Black M Tour Master Venture Pant on 2040-parts.com

Bentley SUV: Redesign already under way

Bentley SUV already being re-thought It seems the reception for the EXP 9 F – the Bentley SUV ‘Truck’ – has already got Bentley designers back to the drawing board for a redesign. The Bentley SUV at Geneva – the EXP 9 F Concept – was a real let-down. It was as if Bentley’s designers had been given a single line brief from history and tasked to make Ettore Bugatti’s criticism of Bentleys as ‘The World’s fastest trucks’ come to life.

Hyundai i40 goes posh with new Premium SE trim

Hyundai is launching a new range-topping trim for the i40 and i40 Tourer – Premium SE – with lots more toys. Price from £26,065. Once you’ve turned your brand from cheap and cheerful to mainstream and credible, the route to go is to mix in some overtly sporty models and start to nudge in to premium territory too.

Volkswagen & Suzuki – it’s handbags at dawn

Volkswagen Suzuki Partnership - things aren't exactly rosy Back in 2009 Volkswagen invested a rather large chunk of change (around €2 billion) in Suzuki in exchange for a 20% stake in the Japanese car maker, and there were big hopes for advantages for both parties. Volkswagen were looking for a quick-fix route to the burgeoning car market in India, where Suzuki were doing very well, with sales in India last year of 1.13 million cars – almost half its production – in comparison to VW’s paltry sales of just 53,000. In return, Suzuki were expecting to get a quick route to cutting-edge hybrid and electric tech for their range, and access to VW’s engines.