Blog on 2040Parts

Bugatti loses top speed record, teases new garage doors

Bugatti placed this teaser shot on its Facebook page Monday with a cryptic quote. “The stage is set. It's almost time for us to share the latest example of exceptional Bugatti performance, simply keep a close eye on Facebook over the next few days.” Rumors floating around say this could be the Super Veyron we've heard whispers of.

Accident prevention features to affect vehicle safety ratings?

To score high on the government's five-star safety program, car companies may soon need to do more than just protect passengers during a crash. They might need to keep their customers out of accidents, too. That would be a boon to suppliers selling such equipment as radar and video cameras that watch the road ahead.

Mustang Boss 302 always supposed to be a quick run, Fields says

The abbreviated run of the track-oriented Ford Mustang Boss 302 was by design, says Ford Motor Co. COO Mark Fields. Speaking April 6 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach, Fla., Fields told Speed TV the two-year availability helps protect the Mustang's value for collectors.

Tax-return car deals

Automakers are offering cut-rate financing, cash back and lease deals just as our income-tax-refund checks are coming in the mail. These timely tax-return car deals are paired with the necessity for automakers to make room on dealer lots for all-new models. (See the Cadillac CTS deals.) Here, we break down some of the incentives being offered this month.

SAIC launches first Roewe-MG Cup Automotive Design Awards China

The first SAIC Roewe-MG Cup Automotive Design Awards China have been launched, with the slogan "Design Drives Dreams." SAIC is calling for aspiring designers to demonstrate their talents by designing a future sedan, SUV or MPV for Roewe in 2020. With Roewe's position as a high-end marque, SAIC has highlighted that elegance and innovation as key considerations for entrants. The new design competition was officially announced by executive director of SAIC Technical Center Zhang Cheng at the carmaker's Shanghai-based Design Center.

New Altima, Fusion challenge Camry and Accord for sales dominance

The Nissan Altima and Ford Fusion have entered the thick of the midsize sedan sales chase -- long a battle mainly between the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord -- leaving the rest of the pack a few laps behind. The also-rans include the Chevrolet Malibu and Hyundai Sonata. A lackluster design has hampered sales of the Malibu, and short supplies have held back the Sonata.

Bugatti teasing ‘Latest example of exceptional Bugatti performance’. A 1600hp Super Veyron?

Bugatti are teasing the ’Latest example of exceptional Bugatti performance’ on their Facebook page. Could this be a new ‘Super’ Veyron. Bugatti hasn’t had a good weekend.

Citroen DS Wild Rubis tease previews new DS SUV (video)

Citroen are teasing what appears to be a DS SUV ahead of the Shanghai Motor Show later in April – the Citroen Wild Rubis Concept. With French car makers suffering from a downturn in sales in recent years, one beacon of light has been the success of the resurrected DS badge to adorn a range of more upmarket Citroens. From initial scepticism when Citroen revealed their plans to re-badge and titivate mainstream Citroens with some DS history, we were won over by the brilliant DS3 which managed to turn the rather beige C3 in to a properly appealing – and properly fun – sporty hatch.

Renault Twin’Z Concept previews 2014 Renault Twingo

The Renault Twin’Z Concept, designed by British designer Ross Lovegrove, is an electric city car previewing the 2014 Renault Twingo. The Renault Twin’Z Concept is a small, just 3623mm long, urban runaround with a small electric motor good for 67bhp and 167lb/ft of torque  and weighing in at 980kg, complete with a fairly sophisticated double wishbone suspension and relatively long wheelbase with a wheel at each corner stance. The Twin’Z is very much a concept car - designed by British designer Ross Lovegrove – and comes complete with the usual concept fripperies like electric suicide doors, cameras instead of rear view mirrors, sweeping LED lights, a solid crystal rear spoiler and big, complicated alloys.

Driven: Cadillac XTS

In the light of the new, global-focused ATS and hot-off-the-press CTS sedans, the full-sized, US-centric Cadillac XTS is somewhat of an anomaly in the new Caddy clan. It's been earmarked as a stopgap flagship before a proper rear-wheel drive challenger to the Mercedes S-class and Lexus LS comes on stream. Car Design News took to the streets of Detroit to find out if it captures that big Cadillac vibe on home turf.

US distracted driving fatalities top 3,300

Imagine if you were to wake up tomorrow, flip on the morning news, and discover that during the previous night, 3,092 people veered over a cliff to their deaths. Shocking, right? Now, imagine if the following year, you were to wake up in the morning, flip on the morning news, and discover that this year, another 3,331 people died in a single night by plummeting off of the exact same cliff.

Renault Twin-Z concept (2013) first official pictures

This is the Renault Twin-Z concept (say it 'Twin-Zee'). Although it packs the usual concept car madness of suicide doors, a pared-back cabin and LEDs everywhere, it actually previews the look – and drivetrain – of the next Renault Twingo. The big news is that it'll be rear-engined, rear-drive, and offer an electric option for less money than the £13k Renault Zoe EV.

Mercedes C-Class gets special edition ‘Edition C’ & new C220 CDI 4MATIC

The Mercedes C-Class range is getting a new special edition model – the Edition C – with cosmetic and equipment upgrades and a new 4MATIC C-Class. The current model of the Mercedes C-Class has been around for a while and is due for an upgrade in 2014. But with a year to go before we get a new C-Class, Mercedes has launched the special edition ‘Edition C’ models to inject some new showroom appeal in the C-Class range.

First Corvette Stingray Convertible sells for $1 million

The first Chevrolet Corvette Stingray to be built has been auctioned for charity by Barrett Jackson  and bought by Rick Hendrick for $1 million. The new Corvette Stingray Convertible was offered for sale this weekend at Barratt Jackson’s auction in Palm Beach, Florida, with GM donating the healthy proceeds of $1 million to the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. The Stingray Convertible was bought by wealthy NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick, who can now add the Stingray Convertible to his collection of cars, which also includes the first of the new Stingrays for which he paid $1.1 million.

Range Rover Evoque Convertible NOT going in to production. Thankfully.

It seems Land Rover is having second thoughts about making the Range Rover Evoque Convertible – shown at Geneva 2012 – in to a production model. But the one model we really couldn’t find a lot of positives in was the Range Rover Evoque Convertible – which arrived as a concept at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show – looking like the ultimate statement of Chav central for Tango’d ‘Ladies’ who lunch, from Brentwood via Surrey and up to Cheshire. We understood Land Rover’s impetus – they thought there’d be a market for a drop-top Evoque – but it really was a step too far for Land Rover to go.

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport speed record cancelled by Guinness

The title of the world’s fastest car held by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport has been removed from the Guinness World Records. But, nearly three years on from when the Veyron Super Sport achieved its world record run of 267.81mph, Guinness World Records have decided that it’s invalid. It seems the heirs to the McWhirter twins have discovered the Veyron Super Sport Bugatti used for their record setting run wasn’t a standard production car, but that Bugatti had removed its speed limiter.

Nissan Juke n-tec arrives in the UK: Price from £16,295

Nissan has revealed a new model in the Juke range – the Juke n-tec – with cosmetic tweaks and extra equipment  Cost from £16,295. It was a move that gave Nissan an edge as car makers woke up to the realisation that car buyers wanted something a bit higher riding and a bit more butch than a saloon car to ride around, leaving other car makers hustling to catch up with Nissan’s Crossover jump. And it was the success of the Qashqai that inspired Nissan to follow up with a little brother in the shape of the ‘I’m ugly but I’m funky’ Nissan Juke, which looks a bit like a four-wheeled bug prowling the urban landscape, but which is actually a good little car.

Lord Charles March takes the 2013 Aston Martin Vanquish up the Goodwood Hillcimb (video)

Lord Charles March – he of the Goodwood Festival of Speed – takes the 2013 Aston Martin Vanquish up the Goodwood hillclimb. The Hillclimb is a 1.16 mile road course, starting at the bottom corner of the Goodwood Estate where you take off on a tree-lined avenue before sweeping right and up past the main house before you enter a steep and narrow estate road, past unforgiving flint walls and woodland, before ending up by Goodwood’s racecourse at the top of the South Downs. It’s a thrilling run in almost any car (yes, we’ve been privileged to do it more than once) and now, with the ‘Moving Motor Show’ part of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, many more are getting the chance to try the hillclimb in car makers’ latest offerings - admittedly not usually at full tilt.

Italy’s Supercar sales down 80% as Italy heads for 50 year car sales low

Sales of Supercars in Italy have dropped 80% in the last 5 years and car sales look set to drop to the lowest point since 1966. We all know the Eurozone is finally paying the price for stitching together powerhouse economies and basket case ones with the same blunt fiscal tools to control their economies. And even Italy – once a major Southern European economy – seems to be as big a basket case as Greece and Cyprus if you start to dig a bit.

New compact Lexus SUV based on Toyota RAV4 on the way

Lexus are planning a compact SUV to slot in below the RX, and based on the Toyota RAV4, to compete in the compact SUV market. Which explains why Lexus are looking for a model to slot in below the hybrid RX (pictured above) – a full size SUV/Crossover – to keep them competitive. And what easier way to go than to take the new Toyota RAV4 and turn it in to a Lexus?

Hendrick pays $1 million for first 2014 Corvette Stingray convertible

The first 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible sold Friday for $1 million at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach, Fla., to car dealer and NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick. Hendrick now has a pair of the seventh-generation Corvette after purchasing the first coupe for $1.05 million in January. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Lexus plans small crossover

Lexus plans to show a production-ready compact SUV to rival the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 at the 2014 Geneva motor show, a company source said. The hybrid model, which will be based on the redesigned Toyota RAV4, will slot below the Lexus RX 450h. It was unclear if or when the vehicle would come to North America.

BMW Concept X4: Official

The BMW X4 – in concept form – has now been officially revealed ahead of its debut at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show. Yesterday we had the first photos of the X4, as the X4 Concept leaked, but now we get BMW’s official X4 details ahead of the debut of the Concept X4 at the Shanghai Motor Show at the end of April. And really, it’s very much what you’d expect.

Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo Tech Edition

The Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo Tech Edition is a limited edition of the already limited edition Fabia Monte Carlo, with added equipment. We all understand that producing limited edition cars adds a bit of showroom gloss, with car makers adding something extra – and often unique to the model, to create a ‘Limited Edition’ with extra equipment to boost sales. But is it stretching things a bit far when a car maker takes an already ‘Limited’ edition car and bolts more goodies on to it to create a ‘new’ limited edition?

Who's Where: RCA appoints Matteo Conti, Hannah Macmurray, Matthew Humphries and Cynthia Charwick to Vehicle Design faculty

Matteo Conti has been appointed senior tutor at the Royal College of Art in the latest of a series of new appointments. Conti, who joins from Northumbria University, will take up his position on 1 May and be program manager for the first year course and be responsible for curriculum development and coordinating external projects. He will also contribute to the second year teaching and research activities.

Fisker lays off majority of staff

This story originally appeared on Automotive News Fisker Automotive, the plug-in hybrid sports-car maker that has been grappling with financial troubles, laid off about 160 of its more than 200 employees Friday morning. A Fisker source who was among the employees affected said the layoff took place at about 8 a.m. Pacific.

GM to reprogram some oil-life monitors

This story originally appeared on Automotive News General Motors is warning owners of almost 800,000 2010-12 vehicles that they may need oil changes more frequently than the onboard oil monitoring systems are telling them. After high warranty claims on several models with four-cylinder engines, GM will reprogram software to make oil change warning lights go on sooner. The change only affects 2010-2012 Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain and Buick LaCrosse and Regal models with 2.4-liter LAF and LEA four-cylinder engines.

Dacia Logan Estate: Price from £6,995

The Dacia Logan MCV (Estate) becomes the UK’s cheapest estate car with prices from £6,995 – for the Logan MCV 1.2 Access trim – rising to £10,795. That’s £1,000 less than we’d expected when the Logan estate was revealed at Geneva last month, and cheap enough to make it the cheapest estate car on sale in the UK. True, the entry-level Logan estate in Access trim with the 1.2 litre 74bhp petrol engine, 15″ steel wheels and not a lot of toys, isn’t exactly specced up, but if you need a proper estate car – and you want it new – the Logan MCV (the MCV bit means ‘Maximum Capacity Vehicle) is a great deal.

CAP call on Renault to include battery in Zoe price – when it would cost £25k

CAP has called on Renault to include the battery cost in the list price of the Renault Zoe EV, otherwise it won’t be able to set residual values. We reported recently on the price of the Renault Zoe EV – which starts at £18k – and were surprised to find that Renault weren’t including battery costs in the purchase price but charging and extra £70-93 a month for leasing them. That leads to a completely misleading headline price for the Zoe and, as used car price experts CAP say, is akin to Ford removing the engine costs from their cars to reduce list price.

Jaguar Land Rover has best sales EVER in March

Jaguar Land Rover has reported its best sales figures ever in March 2013, with Land Rover sales up by 12 per cent and Jaguar by 20.6 per cent. We’ve got used to Jaguar Land Rover producing ever growing sales figures in the last year or two as their range of cars become ever more desirable. But March 2013 has topped all their results so far with an all-time record number of cars sold – a TOTAL OF 17,733, up by 20 per cent on March 2012.