Blog on 2040Parts

Volkswagen Jetta gets a small facelift – debuting at New York Auto Show

The VW Jetta gets a minor facelif It’s three years since the current VW Golf with a boot – the Volkswagen Jetta – arrived, so it’s time for a nip and a tuck to keep it relevant. Volkswagen are planning to roll out a facelift for the Jetta (above) at the New York Auto Show in a few days time and, although this is the North American version of the Jetta, the European tweaks will be much the same. That means an improvement in aerodynamics – by 10 per cent, say VW – with stop-start and low rolling resistance tyres to help economy too, a new nose with new grill, new bumpers and integrated fogs.

Spring 2014 issue of Interior Motives magazine out now

The spring edition of Car Design News’ quarterly interior design publication, Interior Motives magazine, is out now. This issue features in-depth design development articles on the most interesting and important concept and production vehicles from the recent Tokyo, Detroit and Geneva auto shows.  The cover star is Nissan’s IDx concept. Displayed in two different forms – sporty Nismo and laid-back Freeflow – the project was carried out with input from 30 young, fashion-conscious members of ‘Generation Z’ (born post-1990).

One Lap of the Web: 1970, rollin' in sight

-- Come with me to a time when people raced Datsun 120Ys and when Rinspeed ruled the world. A simpler time, when going fast was the only entry in the racing rulebook. A ridiculous time, when the world was presented with a Simca Maxi Turbo and didn't think much about it.

Great Wall Motors' Haval Coupe concept heading to Beijing

Great Wall Motors will show the Haval Coupe concept at the upcoming Beijing motor show, an event that looks set to be dominated by this SUV crossover segment.Very few details and only these images of the car in a dark studio so it's impossible to comment on the work of recently-appointed GWM design director Pierre Leclercq, designer of the BMW X6. However what we can see are its trio of vertical lamp graphics front and rear, as the brand attempts to define its brand identity, as well as a tapered roofline, as befits its 'coupe' tag.More details to follow from Beijing. Related articles:Who's Where: Pierre Leclercq is Great Wall's VP and design directorJAC SC-9 concept promises new brand identity, hi-tech interface for Beijing

UK number plates under threat from EU

A proposal to introduced a standardised European number plate had been revealed. If such a scheme were to go into law it would mean the end of the UK number plate as we currently know it. On Bing: see pictures of UK number plates The best and worst car number plates in the world Inserted into a wider bill designed to make it easier to register cars in different EU countries, the standardised number plate plan is the work of a Dutch Member of the European Parliament (MEP), according to the Daily Mail.

New Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept leaks

The Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept (pictured) leaks ahead of its debut The next models in line at Land Rover for a complete makeover are the Freelander and the Discover, both of which are going to be badged Discovery and will be previewed by the Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept at the New York Auto Show in a few days. But we already have the first photo of the new Discovery Vision Concept after Jalopnik published it this afternoon. The new Discovery certainly has influences form the new Range Rover, but it also offers more than a passing resemblance to the Ford Explorer – but then the Ford Explorer was plagiarised from Land Rover in the first place, so that’s probably not a real problem.

Corvette Z06 Convertible revealed

Chevrolet has announced that it is building a Corvette Z06 Convertible. In Corvette terms, that’s like Porsche building an SUV – people are going to be upset. But not us.

Smart ForTwo GrandStyle Edition looks like the run-out model – price from £10,330

The Smart ForTwo GrandStyle comes as a coupe or cabrio The next generation Smart car is heading for the Paris Motor Show in October, so you can probably look at Smart’s latest special edition car – the Smart ForTwo GrandStyle Edition – as a final hurrah for Mercedes’ city car in its current guise. Based on the Smart Passion trim, the GrandStyle gets a set of 15″ gloss black alloys, LEd running lights,  titanium-coloured surrounds for the headlights, ‘grandstyle’ logos and a choice of five exterior and tridion colours. Inside comes swathed in Artico for an upmarket look, there’s a leather steering wheel, SatNav with 6.5″ colour screen, AirCon, cup holder and the option of a comfort package that adds heated seats and electric heated door mirrors.

£2m Bugatti Veyron Legends Black Bess revealed

There are special editions, and then there are special editions – and this latest Bugatti Veyron Legends Edition car falls firmly in the latter camp. Based on the 1,200hp Grand Sport Vitesse, and with styling influenced by a classic Bugatti Type 18, this is the Bugatti Veyron Black Bess. No kidding.

See the sinkhole at the Corvette Museum

Normally, the Corvette Bash at the National Corvette Museum every April is a chance for fiberglass fans to celebrate the Corvette's next model year; indeed, attendees of the weekend of April 26-28 will get to check out the 2015 Corvette Stingray, an opportunity that we highly recommend. Attendees can tour the Barton 1792 Distillery and play golf with Kirk Bennion. Wilmer Cooksey Jr.

Moss's mangled Mille Miglia Maserati to move Monaco money

Stirling Moss drove the 1956 Mille Miglia in a heavy rain that came down in sheets; no visibility, no brakes. Spectators lined the streets regardless. Piero Taruffi took the lead in a Maserati 300S, but he had to stop at Savignano when his brakes gave out.

Volvo creates Inflatable Child Seat

Volvo is a brand famously associated with safety, so let’s hope its latest effort doesn’t turn out to be a load of hot air: the Swedish brand has come up with a concept for an inflatable children’s car seat. Called the Volvo Inflatable Child Seat Concept, this does exactly what it says on the tin – it’s a child seat that instead of being made of rigid material can be deflated and folded away for easy carriage when not required. On Bing: see pictures of the Volvo Inflatable Child Seat Concept Find out how much a used Volvo costs on Auto Trader Noting that “children’s car seats are historically bulky, hard to move and tedious to mount,” Volvo says its new rear-facing inflatable alternative weighs just 5kg – half the weight of an equivalent conventional model.

New Nissan Murano SUV revealed – but is it coming to the UK?

The 2015 Nissan Murano (pictured) debuts in New York The new Nissan Murano was teased a few weeks ago by Nissan and now, ahead of its public debut at the New York Auto Show, Nissan has revealed the new Murano properly. With a striking similarity to the Nissan Resonance SUV concept we saw in Detroit in 2013, the new Murano get boomerang headlights and a floating roof, a big chrome grill, rounded wheel arches and a rising waistline that makes it look more purposeful. Inside, the new Murano is more appealing and upmarket with a lower instrument panel with 7″ Drive Assist Display, fewer buttons, Climate, heated steering wheel, electric folding back seats and a lounge feel.

Massive 220-car Oklahoma collection to go across the block

It's been six months since some 500 cars from the gigantic Lambrecht Chevrolet stash found new homes, and many of them are well into their restorations. In fact, all a few needed was a new battery, some fluids, and a few hours of work to be brought back to life. Others will surely be preserved as-is, not even with their dust wiped away.

1984 Ford Mustang SVO: American metal, European performance

If the 1978 Ford Mustang King Cobra II isn't quite your thing, why not give the 1984 Ford Mustang SVO a try? In the Jan. 3, 1983, issue of Autoweek, we previewed a different take on the pony car -- one that promised "visual subtlety with unsubtle performance." Built on the Fox platform, the Mustang SVO (for "Special Vehicle Operations") wasn't supposed to be a flashy package for the wannabe racer -- it was designed from the ground up to be a balanced road car, "a state-of-the-art performance vehicle for the absolutely no-compromises performance buyer." And when we say "ground up," we mean it.

Green Light For Island Nation

THE RESIDENTS of the Isle of Scilly are a patient lot, as they are to get their first set of traffic lights. Their appearance is nearly 150 years after they first appeared in England. However, residents can breath a sigh of relief as the measures are temporary as part of work being carried out on the island’s airport.

Mercedes CLA employs a cat in new advert to demonstrate its aerodynamic shape (video)

It’s the Mercedes CLA sliding cat advert We’re not entirely sure that Mercedes has chosen to focus attention on a cat in a new advert for the CLA to dig at Jaguar’s mickey-take of its chicken advert for Magic Body Control, but it’s definitely the cat that’s front and centre, regardless of the motivation. With the new Mercedes CLA boasting exceptional aerodynamic credentials, Mercedes has employed a stunt cat to slide up and over the CLA to demonstrate just how slippery their new compact saloon is. Already shown on TV in the UK at the weekend (during the new series of Britain’s Got Talent), the moggie in question – William, apparently – glides effortlessly over the CLA’s slippery shape to a soundtrack playing Rossini’s Duetto buffo di due gatti (which you may not think you know, but you do).

2015 Nissan Murano touches down at New York auto show Wednesday

Nissan Motor Co.'s revamped Murano crossover will reach U.S. showrooms this year looking almost identical to the splashy auto show concept that teased it more than a year ago. The automaker -- recalling the positive consumer reaction after the Murano's debut in 2002 -- is banking on the racier design to snag attention from new customers in one of the industry's most competitive light-truck segments.

BMW M5 celebrates 30th birthday, promises a surprise

The BMW M5 has been with us for 30 years. That's right: The E28 premiered in the fall of 1984 as a 1985 model after its debut at the Amsterdam Motor Show. Even though its performance figures have aged somewhat (in the best way possible), it's important to remember that it was the fastest production sedan in the world when it premiered.

2015 Chevrolet Cruze gets a facelift

Six years into production, the Chevrolet Cruze is getting a mild refresh for the 2015 model year. It's set to debut this week at the New York auto show. The biggest visual tweak by far is a new grille, which now resembles the Malibu.

Parking ticket issued every four seconds

UK traffic wardens issued a parking ticket every four seconds last year, dishing out a total of 7.8 million in fines and raking in a whopping £255 million from motorists. The figures, obtained through a series of freedom of information requests by Churchill Insurance, found that Westminster City Council issued the equivalent of more than four Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) per resident in 2013, generating an income of £24 million for 455,000 fines. Parking wardens given ‘illegal’ bonus targets How to appeal a parking ticket Outside London, Cardiff issued the most fines at 57,000 – while North Somerset Council generated the most revenue at £2.25 million.

2015 VW Jetta makes global debut at New York auto show

The 2015 Volkswagen Jetta is making its global debut at the New York auto show, and the changes for the new model year -- while not exactly breathtaking -- should help VW's volume-seller keep up with the competition. That includes the likes of the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze and 2015 Ford Focus, which are also showing off refreshes in the Big Apple. To start, VW says the mildly redesigned front fascia reduces drag (and gives a “wider and more substantial look” to boot!) with a new bumper and air intakes.

Porsche 911 GT3 new engine production starts April 22nd 2014

The new engines for the Porsche 911 GT3 (pictured) start production this month The recall for the Porsche 911 GT3 after a couple of fires forced Porsche to evaluate the cause – and stop further production – now looks to have not only been resolved, but a fix is soon to be available. But Porsche is taking no chances with any sort of sticking plaster fix and is instead building new engines for the 911 GT3, with optimized piston rod screw connection – the cause of the problem – to make sure nothing goes wrong again. Porsche are planning to start production of the revised engine on 22nd April and will be despatching engines out to dealers shortly thereafter for them to fit to the affected cars.

2015 Chevrolet Cruze gets a facelift and new connectivity

The 2015 facelift for the Chevrolet Cruze Saloon With the New York Auto Show looming this month, Chevrolet has revealed a facelift for the Cruze for the 2015 MY, although it’s unlikely the UK will see it. With GM trying to make sense of its European operations, it plans to drop the Chevrolet brand from the UK and Europe and concentrate on VAuxhall and Opel, so it seems likely the updates to the Cruze will be just of academic interest to buyers on this side of the Pond. Cosmetically, the changes are not huge for the Cruze saloon with the usual fodder of titivated lights (the addition of LED running lights on high-end models), a tweaked front end and some new colour choices.

New Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive goes in to production

The first Mercedes B-Class ED (pictured) rolls off the production line in Rastatt With the BMW i3 grabbing headlines – and flying out of showrooms – as BMW’s first electric car, Mercedes need to play catch-up with a convincing EV of their own, and that’s the new B-Class Electric Drive – an EV version of the regular B-Class – which has now gone in to production in Germany. Built alongside regular ICE versions of the B-Class at Mercedes’ Rastatt Plant, the B-Class ED (Electric Drive) looks practically the same as its more conventionally powered siblings – although the front bumper does look a bit different – and has an electric motor good for 177 bhp and 250 lb/ft of torque, can manage a scoot to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds and has a range of up to 124 miles. The range – at least the quoted range – is a chunk better than the BMW i3′s and on a par with the latest Nissan LEAF, thanks to EV technology provided by Tesla, and the wrapping of an EV drivetrain in a conventional series production car could appeal to more buyers than the ‘statement’ design of the BMW i3.

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Convertible revealed ahead of New York Auto Show debut

The drop-top Corvette ZO6 Convertible (pictured) revealed ahead of NY debut If you want proper American Muscle Car performance you don’t need to look much further than the new Corvette Z06 with its 6.2 litre Supercharged V8 delivering 625 horses and 635 lb/ft of torque. And now you can have it without a roof. The new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Convertible has been revealed ahead of its New York Auto Show debut, and it offers exactly the same power and performance as its hard top sibling.

Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen TDI 4Motion concept: First look

The 2015 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen gets a North American preview at the New York auto show next week as a very lightly disguised TDI 4Motion concept. The production Golf station wagon will get either a 2.0-liter TDI turbocharged diesel or 1.8-liter turbocharged gasoline engine when it goes on sale in the U.S. in early 2015, but VW representatives wouldn't confirm whether a production 4Motion Golf Sportwagen would be offered.

2015 Nissan Versa to debut at New York auto show

Nissan revealed the first images of the 2015 Versa sedan on April 11. The car goes on sale next week after its debut at the New York auto show for the seriously low price of $12,800 including destination. Improvements include new front and rear fascias, interior upgrades and new packaging content.

Lexus NX 200t F Sport first look

We got an early look at the Lexus NX 200t F Sport in production trim 10 days ahead of its world debut at the Beijing auto show April 20. The luxury compact crossover will also be on display at the New York auto show but only during the public days. The Lexus NX 200t is a slightly less racy looking version of the LF-NX Turbo concept shown at Tokyo.

Film Friday: A Wonderful New World of Fords has descended from the heavens!

In a day when every automaker seems to be eager to latch on to the smallest details -- a few pounds of weight shaved here and there, some silly feature designed to keep you and your family protected in an accident, a flashier infotainment setup -- to sell their product, this 1960 Ford spot is a breath of fresh air. There's none of this oh-so-carefully hedged “our cars are pretty OK!” nonsense in this spot for the 1960 Thunderbird, Falcon and Galaxie. There's nary a world about fuel economy (OK, one mention -- the Falcon supposedly gets up to 30 mpg).