Blog on 2040Parts

Mazda’s suitcase car is three-wheeled perfection

A lot of people complain about the fact that the future started years ago, and, yet, no one’s produced a viable flying car. That disappointment is misplaced. The real tragedy is that Mazda never mass produced the suitcase car.

Kia CUB concept

Kia gave its new CUB concept its official debut at this week's Seoul Auto Show. The B-segment five-door hatchback was designed at Kia's Namyang Design Center in Hwaseong, South Korea, under the direction of the carmaker's president and chief design officer Peter Schreyer and is less than 4 meters long. Developed as the latest study into Kia's B- and C-segment future models following last year's Trackster concept and the Provo concept unveiled earlier this month at the Geneva show, there are a number of design features taken from the 2007 Kia Kee 2+2 concept.

Hyundai HND-9 Concept

Hyundai has premiered its new HND-9 concept at the Seoul Motor Show. The luxury sports coupe concept, designed at the carmaker's Namyang Research and Development Center in South Korea, is its ninth concept model and is expected to preview the next Genesis coupe. The HND-9 fastback is 4,695mm long, 1,890mm wide, 1,340mm high and sits on a wheelbase of 2,860mm.

Jeep Cherokee (2014)

Jeep has unveiled its controversial 2014 Cherokee at the New York auto show. The carmaker's return to the medium-sized SUV segment marks the return of the iconic nameplate, but with a radically different style to its rectilinear predecessors. is designed to compete with the Audi Q5, Land Rover Freelander and BMW X3 in the market with its aggressive wheel-to-body proportions.

VW Routan minivan to be dropped from lineup

Volkswagen will end sales of the Routan minivan, a rebadged Chrysler-built minivan that VW has sold since 2008, the company's top U.S. executive said Wednesday. The Routan will be phased out this year, with most units destined for "internal purposes" such as VW's corporate fleet, said Jonathan Browning, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America.

Webinars: Listen again to Autodesk 'Automotive visualization, new quality standards in Virtual Prototyping'

Autodesk presented its latest Webinar, 'Automotive visualization, new quality standards in Virtual Prototyping', on 11 April. Virtual Prototyping is one of the most important steps in the development of a new car allowing the evaluation of a prototype in different aspects before it's even built. Autodesk's new VRED product line can be used throughout the whole design and construction process on a single data basis, without the need to re-do work.

Vauxhall VXR8 Tourer revealed: Price from £49,500

Vauxhall has revealed the Estate version of the VXR8 – the Vauxhall VXR8 Tourer – which offers oodles of room and 425bhp. That sort of power in an estate car certainly offers a different experience to regular load-luggers with 0-62mph coming up in a slightly silly 4.9 seconds. But, despite looking a bit past its prime even though it’s a new model, the VXR8 Tourer gets a reasonably sophisticated setup with McPherson Strut with progressive coils at the front and a multi-link setup at the back, launch control and a limited slip diff, all conspiring to try and put the VXR8 Tourer’s 425bhp power down through the rear wheels.

New Jaguar XJR will see the end of the XJ SuperSport

The launch of the new 2013 Jaguar XJR at the New York Auto Show this week heralds the end of the line for Jaguar’s other Supercharged V8 XJ – the SuperSport. With a much more fulsome 542bhp, some very ‘Jaguar’ go-faster bits, some proper fettling to make the steering, gearbox and suspension focus more on the drive without making a mess of the ride and altogether more dynamism in prospect than the SuperSport, we’d assumed Jaguar were making the XJR the performance pinnacle of the XJ range and leaving the SuperSport in place as the ‘luxury’ alternative. With that thought in mind we’d expected to see Jaguar push the price of the new XJR up towards the XJ Ultimate (which costs £121,000), so count us gobsmacked when Jaguar revealed the new XJR will cost from £92,335 – just £500 more than the SuperSport.

New Volkswagen Golf: World Car of the Year 2013

The VW Golf MK 7 has been declared World Car of the Year at the New York Auto Show, beating Porsche, Mercedes and Toyota to the title. That bunch included cars like the Porsche Boxster, Mercedes A Class and Toyota GT86, so competition was strong, but just as the new Golf had triumphed as European Car of the Year 2013 the Golf was also victorious on the bigger, global stage. It’s the fourth time in five years VW’s cars have nabbed the WCOTY award, with the Golf Mk 6 taking the gong in 2009, the VW Polo in 2010 and the VW Up!

Kia CUB revealed: Seoul Motor Show 2013

The Kia CUB Concept has been revealed at the 2013 Seoul Motor Show as a four door coupe powered by Kia’s 1.6 litre Turbo. Still, the CUB is a concept so a little bending of reality is the norm, and the CUB seems a perfectly sensible concept for Kia to be delivering,  tapping as it does in to car buyers’ penchant for funky urban crossovers. Although we’re not entirely sure there’s a country mile in intent between the CUB and the Kia Provo we saw at Geneva.

Mercedes CLA45 AMG: New York Auto Show 2013

The Mercedes CLA 45 AMG – Mercedes 4-door swoopy coupe version of the A45 AMG – has been officially revealed at the 2013 New York Auto Show. There was a time when smallish, powerful, four-door cars were a big deal, but as time has gone on that’s changed, with only the Japanese left to fly the flag. Now, with the demise of the WRX, that’s ending too.

Kia Soul (2013) first official pictures

This is the new Kia Soul. For its second generation, Kia's quirky supermini crossover has adopted design cues from the 2012 Trackster concept, and sits on a wider, stiffer chassis. The boxy Soul has been a huge hit with young drivers in America, but can this second-gen version also woo British buyers?

Vauxhall VXR8 Tourer (2013) first official pictures

This is Vauxhall's most powerful estate car ever: the VXR8 Tourer. Based on the Australian market's outgoing HSV Commodore R8 Tourer, the VXR8 uses a previous-gen Chevrolet Corvette V8 engine to lug along the biggest loadspace in its class. Is this the ultimate sub-£50k family car?

Mini factory celebrates its 100th birthday

A bastion of the British car-building industry, Mini’s ‘Plant Oxford’ in Cowley, Oxford celebrates 100 years of building cars today (28 March 2013). Currently responsible for producing the second-gen BMW Mini range, Plant Oxford has been the birthplace more than just trendy city cars: it’s stamped out over 11.5 million cars since 1913, including legend like the Morris Minor and Frogeye Sprite, and clunkers like the Morris Marina. It also contributed to the war effort by repairing damaged RAF fighter aircraft during the Second World War.

Range Rover Sport (2014) [w/Gallery]

This is the new, second-generation Range Rover Sport, unveiled at the New York Auto Show. While the first Sport – introduced in 2005 – was a tentative toe in the water for a second Range Rover model line, this new model forms the center of a three-model range, between Evoque and full-fat Range. At 4,850mm long it's 62mm longer than the car it replaces but 149mm shorter than the new Range Rover, while its wheelbase has grown by 178mm to increase rear access – particularly important as there's now the provision of a pair of occasional seats in a third row.

Audi A3 & S3 Saloon: New York Auto Show 2013

The 2014 Audi A3 and Audi S3 have been revealed at the New York Auto Show, a new range topper for the A3 range. Launches UK summer 2013. Aimed primarily at the US and Chinese love of traditional three box saloons, the booted version of the A3 gets a few tweaks to set it apart from the hatch (apart from the boot) such as more pronounced curves on the side, flared wheel arches, new bonnet contours, new bumper and air intake design, tweaked grill, new lights at the back and a boot spoiler.

New 2014 Range Rover Sport: OFFICIAL

The new 2014 Range Rover Sport has arrived with weight savings of up to 420kg, a 7 seat option and a hybrid Range Rover Sport and 4.4 V8 diesel to follow. We already know how the new Sport looks – we’ve had enough spy photos and official photos floating around to not need to go over that again – so the meat of the interest is what lies below the surface. Key to the potential of the new Range Rover Sport is a big weight loss – up to 420kg – and what Land Rover are calling ‘the brand’s best-ever on-road dynamics’ thanks to a breakthrough lightweight suspension and dynamic chassis technologies claimed to offer a unique blend of agile handling and exceptional comfort.

New Jeep Cherokee: New York Auto Show 2013

The new Jeep Cherokee has its official public debut at the 2013 New York Auto Show today with 9-speed gearbox and based on a  Fiat platform. Now, with the New York Auto Show about to kick off (which you might reasonably have thought was yesterday after the flurry of activity from Jaguar and Land Rover) we get a full set of photos of the Cherokee and specifications. The new Cherokee sits on the Chrysler/Fiat Compact US Wide platform which gets independent front and rear suspension which, say Jeep, offers great on-road dynamics without sacrificing off-road ability and comes with a 9-speed auto box and a choice – at least in the US – of 184bhp 2.4 litre 4-cylinder or 271bhp 3.2 litre Pentastar V6.

2014 Kia Optima: New York Auto Show 2013

Kia has revealed the 2014 Optima at the New York Auto Show with cosmetic and technical tweaks. Due in the UK early 2014. The new Optima isn’t exactly new, but a facelift rather than a comprehensive workover.

New Volvo V60, S60 & XC60 R-Design with Polestar Performance options

Volvo has revealed new R-Design versions of the V60, S60 and XC60 with R-Design body, lowered suspension and the option of Polestar Performance. All three R-Design models get a new nose with a frameless Tech Matte Black grill, a silk metal R-Design logo, DRL lights on the corners, redesigned front wheel arches, rear diffuser and R-design tailpipes. Inside, the R-Design Volvos get sports seats covered in Nubuck textile and perforated leather, Adaptive Digital Display that offers three different configurations - Elegance, Eco and Performance – contrast stitching, stainless steel tread plates and R-Design logos.

Audi A3 and S3 Saloon (2013) first official pictures

Audi has plugged the slender gap between the five-door Audi A3 Sportback and A4 saloon with this new model: the A3 Saloon. Available in the full range of A3 powertrain and trim options, a 296bhp S3 version will follow in a few months, as seen in these first official pictures. How do I pigeonhole the Audi A3 Saloon?

Jaguar XJR (2013) first official pictures

Jaguar has plumbed its most potent supercharged V8 engine into the XJ, to create the new range-topping XJR. Making its debut at the New York motor show on 27 March 2013, the new model is the fastest Jag limo ever to wear the XJR badge. Jaguar's 2013 XJR: the details Under the bonnet is a supercharged 5.0-litre V8, putting out 542bhp. It's the same engine used in the other flagship performance Jaguars: the XKR-S and XFR-S.

Mercedes CLA 45 AMG (2013) first official pictures

If you liked the ballistic performance of Mercedes' 355bhp A45 AMG but couldn’t bring yourself to drive a hotted-up hatchback, then take a look at this: the new CLA 45 AMG. Using an identical 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and four-wheel drive system, the CLA mixes the storming performance of its hatchback brother with mini-CLS four-door coupe looks. Read on for the full specification.

Jeep Cherokee (2013) first official pictures

This is the new Jeep Cherokee. Don't confuse it with Jeep’s X5-on-a-budget Grand Cherokee: this is a medium-sized SUV designed to go after the Land Rover Freelander, Audi Q5 and BMW X3. How to stand out with a class of such diverse and talented opposition?

Electric cars produce MORE CO2 than petrol or diesel cars

Rather than offering a low CO2 alternative to the internal combustion engine, it seems electric cars start their life with an extra 40,000 miles worth of CO2 already on the clock. Despite bribes from governments around the world to get car buyers to buy in to electric cars, they’ve been a flop. But that’s not surprising.

Cadillac CTS (2014) [w/Gallery]

The all-new Cadillac CTS has broken cover ahead of its official debut at this week's New York Auto Show. This third-generation CTS is a clear evolution of its predecessors design-wise, but the crucial shift is in its growth – it's now, more logically, alligned to its main competitors, the BMW 5 Series, Lexus GS and Audi A6. This follows the smaller ATS' lead, which is within millimeters of a 3 Series.

Last Lexus LFA in Europe gets delivered

The last Lexus LFA to be delivered to a European customer has now arrived with its owner in Switzerland bringing to an end the Lexus supercar adventure. It took another year for Lexus to start building the LFA at the Motomachi Plant, Aichi Prefecture and a further two years for the plant to finish building the 500 LFAs planned, with the last LFA being built in December last year. Despite the last LFA rolling out in December it’s taken until today for the last LFA bound for a European customer to be delivered, with its new owner taking delivery in Switzerland.

2014 Range Rover Sport: First Official photos

We have the first official photos of the 2014 Range Rover Sport ahead of its launch later today in a ‘drive-through’ reveal in New York. The 2014 Range Rover Sport is Land Rover’s love child of the new Range Rover and the Range Rover Evoque, and is due to debut later today in a drive through New York ahead of a showing at the 2013 New York Auto Show. But, despite Land Rover’s best efforts, the reveal of the new Range Rover Sport has not exactly gone to plan.

Jaguar XKR-S GT (2013) first official pictures

This is the new top dog of the Jaguar XK family: the XKR-S GT. Built to celebrate 25 years of Jaguar ‘R’ models, the road-legal GT carries a host of track-focused modifications: there’s carbon aerodynamic aids, chassis tweaks, and the promise of a sub-7min 40sec Nurburgring lap time. A regular XKR-S manages 7min 50sec around the 'Ring in comparison.

More 2014 Range Rover Sport pictures arrive ahead of New York reveal

With just a few hours to go before the 2014 Range Rover Sport makes its live debut driving through New York, we have more official photos of Land Rover’s new sporty RR. So with all the leaks that have gone on with the new RRS we thought we might as well post a few more photos of the new Range Rover Sport that have dropped in to our inbox tonight. This time the photos are higher resolution and include studio shots which gives us a better view of the detail on the new Sport, much of which is either from the new Range Rover or the Evoque, tweaked and made individual to the Sport.