Blog on 2040Parts

BMW to build front-drive sedan

BMW boss Norbert Reithofer has surefire plans for a new front-wheel-drive entry-level sedan, falling in just below the existing 3-series sedan. The new four-door, known internally at BMW's Munich-based headquarters under the working title NES (New Entry-level Sedan), forms part of a new range of front-wheel-drive models set to join the BMW lineup in the near future. “The NES is integral to our growth plans,” a BMW insider source revealed.

Young driver training scheme to expand

AN EXCITING scheme has been launched in curricula across the country to give children education in and practical experience of safe driving. A mixture of off-road hands-on young driver training mixes with theory work to give kids a head-start on road safety issues and take away some of the urge to rush to pass their tests when they reach 17. After tracking the progress of students who took part in a pilot scheme, the operators of Young Driver at School discovered that the training course reduced the rate of accidents by half, when compared to the normal accident rate for 17-24 year-olds.

Free tyre safety checks during October

A NOT-FOR-PROFIT tyre safety organisation has produced a website that allows drivers to locate a free tyre ‘health check’ during October. The website, from safety campaigners TyreSafe, will let users enter their home postcode to find the nearest garage to them that is offering to check for any issues like too little tread depth, incorrect pressures and foreign objects like nails or glass. October is set to be Tyre Safety Month, and with the weather turning cold and the nights drawing in – especially when the hour goes back – it’s crucial that drivers make sure their rubber isn’t putting their safety in jeopardy.

IAM lobbies Labour for road casualty reduction targets

THE INSTITUTE of Advanced Motorists has called on the Labour Party to back the reintroduction of targets for reducing injuries and deaths on the road. The road safety organisation renewed its calls for targets to be reintroduced at the political party's annual conference in Brighton. An IAM survey of local councillors earlier this year showed that those affiliated with Labour were, in the IAM’s estimation, the most committed to road safety.

Repair work to hit key road route

A KEY ROAD ROUTE into London will be affected by closures at some weekends next summer for the completion of repair work. The summer 2014 work will be on the Hammersmith Flyover on the A4 in west London. Before that, there will be night-time lane closures starting next month as the final phase of work to strengthen the flyover's 16 spans begins.

Ford justifies its Vignale sub-brand (video)

The Ford Mondeo Vignale (pictured). Ford’s first Vignale-badged car Earlier this month, as the Frankfurt Motor Show approached, Ford revealed that it’s going back to a sales tactic they created in the 1970s – badge-engineering their cars with a coachbuilders name to create an upmarket sub-brand. Last time Ford played this game we had almost 30 years for the Ford Ghia, a range of Ford’s mainstream models that had all the toys as standard to try and create an appealing high-end option for buyers.

Try a prestige car from Europcar before you buy. Or you could just go to a dealer.

You can hire a BMW 5-Series (pictured) from Europcar before you buy It’s always good to have a promotion to get punters through the door, but the latest PR promo from Hertz does seem to have a very visible flaw in its logic. According to Europcar – the leading car hire company in Europe, don’t you know – the best route for trying out a new prestige car before you buy is to give them a call and book a day or three in the cars of your choice. Europcar say you can have anything from a 4×4 to a luxury saloon and performance cars, with the suggestion you can pit a Mercedes SLK against an Audi TTS or check out the differences between a new E-Class or new 5-Series.

2014 Chevy Silverado High Country coming this fall

Chevy is building a truck to compete with the Western-themed Big Horn and King Ranch pickups from Ram and Ford. “Like a finely crafted saddle or pair of custom-fitted boots, the 2014 Silverado High Country embodies rugged luxury -- craftsmanship, authenticity and functionality.” Yee haw, we guess? The 2014 High Country comes in crew cab form with a chrome grille and horizontal bars, body-color front and rear bumpers, 20-inch wheels and all-season tires.

2014 Range Rover Evoque tackles urban off-roading

The 2014 Range Rover Evoque went undercover in Frankfurt, picking up VIPs and taking them on a surprise urban off-roading adventure. Hidden cameras were there to catch the whole thing. It may have been a marketing ploy for Land Rover, but we think it worked.

Volvo announces engines for upcoming V60 Sportswagon

Volvo has been listening to its American admirers. That's why next year we're going to get the fastest and most powerful wagon in Volvo history. Yes, it sounds like a good chunk of Volvo's U.S.

Volkswagen working on new VR6 engine

Volkswagen is pushing ahead with development of a new narrow-angle V6 direct-injection gas engine, sources from the German carmaker's engineering headquarters based in Braunschweig reveal. Engineering for the new engine is being overseen by Volkswagen's new head of engine development, Fritz Eichler -- who in a previous position led the development of the current generation of Mercedes-Benz AMG powerplants -- continues with a swept volume of 3.0-liters and an unfashionable 15-degree cylinder bank angle. It has been conceived for transverse mounting.

Honda Accord Hybrid boasts 50 mpg in 2014 model

Honda is giving us a real treat with its 2014 50-mpg Accord Hybrid, set to go on sale Halloween of this year. This well-equipped Accord Hybrid will be offered with a choice of three different grades with a suggested retail price ranging from $29,945 to $35,695 including destination. The LX, Sport and EX/EX-L sedan models will feature an In-Line 4-Cylinder engine, as well as the LX-S, EX and EX-L coupe models.

Warning to car owners ahead of peak MOT time

DRIVERS OF cars three years old and over are being warned of potential MOT pitfalls in the month of September. Due to the registration plate change in September and March each year these months also see a peak in the number of MOT tests, confirmed by statistics provided by the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA). Data has also revealed that a key area for MOT failures is vehicle lighting, which can be looked at ahead of the test.

Ford takes to Facebook to sell special model

FORD HAS TAKEN the unusual step of selling 500 examples of its EcoSport crossover on the social networking site Facebook. Based on the Fiesta, the EcoSport combines elements of the small supermini with a raised ride height, taller body and chunky details to create a compact crossover. Underneath the tough exterior the EcoSport comes with a choice of the impressive 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol or 1.5-litre 90bhp diesel unit.

‘Hidden’ damage on hire cars costing drivers

MORE THAN one in three hire car users have found unreported damage on hired vehicles upon collection, according to new data. A survey conducted by YouGov found that 37% of business travellers found damage to their hired vehicle which was not marked down on the documentation when they collected the car. This could lead to the user being charged for the damage and liable to lose any insurance excess amount – which could be as much as £2,000.

Watch: Lamborghini Cabrera testing at the 'Ring

Earlier today in our “One lap” coverage, we brought you some spy photos of Lamborghini's Gallardo successor, the Cabrera. We didn't pay for the pics so we didn't reproduce them here. Fast forward to a few hours later and we've found video evidence of the testing from YouTube user RSR Nurburg.

Ford celebrates 20 years of the Mondeo

FORD IS CELEBRATING the 20th Birthday of its hugely popular Mondeo model, first introduced in 1993 and with 4.5 million sales across Europe. Awarded the prestigious Car of the Year gong in 1994, the Mondeo was an instant hit and across the three generations has sold over 1,400,000 examples in the UK alone. Ford is celebrating the Mondeo’s second decade of success with a new internet video voiced by Hollywood actor Ray Winstone, star of such movies as “The Sweeney,” “Snow White and the Huntsman”, “The Departed” and “Great Expectations”.

Next-generation Ford Transit dubbed taxi of the future

Ford introduced its redesigned 2014 Transit Taxi, which features increased passenger and cargo space, claimed “livery-duty durability,” and lower operating costs. The 2014 Transit comes with a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. The transmission is expected to deliver best-in-class highway fuel economy.

2014 Michelin Challenge Design finalists announced

Michelin has announced the 15 finalists of the 2014 Michelin Challenge Design, themed ‘Driven/Undriven: The Duality of Tomorrow's Automobile'. Their work will be showcased in January at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. A judging panel of automotive designers and industry experts selected individuals and teams from Italy, China, South Korea, Finland, Serbia, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Guatemala from over 900 registrants from 74 countries.

Hyundai UK target SME fleet sales

Hyundai Basildon (pictured), one of Hyundai’s new Fleet Business Centres The last few years has seen Hyundai convince the car buying public that their cars are as credible and well built – not to mention appealing – as anything from the mainstream; no longer a budget option, Hyundais are now a real force. So once you’ve cracked Joe Public and his preconceptions, the next step is to crack the bit of Joe Public that buys a few cars at a time – the owners of small and medium businesses (SME) with a modest fleet (by fleet standards) of up to ten cars. With that in mind, Hyundai has appointed 27 Fleet Business Centres at Hyundai dealers across the UK with dedicated staff – and extra hand-holding and facilities – to coax the small business owner in to a bit of Hyundai goodness for his/her business.

Who's Where: BMW announces personnel changes in top design positions

BMW's latest internal reshuffle has seen Domagoj Dukec appointed as head of exterior design, Martina Starke as head of color and material design and Oliver Heilmer as head of interior design. Dukec, a Pforzheim graduate, has previously worked for Volkswagen and Citroën where he played a key role in developing a new Citroën aesthetic with the C4 coupé, C5 Airscape, C5 (Mark II), Hypnos and GQ Concept. Since moving to BMW's exterior design team in 2010 he has been credited with the design of the Concept Active Tourer.

Hyundai introduces Bisimoto Genesis coupe for SEMA

Hyundai began its SEMA push on Monday with a 1,000-hp Genesis coupe from Bisimoto Engineering. We're not sure how the company managed to squeeze that many ponies out of the Genesis' 3.8-liter V6. We're guessing alchemy has something to do with it.

2014 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet and Turbo S Cabriolet revealed UPDATED

The 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet and Turbo S Cabriolet have been revealed Update: We published this article before Porsche revealed UK prices for the Turbo and Turbo S Cabriolet. But now we have them. The Porsche 911 Turbo cabriolet will cost £126,766 and the Turbo S Cabriolet £149,511, with both going on sale December 2013.

Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet (2013) priced from £126,766

Meet the new kings of Porsche drop-tops: the new 911 Turbo Cabriolet and Turbo S Cabriolet. The turbocharged soft-top 911s are the fastest and yet most economical of the breed yet, sporting the same twin-blow 3.8-litre flat six as the coupe models, and a 195mph+ top speed. What’s the spec of the new Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet?

Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet revealed with 197mph top speed

Porsche has revealed the new 911 991 Turbo Cabriolet and Turbo S Cabriolet range – a 197mph open-top Porsche 911. Boasting 520hp even in standard Turbo guise, and a huge 560hp in Turbo S form, the new 911 991 Turbo Cabriolet range follows hot on the heels of the new 911 991 Turbo coupe range, which MSN Cars drove back in August. Click on the image above to see how Porsche has turned a hard-top Turbo into an open-top barnstormer…

Fiat plans new high-performance Abarth models

Abarth Abarth, the tuning company owned by Fiat, is looking to grow the number of models it offers including a hot version of the 500L supermini, MSN Cars can reveal. Speaking exclusively to MSN Cars, Marco Magnanini, the European boss of Abarth, hinted that other models from Fiat could be given the Abarth treatment. When quizzed about the possibility of an Abarth 500L, he said: “The 500 family will offer us options.

Tesco joins Asda in fuel price cut

SUPERMARKETS Asda and Tesco have provided some autumn cheer for motorists by reducing their fuel prices. First, Asda announced that from Tuesday it would be knocking 2p a litre off the price of its petrol and 1p a litre off diesel. Then Tesco said it would be reducing its petrol "by up to 2p per litre" and cutting its diesel by 1p a litre - also from Tuesday.

Volvo WILL build a luxury car to take on the Mercedes S-Class

Volvo WILL build a luxury car to take on the Mercedes S-Class (Concept You pictured) Volvo has done a lot right – and not much wrong – since Geely took over the reigns from Ford. With new cars like the V40, a new range of 4-cylinder engines and a new design direction – previewed by the stunning Volvo Concept Coupe – the Swedes look to be on a roll. But their strategy of pointing their cars at premium car lovers in the mainstream segment seemed to have taken a left turn with a revelation by Geely and Volvo Chairman, Li Shufu, who has declared Volvo are to build a luxury car to take on the might of the Mercedes S-Class, Audi A8, BMW 7-Series and Jaguar XJ.

Four million drivers aged over 70

THE NUMBER of people aged over 70 who hold driving licences has exceeded four million for the first time, according to the RAC Foundation. The oldest licence holder is a 107-year-old woman, while there are 191 people aged over 100 who have licences. Once people reach 70 they must declare whether or not they are fit to drive every three years, without having to take a driving or medical examination.

Cost of garage labour falling

THE AVERAGE labour rate at both franchised and non-franchised garages has fallen compared to 2012, according to new figures. An annual survey of 12,000 cases conducted on behalf of Warranty Direct has concluded that the average labour rate in 2013 is £74.70, a fall of 9.84% from £82.86 in 2012. Less encouraging is the overall trend of rising labour rates, with the average having increased by 33% over the last ten years.