79-14 Ford Mustang Chrome Plated Upper Door Lock Knobs (e7zz-6121850-bk) on 2040-parts.com

Bentley uses 3D printing to prototype new designs [w/Video]

3D printing is changing the way the world makes things by helping people of all disciplines to enhance and refine their ideas cheaply, quickly and effectively.  Bentley is the latest carmaker to utilize the technology to fabricate and prototype different parts to see how they'll look and work on the finished design. Using 3D printers, designers can produce parts from the exterior and interior such as the grille, tires, headlamps and door handles as well as combine different types of contrasting materials, ranging from hard plastics to rubbers of different tensile strengths.  The technology allows the user to create a solid 3D object straight from a digital model by printing layers of material on top of each other. This process rapidly decreases the delivery time, as parts can be printed overnight, and allows designers to be more creative in their ideas because of the reduced cost. Bentley isn't the first carmaker to use 3D printing technology. Audi announced last year it was beginning to prototype vehicle parts using 3D printers.

New BMW 316d ES Saloon

BMW has announced the BMW 316d ES - its most economical 3-Series to date Car makers are falling over themselves to introduce new models that are more fuel efficient and less polluting than what went before, and this time it’s BMW’s time to play the game with the most economical 3 Series yet – the new BMW 316d ES Saloon. The 316d ES gets BMW’s 2.0 litre 4-pot diesel and a six-speed manual ‘box, which manages a quite impressive 62.8mpg and emits only 118g/km of CO2. That puts it in to the £35 a year VED band and makes this the cleanest and most economical 3 Series yet.

Future products: BMW focuses on small crossovers, new EV subbrand

BMW will concentrate on small crossovers next year with a redesigned X3 and the all-new X1. Both are based on the redesigned 3-series sedan, which will arrive in 2012. In 2013, a new subbrand of electric and hybrid vehicles being developed by BMW's Project i group will debut.