Alternator-premium Valeo 439798 on 2040-parts.com

Volkswagen chief: No. 1 in the world by 2018

Volkswagen chairman Martin Winterkorn reaffirmed his company's ambitious and audacious goals on Wednesday night on the eve of the Paris motor show: pass Toyota and General Motors for the title of world's largest automaker in 2018. Winterkorn was the final speaker after an event that featured unveilings from each of the German conglomerate's brands. He said his company wants to record total sales of 10 million in eight years, which would vault it pass the current levels of global leaders Toyota and GM.

Brabus Mercedes S350 Bluetec ECO PowerXtra D6S kit

Mercedes S350 BlueTEC with Brabus ECO PowerXtra D6S kit The headline is a bit of a garbled eyeful at first glance. But that’s because although Brabus are pushing their new ECO PowerXtra D6S kit already attached to the Mercedes S350 BlueTEC, it can be attached to any other Mercedes running the same V6 3.0 litre diesel lump – like the Mercedes E350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY we reviewed recently. The BRABUS ECO PowerXtra D6S is a stand-alone, plug and play device that is integrated into the CAN data bus of the car, not just a quick flash remap of the ECU.

Kia K9 launches in Korea

Kia K9 launches in Korea Kia’s new range-topping saloon car – the Kia K9 – has launched in Korea and will launch overseas – with a new name – later in 2012. Kia’s most impressive – and certainly most ambitious - new car has launched in Korea and goes on sale today. But it’s extremely unlikely, even with a change of name from Dr Who’s robotic dog, that we’ll see it in the UK.