Blog on 2040Parts

Volkswagen XL1

This, remarkably, is the production version of the Volkswagen XL1, the most fuel-efficient production car in the world, a car we'll see in Geneva in a little over a week. Barely changed from the concept version shown at the Qatar motor show two years ago, the production XL1 is the first production result of VW's 1-liter project – to design a car that uses less than 1l/100km (282.5mpg imperial) – that started with the lozenge-shaped, tandem-seat 2003 1L and the later L1 of 2009. The XL1 actually beats that by sipping just 0.9 liters with CO2 emissions of 21g/km.

Hyundai Grand Santa Fe for Europe at Geneva – but the UK doesn’t get it

The Hyundai Grand Santa Fe – a stretched version of the new Hyundai Santa Fe – is to go on sale in Europe and debut at Geneva 2013. But not for the UK. It’s nearly a year since the new Hyundai Santa Fe launched, and a good, proper size SUV it is.

Ford EcoSport for Europe heading for Geneva 2013

The Ford EcoSport – a butch little SUV based on the Ford Fiesta – is heading for a European reveal at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. The new EcoSport arrived in Delhi last year as Ford’s take on the funky little urban warrior market – think Nissan Juke – and it looks a properly purposeful little urban runaround, with its butch stance and statement grill. We thought when the EcoSport launched in India that it seemed more than likely that Ford would start to market the EcoSport in Europe, and last September – at Ford’s ‘Go Further’ event in Amsterdam  Ford confirmed the EcoSport would arrive in the UK and Europe, and now it’s heading for a European debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show.

Toyota Auris Touring Sports: Price from £15,595

The new Toyota Auris Touring Sports – the Auris Estate – will start from £15,595 for the Active 1.33-litre Dual VVT-i rising to £22,845 for the Excel Hybrid. The new Auris Estate will start at £15,595 for the Active 1.33-litre Dual VVT-i and top out at £22,845 for the Excel 1.8 Hybrid Synergy Drive with CVT box, and in between will be two other engine choices - 1.4 D-4D and 1.6 Valvematic – and a total of four trim levels – Active, Icon, Sport and Excel. The trim levels mirror those on the Auris hatch, so the Active trim gets Climate, Hill Start, roof rails and 15″ steel wheels, with the Icon trim adding 16″ alloys, Fogs, Touchscreen Infotainment with Bluetooth, DAB and rear view camera.

Excellent SRT-4 powered K-car wagon for sale

Straight from the deepest depths of “why didn't we think of that?” comes this excellent application of American ingenuity and can-do spirit, a 1987 Chrysler Town and Country station wagon with the “motor, transmission, suspension, brakes and everything little in between” from a 2005 Dodge Neon SRT-4. It's maroogundy, it's got faux-woodgrain, the brothel-spec interior, and the builder did a pretty decent job of maintaining a stock appearance both inside and out. It even has period-correct pedals and steering wheel.

2013 Honda Accord Coupe earns top safety awards

The 2013 Honda Accord Coupe earned top safety awards from two major U.S. organizations, continuing the brand's clean slate for the 2013 model year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the 2013 Accord Coupe a five-star overall vehicle score.

Chrysler recalls 200 and Dodge Avenger for fuel-tank valves

Chrysler is recalling 1,934 examples of the 2013 Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger sedans, looking for 16 vehicles in particular with damaged fuel-tank-control valves. A routine maintenance operation led the tank supplier to discover it had shipped damaged goods. The damaged valves could cause engine stalling or fuel leakage.

The Cavallino Classic-A celebration of everything Ferrari.

Deep in the heart of winter, Florida's Gold Coast becomes the “Center of the Universe” for Ferrari fanatics as thousands of Tifosi turn out for the Cavallino Classic. Based in Palm Beach, Prancing Horse aficionados converge on the resort town that is also an island for a four-day convention celebrating the art of a certain Italian automobile. While there was a preponderance of rosso corsa (race red) on the greens, the objects of Enzo's intentions displayed a surprisingly vivid pallet that ranged from silver to yellow, to blue metallic and even Dennis Nicotra's inspiring 1953 matte black-finished 166MM, making its debut after an extensive restoration.

(Another) Audi A3 e-tron hybrid at Geneva 2013

The Audi A3 e-tron – a hybrid A3 EV based on the A3 Sportback – will debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show as a concept. This Audi A3 e-tron isn’t a pointless electric supercar – like the R8 e-tron – or another rollout of the A3 e-tron BEV, but a hybrid A3 with a proper ICE engine coupled to an electric motor, just like the A3 e-tron concept we saw in Shanghai in 2011 That still means a lot of complicated and heavy technology to game the silly official economy tests and come up with ‘official’ economy figures of 158mpg and 35g/km, but the A3 e-tron would – if it were made – offer big tax breaks for company car drivers. The A3 e-tron gets a 1.4 litre direct injection petrol engine good for 148bhp working with an electric motor good for an extra 100bhp.

Volkswagen Golf GTD Mk 7 revealed

The 2013 VW Golf GTD has been revealed ahead of a Geneva Motor Show debut with 181bhp, 67.3mpg and 109g/km emissions. The new VW Golf GTD get VW’s new 2.0 litre 4-cylinder diesel which offers an impressive 181bhp and a very decent 280lb/ft of torque, enough to get to 62mph in 7.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 143mph. The extra power (up 13bhp and 22lb/ft of torque) may mean better performance than the Mk 6 GTD, but it’s not at the price of poorer economy.

Bertone announces latest motor show special

Bertone has revealed it will give a new one-off concept its world premiere at the upcoming Geneva motor show. There is next to no information – not even a name – about what we can expect from the Italian carrozeria's latest offering, and all we have to work from is the 'teaser' image of the car's profile. We'll be live at its official unveiling with more details and images, so keep an eye out for our dedicated Geneva show live site.

Ferrari F150: New Enzo to cost €1-1.1m, 499 cars, delivery starts October 2013

The new Enzo Ferrari – the F150 – will arrive at Geneva, cost €1-1.1m Euros, just 499 will be built and delivery starts in October. We know for sure that the new McLaren P1 will come with 903bhp courtesy of a ‘hybrid’ boost, and it seems likely the new Enzo – the Ferrari F150, until we get the proper name – will usurp that with somewhere between 920 and 950bhp from its V12 plus electric boost. But now we know a bit more.

Skoda Octavia Combi (2013) first official pictures

Skoda's new Octavia estate, or Combi, as they'd prefer you call it, boasts the biggest boot in its class, claims Skoda. The new car is 90m longer and 45mm wider than the old Octavia estate, a growth spurt made possible by the smaller, Seat Toledo-based Skoda Rapid slotting in lower down the range. t So, is the new Skoda Octavia Combi now a 3-series Touring rival?

Just one new Ferrari sold in Greece in 2012 – and it came to the UK!

Just one new Ferrari was sold in Greece in 2012 in the depths of Greece’s austerity, and it seems even that lone Ferrari came to the UK. None of which is particularly surprising considering the mess Greece has got in to since its tied itself to monster economies like Germany when it joined the Eurozone. There’s no doubt there are still plenty of gazillionaires in Greece, but how many of them would want to risk parading their wealth in a brand new Ferrari when Greece is in such a financial mess, more than one in four are out of work and soup kitchens are springing up as normal Greeks struggle to even feed themselves?

Mercedes CLA45 AMG first photo

The first photo of the baby swoopy-coupe Mercedes CLA45 AMG has been revealed ahead of a New York Auto Show debut in a PS4 Driveclub release. The car that Mercedes hope will give it the edge over BMW and Mercedes in the hot baby premium market – the A45 AMG – has already been revealed, and it looks very promising. But although we’ve got the A45 AMG and all its specs already, we’re yet to see a photo of its swoopy-coupe sibling – the Mercedes CL45 AMG – even though the new CLA range has been revealed.

Alfa Romeo/IED Gloria [w/gallery]

The European Institute of Design (IED) in Turin will unveil its new Gloria concept, developed in collaboration with Alfa Romeo Style Center, at next month's Geneva motor show. These renders of the sports sedan concept, which is 4,200mm long, 1,920mm wide, 1,320mm high sitting on a wheelbase of 2,900mm, show a traditional Alfa grille that feeds into the hood's prominent V-shaped character lines. Two leather hood straps in front of the windshield are a nod to the brand's older models.

Nissan GT Academy winners too fast for British GT

For those who say that video-game skills can't translate into real life, we'd like to point you to the case of Nissan GT Academy Team RJN versus the officials of the British GT Championship. The Nissan team was deemed too fast to compete in the national Pro-Am category. In 2012, Nissan GT Academy champion Jann Mardenborough entered the British GT Championship as an amateur with Alex Buncombe as the pro in a Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3.

VW Golf GTD (2013) first pictures of diesel hot hatch

VW's Golf GTD - a performance diesel brother to the GTI hot hatch - is here. Rated at 182bhp and 280lb ft, it boasts more punch than the old GTD (an extra 12bhp and 14lb ft), and scores better fuel economy too: up 14mpg to 67.3mpg, if you opt for the six-speed manual gearbox. Could this be the Holy Grail of hot hatches, with punch and economy? Here's the lowdown.

McLaren P1 (2013): powertrain revealed with 903bhp and electric driving

McLaren has revealed first details of the P1 supercar's hybrid powertrain. The headlines are: a combined 903bhp, 664lb ft, and the ability to drive 6.3 miles on zero-emission electric power. McLaren P1 powertrain: the details The engine is, as expected, an uprated version of the 12C's 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8.

Video: BMW’s beautiful Design Portrait of Karim Habib

We're often inundated with videos from OEMs. Many are thinly-disguised PR-laden party political broadcasts but occasionally we're presented with gems such as this Design Portrait of Karim Habib from BMW. Ok so we don't really believe the Head of Design, BMW Automobiles sits dreamily sketching at a perfect desk with only a delicate espresso for company or that he cruises Munich in a (gorgeous) 2002 tii oldtimer for inspiration, but as an insight into what makes Habib tick, his design philosophy, and how he came to be in such a position, it's a beautifully-shot treat.

Toyota's Origami-inspired Geneva motor show stand

Toyota will premiere its new, origami-inspired global stand design at the upcoming Geneva motor show. The new design, dubbed ‘The Wave', is inspired by the traditional Japanese craft, previewed by this paper maquette. The stand will use curves to convey simplicity and "strength and vibrancy, and at the same time warmth and familiarity", according to Toyota.

Used Volvos for sale: First $290K takes both

Having decided to focus solely on their Pirelli World Challenge GT effort involving Volvo's S60, K-PAX racing has decided to sell off their two-year-old C30s. Given that 2013 is the production car's last hurrah, it makes sad sense that Volvo's not too interested in campaigning a machine that will soon be vacating showrooms. Built in 2011 to compete in the World Challenge Touring Class, the pair managed six poles and five wins under the sure hands and feet of Robb Holland and Aaron Povoledo.

McLaren P1 gets 903bhp

McLaren has revealed that their new supercar – the McLaren P1 – will deliver 903bhp and have emissions below 200g/km. The McLaren P1 will get 727bhp from its 3.8 litre V8 with an additional 176bhp coming from an electric motor for a combined power delivery of 903bhp, with the V8 contributing 531lb/ft of torque and the electric motor an instant 192lb/ft for a combined torque of 664lb/ft at 4000rpm. The boost from the electric motor is instantly available at the flick of a button on the steering wheel – McLaren call it Instant Power Assist System (IPAS) – which instantly throws more additional power to aid the McLaren’s V8 than a pair of Fiestas can manage.

Hyundai increases its European Market share by 10%

Despite a weak car sales market across Europe, Hyundai has managed to increase its market share in January 2013 by almost 10 per cent. As we reported just the other day, the European car market is in a bit of a mess with sales down by 9.6% in January 2013 and even the mighty sales of the VW Golf – Europe’s best-selling car – dropping by 17.8 per cent. But despite the European car market falling back, Hyundai has managed to increase its market share in Europe by almost 10 per cent, from 3.3 per cent in January 2012 to 3.6 per cent in January 2013.

New Bentley Continental Flying Spur: Official +video

The new 2013 Bentley Continental Flying Spur has been officially revealed ahead of its public debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. The new Flying Spur is, as we saw yesterday, subtly updated with a bolder and sharper design that has turned the Flying Spur from a great car with so-so looks in to an even greater car with very good looks indeed. The effect of the restyling of the front and back has been to give the Flying Spur a much punchier look, with the new grill, new headlights and LEDs and, most importantly, a much better defined rear end with strong defining lines making the Flying Spur look sharper, wider and more aggressive.

Audi RS Q3: Official

Audi has revealed their first ever RS SUV in the shape of the RS Q3, a 306bhp compact SUV which will debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. Arriving for its first public outing at the Geneva Motor Show next month, the RS Q3 (we want to call it the Q3 RS) comes, as expected,  with Audi’s 2.5 litre five-cylinder engine packing 306bhp and 310lb/ft of torque, which is enough to throw the RS Q3 to 62mph in just 5.5 seconds and still manage official economy of 32.1mpg. Audi has lowered the suspension on the RS Q3 and given it stiffer springs and dampers as well as fitting bigger anti-roll bars.

What the 2015 Corvette ZR1 could look like

Buyers are lining up to put the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette in their garages, but we're already looking ahead to the hopped-up versions Chevrolet is likely to unveil down the road. There will be a new Z06, of course, but we're talking about the Stingray version of the beastly, supercharged Corvette ZR1. Thanks to a pair of renderings, we can imagine what the new ZR1, which will likely be a 2015 or 2016 model year vehicle, might look like.

Volkswagen e-Golf: MK 7 Golf EV leaks ahead of Geneva debut

An electric version of the MK 7 Volkswagen Golf – the VW e-Golf – has leaked out ahead of a debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. Even though car industry bosses are sure that battery electric cars have no realistic chance of becoming a mainstream option – and the best-selling EV, the Nissan LEAF, has only sold 50k since 2010 – VW are rolling out an electric Golf at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. The VW e-Golf – with pretty much the same underpinnings as the new Mk 7 Golf with an ICE engine – comes with an electric motor driving the front wheels and offering 115bhp and 199lb/ft of torque, enough to get the e-Golf to 62mph in 11.8 seconds and on to a top speed of just 84mph.

Spyker B6 Concept teased for Geneva

Spyker is teasing the B6 Concept for the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, which is probably Spyker’s take on the Porsche 911. A couple of weeks ago we reported that Victor Muller has new plans for Spyker and would be turning up at the Geneva Motor Show in March with a new concept. Now, Spyker has revealed a teaser image for the Geneva Concept – the Spyker B6 (pictured above) – which we’re assuming is the Spyker take on the Porsche 911, probably built on a shorter version of the Aileron’s platform and powered by…who knows what?

Bentley Continental Flying Spur (2013) first official pictures

Here’s the second-generation Flying Spur limousine, a refreshingly modernised Bentley that will take the fight to the Rolls-Royce Ghost and Mercedes’ new S-class. The exterior is transformed by crisply pressed surfaces, the interior is packed with cutting-edge multi-media features and the W12 drivetrain promises lashings of extra power and better economy. In fact the Flying Spur, which starts deliveries in June for £140,900, is the fastest and most powerful Bentley four-door in history.