Arcticcat Speedometer on 2040-parts.com

VW and Chinese ‘in talks to buy Vauxhall/Opel’ from GM

GM is considering selling its loss-making European operations, it emerged tonight. If it goes ahead and severs ties with GM Europe, the General would cede control of Vauxhall and Opel, the second biggest car brand in the UK.And in another extraordinary twist, CAR has confirmed that top-level talks have been taking place between Volkswagen and the German government, which is keen to avoid Opel falling into foreign hands. Chinese car makers are circling but Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has close connections to Volkswagen chief Martin Winterkorn, would prefer VW to step up to the plate as a potential buyer than a Chinese brand.

Middlecott Sketchbattle Experiment crowns first Sketchmaster

College for Creative Studies (CCS) student Graham Wright has fought off competition from artists, illustrators, industrial, product and car designers to be declared the Sketchmaster of the Middlecott Sketchbattle Experiment 2014. Held at Detroit's Kunsthalle Museum of Contemporary Art, the contest – a self-styled fight club of design – carried the theme of lighting because of the museum's many neon and lighting installations. Before the event, design students from the area – mostly from the CCS and Lawrence Technological University (LTU) – were invited to submit early sketches before a shortlist was drawn up for the main event.

Saab pulls out of Frankfurt motor show

It's become a cliché in the automotive press to proceed Saab with the word 'troubled' recently. Yet the company's latest announcement does little to dispel the notion that all is not well in Trollhatten, as it has announced that it will not be featuring at September's Frankfurt auto show. The Swedish car manufacturer has had trouble paying suppliers in recent months, and it is thought that Saab will instead use the money allotted to Frankfurt in order to pay them.