2013 Toyota Auris: Price from £14,495

The new Toyota Auris is heading for a debut at Paris 2012 and Toyota has now revealed prie and specification ahead of its reval. Starting point will be £14,495 and there will be four trim grades - Active, Icon, Sport and Excel – as well as two petrol engines – 1.33 Dual VVT-i and 1.6 litre Valvematic – a single 1.4 litre D-4D diesel and a hybrid, with the diesel and petrols getting a six-speed manual ‘box and Toyota’s Multidrive S CVT an option on the 1.6 petrol. The Auris hybrid gets the E-CVT automatic.