Blog on 2040Parts

Who's Where: Wolfgang Egger to head Audi Group Design

Following fast on the heels of the appointment of Walter de'Silva as Volkswagen Group Head of Design earlier this month, is the appointment of Wolfgang Egger to head of Audi Group Design. Egger will begin his new position effective from 1 May, 2007. Stefan Sielaff remains head of the Audi brand design department.

BMW M Sport for 1- and 3-series

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 16 February 2007 09:03 M Sport models for the BMW 3-series Coupe and Convertible A new flagship has arrived for the 3-series two-door range - and it gives some pointers to how this summer's new M3 could shape up. The Coupe and Convertible's beefy M Sport styling kit is available with any engine spec and comprises 18-inch M-design alloys (19s are an option), a new spoiler and aero pack, plus 15mm-lowered sports suspension. This is no minority choice, either.

Toyota Hybrid X concept (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 16 February 2007 09:47 Toyota Hybrid X: the lowdown Toyota's love affair with the hybrid continues: it'll show this Hybrid X at the Geneva Motor Show next month, hinting at a second Toyota hybrid to sell alongside the Prius. It's designed to showcase Toyota's new hybrid design language - a fresh look for its high-tech petrol-electric models, to differentiate them from its more conventional-fueled models. More excitement, less prosaic ordinariness, is the order of the day.

Mitsubishi i (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 16 February 2007 12:29 So they're going to bring the i to Britain, are they? They certainly are. It's Mitsubishi's answer to the Smart ForTwo - a diminutive four-seater that's 155mm narrower than a Peugeot 107.

Kia Cee'd Estate (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 15 February 2007 02:59 Kia Cee'd Estate: the lowdown Kia is rapidly making inroads into European markets. This new Cee'd estate is light years away from the shonky Kias of old - and it'll go on sale in August for around £500 more than the hatchback. At 4.5m long, it's 235mm longer than the hatch and has a marginally stretched wheelbase to free up some more space for family clobber.

Saab 9-5 BioPower 100 Concept (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 15 February 2007 11:17 Another BioPower-badged Saab? They're making a lot of these, aren't they? They certainly are.

Peugeot concept treble (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 14 February 2007 09:37 Three new Peugeot concept cars? What’s going on? Peugeot is pushing the boat out at next month’s Geneva Motor Show, with news of no fewer than three different concepts.

Ford Mondeo (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 14 February 2007 11:05 New Ford Mondeo: the lowdown Hang on a second, haven't we seen the new Mondeo before? You'd be forgiven for thinking you had - Ford has relentlessly pumped out teaser photos, concept cars and even James Bond Mondeos, all trailing info on its important mid-sized family car. This is real, though: the new 2007 Ford Mondeo, finally uncovered.

Aston Martin Vanquish Ultimate Edition (2007) : first official pictures

By Jack Carfrae First Official Pictures 14 February 2007 11:07 Aston Martin Vanquish S Ultimate Edition: the lowdown After six years as Aston Martin’s flagship, the Vanquish S is bowing out gracefully with a final limited edition. But to say that the Ultimate Edition is a reworked car may be a little optimistic. On the outside there’s a new paint scheme called Ultimate Black, which suits the already mean-looking Vanquish rather well.

Mazda 2 (2007): first official pictures

By Jack Carfrae First Official Pictures 14 February 2007 12:07 Mazda 2: the first sight Mazda will show this new 2 supermini at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Details are so sketchy, that this photo is all we’ve seen. It draws heavily on the Sassou concept of 2005, with its sweptback glasshouse and rising beltline, like its Yaris and Corsa rivals.

Dodge Demon (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 12 February 2007 09:59 Dodge Demon: the lowdown Dodge is a brand intent on filling every niche going, it seems. The American firm used to be known in Britain only for its V10-powered Viper supercar, but it's expanding like there's no tomorrow - and this MX-5-rivalling Demon roadster, unveiled today, could be next. It's a high-fun, low-price two-seater aimed squarely at the Mazda soft-top.

Peugeot 207 SW (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 12 February 2007 10:55 Peugeot 207 SW: the lowdown Last week it was the 207 GTI hot hatch, now it's the more practical funked-up estate. The 207 range continues to expand, and this SW Outdoor Concept will be shown at the Geneva show next month. What's new?

Peugeot 4007 (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 09 February 2007 02:18 Peugeot 4007: haven't we seen this before? You're right. Peugeot issued a couple of teaser images of its new SUV back in October, but it has remained resolutely tight-lipped about more details until now.

Peugeot 207 GTI (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 09 February 2007 11:18 Peugeot 207 GTI: the lowdown Could this be the hot hatch to restore the sheen on Peugeot’s GTI badge? On the experience of the French company’s past few efforts, probably not – but the 207 GTI looks set to improve on the lacklustre outgoing 206. Headline-grabbing highlights include the same 175bhp turbo 1.6 as the latest Mini Cooper S; although it’s down on power compared with punchy 190bhp+ rivals like the Renault Clio 197 and Vauxhall Corsa VXR, a brief overboost facility unleashes 195lb ft of twist for overtaking moves in the top three gears to narrow the gap.

TVR sale latest

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 08 February 2007 04:17 More than 30 parties have expressed an interest in buying the remnants of TVR, the sports car maker which crashed into administration over Christmas - and the factory could move to Asia. Administrator PKF (UK) LLP has spent the past month clarifying the assets of Blackpool Automotive Ltd, the company that ran the Blackpool factory, and it in fact holds several trump cards that could prevent the Russian owner switching production overseas. The sale advert in the Financial Times reveals that Blackpool Automotive controls the TVR trademark in Europe and the US, as well as all the intellectual property rights and tooling for the sports cars.

Ferrari theme park

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 08 February 2007 08:02 A Ferrari theme park? This sounds rather naff... We've already seen Ferrari's licensing skills produce a range of merchandise from sunglasses to laptops - and now it's taking on Disneyland with the prancing horse's very own theme park.

Caterham Seven Roadsport 150 (2007): first official pictures

By Jack Carfrae First Official Pictures 07 February 2007 09:18 Yet another Caterham Seven. What’s the deal with this one? Fancy 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds for less than £18k?

Record expected for Auto Union sale

By James Mullan Motor Industry 07 February 2007 09:21 A rare 1939 Auto Union Type D grand prix car is tipped to tear up the record books this month when it goes under the hammer – for an estimated price of up to £7.8 million. Auto Union developed the Type D racing car with a mid-mounted 3.0-litre 12-cylinder engine; in 1939, it was modified with the addition of a twin supercharger, increasing power 420bhp to 460bhp – enough for a top speed of 205mph. This particular car won the French and Yugoslavian Grand Prix in 1939, but at the end of the Second World War it was transported from East Germany to the former Soviet Union by Russian occupation forces as spoils of war.

KTM Crossbow unveiled

By Jack Carfrae First Official Pictures 07 February 2007 10:52 The KTM Crossbow: it looks like a go-kart on steroids! That’s not far off, actually. Austrian company KTM usually manufactures off-road motorbikes, but it has recently made the jump into street bikes, and now the lightweight sports car market.

Volvo V70

Volvo has just released details of the all-new Volvo V70 wagon. With its more athletic lines, fast windscreen angle, blacked-out side pillars and C30-inspired taillights, the V70's style is said to hint at its newfound on-road dynamism. The rear end features an unusual design where the tailgate takes the upper area of lamps with it when opened, giving the advantage of making the trunk aperture larger than before.

Delorean saloon plans up at auction

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 06 February 2007 02:42 Rare sketches from John Delorean's personal notes have ended up on Ebay - revealing plans for a 1970s 'luxury sedan'. If the notes are genuine, they include 24 pages of writing and sketches made between October 1976 and December 1976. They're claimed to have come from the corporate records of the Delorean Motor Company, which were seized as a result of bankruptcy in the early 1980s.

Skoda Roomster Scout (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 06 February 2007 11:15 Oh no, not another pretend off-roader... Afraid so. This time Skoda has given its Roomster mini-MPV the 4x4 look - but with none of the hardware to back up the off-roading image.

Honda Small Hybrid Sports Concept sketch

By James Mullan First Official Pictures 05 February 2007 09:34 Honda will show its first dedicated hybrid car since the Insight at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Only the sketchiest details have been released about the Small Hybrid Sports Concept, but we know it will definitely make the transformation from concept to production reality to slot above the Civic Hybrid in Honda’s range. Unlike the Insight and Civic hybrids, the Small Hybrid Sports Concept was designed in Europe, at Honda’s Offenbach European R&D headquarters.

Mazda Hakaze concept: first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 05 February 2007 12:02 Mazda Hakaze: the lowdown Mazda claims to have reinvented the 4x4 with this new banana-coloured Hakaze concept at the Geneva Motor Show next month. It's a crossover with a twist, mixing the best bits of coupes, roadsters and SUVs, apparently. It's also, worryingly, designed to appeal to a very definite demographic: kite surfers aged between 30 and 40.

Volvo V70 (2007): unveiled

By James Mullan First Official Pictures 02 February 2007 09:09 New Volvo V70: the lowdown Today heralds the launch of a new Volvo of the sort that’s shaped the world’s view of the Swedish company: a large, luxury estate. The new V70 is more practical, roomier and – surprise, surprise – faster than its predecessor. Volvo has attempted to spice up its oh-so-sensible estate by installing the T6 six-cylinder 285bhp 3.0-litre turbo.

Melling Hellcat supercar (2007): first official pictures

By James Mullan First Official Pictures 01 February 2007 09:35 Bat out of hell: the Melling Hellcat Reading this on your computer screen almost certainly means that you’re sitting down. That’s good because you’re not going to believe the figures on Al Melling’s long-awaited Melling Hellcat supercar: a gut-wrenching 1175bhp and at least 275mph, making it potentially the world’s fastest road-legal production car. Yes, you did read that right – one thousand one hundred and seventy-five horses at your personal beck-and-call, capable of propelling this two-seater carbon-fibre-reinforced chariot from 0-60mph in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it 2.6sec.

College Exhibition: Hongik University Degree Show 2006

Senior transportation Design students at Korea's Hong-ik University presented their works in the School's Graduate Exhibition 2006 held in October. Running from March 4th to July 10th, the Renault-sponsored project with the theme 'My First Renault', gave the students a fairly open brief to design a personal vision of a Renault vehicle of the near future. The students also had a presentation with Patrick Le Quement, the Renault senior vice president, corporate design, Anthony Grade (vice president) and Jean-Marie Hurtiger, the executives of Renault-Samsung Motor's in their design center in Gi-heung, Korea in November.

Design Contest: Michelin Challenge Design announces 2008 theme and call for entries

Michelin Challenge Design, one of the world's fastest growing transportation design programs, has announced it will continue its focus on safety in 2008 under the central theme of 'Safety over Size.' The 2008 theme was announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where the Michelin Challenge Design exhibit showcased works from vehicle manufacturers, students, as well as the first full-size concept to be submitted by an independent entrant. Rising energy costs, urban congestion and environmental concerns are all contributing to an increased interest in smaller vehicles, but consumers are often hesitant to consider smaller vehicles due to safety concerns that are both real and perceived. Participating designers are encouraged to 'throw away the book' and to present ideas that enhance the real and perceived safety and security of smaller vehicles through design innovations in areas such as accident avoidance, enhanced driver controls, survivability and visibility.

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti 60th Anniversary (2007): first official pictures

By Jack Carfrae First Official Pictures 30 January 2007 11:35 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti 60th Anniversary: the lowdown This week marks the beginning of Ferrari’s extravagant 60th anniversary celebrations – and they’re led by that rarest of things: a Ferrari special edition. Between kicking off a cross-continental marathon and announcing a Ferrari theme park, Maranello has unveiled plans to produce a limited run of 60 unique versions of the 612 Scaglietti. Each car will commemorate the 60 most significant events in the history of the company, ranging from F1 World Championship wins to the launch of milestone models such as the F40 and Enzo.

Citroen C4 Picasso five-seat

This is the new five-seat version of the C4 Picasso following the seven-seat model shown at the Paris Motor Show, which will now to be known as the Grand C4 Picasso. Naturally enough then, the two cars will compete with the standard and Grand Renault Scenics, the new Citroen C4 Picasso also tackling the handsome Volkswagen Golf Plus. The C4 Picasso shares its front half with its bigger stablemate while the rear has become more fastback in style, blackened pillars and dipping beltline also reminding of the Citroen C-Sportlounge concept.