Blog on 2040Parts

Range Rover Evoque gets some new tech for 2014

When the 2014 Range Rover Evoque goes on sale in just a few months, it's going to have a whole host of new technologies on offer. As difficult as it is to believe that the Evoque is already being updated with new technology (didn't this SUV just come out a little while back?), Land Rover isn't waiting around. Over 170,000 units have been sold in just 18 months, and this compact SUV is well on its way to becoming Land Rover's sales leader of the decade if this pace keeps up.

Royal Mail British Auto Legends Stamps: Thoroughbreds & Workhorses

The Jaguar E-Type Stamp (pictured) is just one of set of stamps to celebrate British Auto Legends Commemorative stamps have become an industry on their own, and are probably the only bit of Royal Mail that works at a profit. After all, stamp collectors are buying a service when they buy the stamps but aren’t actually using it. The latest set of Royal Mail stamps are designed to commemorate ‘British Auto Legends’ with the core set of six stamps celebrating some of the coolest cars to come out of the UK in the 1960s and 1970s.

Geely to enter to US market with help from Volvo

Geely Automobile Holdings told reporters in Hong Kong on Aug. 23 that it plans to start exporting cars to the United States with help from Volvo. Geely is hoping the Swedish company’s reputation will help it succeed in new markets after the firm stumbled on its first trip to the States at the Detroit auto show in 2006.

Peugeot 308 R Concept: Peugeot’s hot 308 leaks ahead of Frankfurt

The Peugeot 308 R Concept (pictured) will debut at Frankfurt The new Peugeot 308 only got an airing back in May, and it won’t get it’s official public debut until the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. But Peugeot are already planning a hot version. The first photos of the Peugeot 308 R have surfaced this morning on Autowp and show an aggressive 308 with a very distinctive two-tone paint job.

Nissan Patrol breaks obscure Guinness World Record

The Nissan Patrol, a cooler-looking version of the Infiniti QX80 with a Nissan front end, broke a Guinness World Record on Thursday at Sharjah International Airport in the UAE. The nearly 3-ton truck pulled a 170.9-ton cargo plane for more than 164 feet (50 meters), breaking the previous record for “Heaviest aircraft pulled by any production vehicle” by 15 tons. The previous record was attributed to the Volkswagen Touareg that pulled a Boeing 747 at 155 tons.

Detroit Electric delays SP:01 again

Detroit Electric, the new startup with an old name, said it is delaying production because it hasn't secured a lease or purchase agreement for its manufacturing facility in Plymouth, Mich. It is also talking to some new partners, though the company declined to name them. North American president Don Graunstadt told the Detroit News, “To further elaborate at this juncture is, unfortunately, not possible as Detroit Electric have entered into negotiations with other parties that have the potential to impact our business strategy and timing,” Graunstadt said.

CarFest South 2013: the best bits of Chris Evans’ car show in pictures

The weather wasn’t all it could have been but that didn’t stop the fun at the 2013 instalment of CarFest South at Laverstoke Park Farm near Basingstoke in Hampshire. The annual event organised by DJ, TV presenter and famous car nut Chris Evans ran over three days with a sell-out crowd helping raise money for Children in Need.MSN Cars was on site capturing the best of the cars and the atmosphere. Click through our gallery to get a feel for the CarFest South experience and see the stunning cars that were on display.

New Volvo tease for Frankfurt – is it a modern P1800 Coupe? (video)

New Volvo tease for Frankfurt (pictured) Is it a modern P1800? We really didn’t have anything completely new and radical on the radar from Volvo for the Frankfurt Motor Show next month, but if this teaser video from Volvo is anything to go by, we could be in for a surprise. Volvo has released a new video to tease something new at Frankfurt which is mainly a designer sketching and Volvo’s Head of Design - Thomas Ingenlath  - standing with his arms folded.

BMW i Genius could replace a car salesman – if it actually worked.

Text you i3 or i8 question to BMW i Genius and get a proper salesman’s reply The cars sales market is moving online more and more with many buyers using the interwebs for all their new car research, and a growing number actually buying cars directly from their devices. Now it seems that BMW are looking for a new way to sell their new range of electric cars – the BMW i3 and BMW i8 – which are about to hit the road and offer car buyers the first chance to jump in to a ‘Premium’ EV. So with a new market place potentially opening up, BMW has already appointed ‘i Geniuses’ at many of their UK dealerships to answer buyers’ question on the i3 and i8, and now they’re going a step further in a move that looks set to undermine, or even replace, BMW car salesmen (and women).

Belgian Grand Prix (2013) RESULT

Belgian Grand Prix (2013) RESULT After the last outing for F1 in Hungary three weeks ago, Lewis Hamilton goes in to the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps with a win under his belt and pole position too, so he should have had a great chance of another win. But it didn’t work out like that. In fact, the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix turned in to a demonstration of the powers of Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull, as the German wasted no time taking Hamilton in the very early stages before going on to control the race from the front, and take a resounding victory with his fifth win of the season.

2013 Belgian Grand Prix: Hamilton pole for Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton (pictured) takes pole for Mercedes in the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix The F1 circus returns this week after its summer holidays, but it’s business as usual for Lewis Hamilton after a cracking lap in final qualifying saw him take pole position for tomorrow’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. For a while it looked like Force India’s Paul di Resta would score his first ever pole as he took to final qualifying with his car on intermediate tyres whilst all the rest started on dry tyres. As the rain started to fall, di Resta put in a time that looked unbeatable as the rest of the final qualifiers struggled to put their power down.

OFFICIAL: Spyker B6 Venator Spyder debut at Salon Prive – but you knew that

The Spyker B6 Venator Spyder (pictured) will get a UK debut at Salon Prive It’s amazing how much noise Victor Muller can make for his Spyker projects, even though we’ve seen nothing of real substance from Spyker since the Aileron. But we have seen the B6 Venator – even if it is entirely someone else’s car under the skin – and as we revealed back in July, the open-topped version of the Venator – the Spyker B6 Venator Spyder – got its first reveal at Pebble Beach earlier this month. The Venator Spyder is now heading for a proper public debt at Geneva, but as we exclusively reported back in June (well, we reported the whisper on the grapevine) Victor Muller is heading for a lobster and Champagne weekend at Salon Prive first to show the Venator Spyder.

Facelifted Lexus GX 460 gets price cut for 2014

Lexus has just released pricing for its refreshed GX 460 SUV, or LUV as Lexus likes to call it, for Luxury Utility Vehicle. The most noticeable change on the outside is the updated corporate fascia in the form of the Lexus spindle grille, though the freshened GX 460 also gets LED headlights, along with daytime running lights and available LED fog lights. More importantly, the GX 460 will get a $4,710 price cut.

Lambrecht Chevrolet auction update: More detail on the cars

In about seven weeks, roughly 500 cars from Lambrecht Chevrolet in Pierce, Neb., will go across the auction block. And pre-bidding has already started on this massive time-capsule collection, accumulated over the course of many decades by Ray and Mildred Lambrecht, a husband and wife team who ran the dealership for more than 50 years. Autoweek will be in Pierce, Neb., to cover the sale in late September and to preserve a sample of the dust on the dealership floor for scientific study.

One lap of the Web: Lamborghini Veneno hits 'Need for Speed' and an Audi 200 Quattro with launch control

The latest trailer for “Need For Speed: Rivals” features the one-of-four Lamborghini Veneno along with some Dodge Charger Police vehicles, Aston Martins and some other high-performance street racers. Check out the trailer here; the game comes out in November. Over at Petrolicious the boys and girls are talking about the STP turbine Indy cars and other cutting-edge--for the time--technology.

New Kia Soul for 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

The new second-generation Kia Soul crossover will make its European debut at next month’s 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, boasting increased practicality and improved efficiency over its predecessor. Based on the latest Kia Ceed hatchback platform, the new car goes on sale in the UK early in 2014, with prices expected to start around £13,000. The 2014 Kia Soul will be available with the firm’s latest 133hp 1.6-litre petrol and 126hp 1.6-litre turbodiesel engines.

CDN-GM Interactive Design Contest 2013 is launched with Chevrolet design brief [w/Video]

The CDN-GM Interactive Design Contest is now open, so it's time to pick up your pencils, sketchbooks and tablets for the chance to win one of four three-month paid internships at one of GM's design studios.  Open to all full-time college or university students with at least one term left from across North America, this contest is a great chance to get noticed by one of the world's biggest carmakers and be used as a springboard for your car design career. You have until 1 November to submit your designs, but judges want to see your progress as well your final entry. They will be looking for proof of your thought process, project development and overall progress using customer and market research as well as inspiration and mood boards.

Hyundai ix35 facelift to cost from £16,995 – extended model range & specs

The ‘new’ Hyundai ix35 (pictured) costs from £16,995 Hyundai revealed the mildly facelifted ix35 back in March (and a better looking version for the Korean market a couple of months later) and now, with the new ix35 on sale next week, we have news of prices and specs. We covered the tweaks Hyundai have made to the ix35 back in March – and they’re really quite minor – but the trim levels are also changing and the more powerful 2.0 litre diesel is biting the dust. The ix35 range now kicks off with the ix35 S 1.6-litre GDi 2WD manual at £16,995 which comes with 16″ alloys, central locking, USB and AUX, AirCon, Hillstart Assist and Downhill Brake Control (designed to help those who can’t really drive).

NHTSA probes Grand Cherokee fires

U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV after complaints about fires inside the car. In a filing Monday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has received three reports of fires in the headliner of the SUV near the passenger-side sun visor.

New 2014 Kia Soul arrives in European spec. Frankfurt 2013 debut

The New 2014 Kia Soul (pictured) arrives in European spec The Kia Soul is almost the personification of a car designed for a purpose, looking more like a van for passengers than a family car. And that isn’t going to change much with the 2014 Kia Soul, but this time the Soul gets based on the latest Cee’d and grows in size, so it should be a more appealing drive. With more modern car underpinnings, the new Soul should ride better and be more dynamic, with better suspension and a stiffer body shell making the Soul a very practical family car, but one which at least offers a little joy in the drive.

Concept Car of the Week: Lincoln Indianapolis Boano Coupé (1955)

There is always a plethora of wonderful cars on display during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and also some not so wonderful, like the Spyker B6 Venator and Laraki Epitome. This year, one of the cars stood out with its bright orange color and unusual styling – the Lincoln Indianapolis Boano Coupé. In 1953, after nine years spent leading the famous Carrozzeria Ghia, Felice Mario Boano left to focus on his own enterprise: Carrozzeria Boano.

Jaguar comes out top in the 2013 JD Power Dealer Satisfaction Survey

Jaguar has come out top in the 2013 J.D. Power dealer satisfaction survey There was a time, and not very long ago, that Jaguar and its dealers wallowed near the bottom of any satisfaction survey. But, my, how times have changed.

Super-rare Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II Shooting Break up for auction

The growing trend for shooting break estates is nothing new. Sleek estate versions of high-end, luxury limousines have been produced at the behest of their ultra-wealthy owners for years – just like this bespoke Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II Shooting Break. And this example could be yours for a snip – it’s going up for auction with Bonhams at the Beaulieu Sale on 7 September 2013 with an estimated price of £12,000 to £16,000.

Transition flying car completes first public flight

Think of a flying car and - depending on your age - you may think of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or the Ford Anglia from the Harry Potter novels. But whatever, it's the stuff of fantasy, surely? The kind of machine that featured in those 'glimpses of the future' movies of the 1950s.

Frankfurt Motor Show 2013: stand-by-stand A-Z

The 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show opens to the public 12-22 September, following two press days on 10-11 September. Here’s an A-Z stand-by-stand run down of what you can expect. MSN Cars will be bringing you full and complete coverage of the event, including written reports, live picture galleries and videos – so if you can’t make it in person, we will keep you completely up to date.

Danbury Project 1 custom camper van: packed with gadgets

If you've left it too late to find a good hotel in Cornwall for your summer break, you may be interested in the Project 1 Volkswagen T2. It's the latest creation of Danbury Motorcaravans and – assuming you've got deep pockets – it offers five-star hotel accommodation on four wheels. What could be better?

BMW builds its first MPV! Official pics of BMW Active Tourer leaked

These leaked pictures reveal the first of a new generation of front-wheel-drive BMWs – the production version of the firm’s 2012 Concept Active Tourer show car. Yes, it’s the first-ever BMW MPV. While instantly recognisable as a descendent of last year’s concept car, the production version of the people carrier seen here features a stubbier nose and reshaped bonnet, as well as losing the show car’s oversized wheels and complex wing mirrors.

Skoda number one for customer service

There’s seemingly no end in sight for the rise and continued rise of the Skoda brand. Fresh from the Superb and Yeti being named as the UK’s top two most satisfying cars to own, Skoda has now been named the number one automotive brand for customer service. The company topped the automotive tables in July’s UK Customer Satisfaction Index Summary (UKCSI), produced by the Institute of Customer Service.

BMW Concept X5 eDrive (2013) plug-in hybrid at Frankfurt motor show

Sharing the stage with the BMW i3 at the Frankfurt motor show is the BMW Concept X5 eDrive. The plug-in hybrid X5 is set to re-write the SUV rulebook with its four-cylinder petrol-electric drivetrain producing claimed figures of less than 90g/km of CO2 and a tree-hugging 74.3mpg, smashing the Lexus RX450h which produces 145g/km and 44.8mpg. What’s more, it’s better than the most efficient 3-series currently on sale, and far more frugal than the V8-powered BMW X6 Active Hybrid that was axed in late 2011.

Audi A8 & S8 get a facelift to stand up to the new Mercedes S Class

The Audi A8 (pictured) and S8 get a facelift for 2014 The Mercedes S Class has always been the benchmark against which all luxury saloons are measured, so with a new S-Class now heading for a Mercedes showroom near you, Audi are giving the A8 and S8 a facelift in the hope their sales will hold up. On the cosmetic front, the A8/S8 facelift is pretty much what you’d expect with a nip and tuck for the bumpers and grill, the odd new contour, bits of extra chrome and LED headlights. There’s also the option of Matrix LED headlights that light up to 25 individual LEDs to suit need.