Blog on 2040Parts

Simple Rule: Technology Costs

Close your eyes. Imagine you're at the turn of the 20th century. A favorite broadsheet tells you that these new-fangled automobile gadgets are dangerous rattle traps that foul the air and that they are singularly profound failures!

Nissan Extrem concept

Nissan has unveiled its Extrem concept at the Sao Paolo motor show, a two-door 2+2 crossover that previews future Nissan design cues. The Extrem concept was designed at Nissan Design Center (NDA) in San Diego, California, in collaboration with Brazilian designers but much of the creative time was spent in Sao Paolo. "We call it Baby Beast," said Robert Bauer, Senior Design Manager for the project at NDA.

Driven: Renault Clio 4

Having pioneered the ‘small car, big-car features' trend with original version, Renault has sold over 12 million Clios since the model was launched in 1991. The box-fresh ‘91 Clio RT Renault displayed alongside its successors at the launch of the Clio 4 is testament to what a successful formula was struck. Will time be as kind to the new Clio 4?

Domino's Pizza Ultimate Delivery Vehicle contest winner announced

Slovenia's Anej Kostrevc has been announced as the winner of the Domino's Ultimate Delivery Vehicle competition, launched in collaboration with Local Motors. Kostrevc's entry, dubbed ‘Pack', earned him $10,000 and Domino's has announced its intention to build a prototype based upon his winning design. ‘Pack' – which is reminiscent of the Renault Twizy – is a compact, agile vehicle with multiple storage solutions designed to easily navigate the urban environment while overcoming different weather and road conditions.

Wayne Cherry to receive EyesOn Design Lifetime Design Achievement Award

Wayne Cherry has been chosen by a panel of his fellow designers as the winner of the EyesOn Design 2013 Lifetime Design Achievement Award. Cherry, who spent his entire design career at GM, joined the company in 1962 after graduating from Art Center and was part of the team that designed the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado and the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro. In 1965 He was transferred to GM's British operations, Vauxhall, and led the design work on the XVR Concept and designed the SRV and the 1978 Equus.

VW Taigun: It’s an Up! SUV

Volkswagen has revealed the VW Taigun at the Sao Paulo Motor Show in Brazil, a very compact SUV based on the VW Up! The Taigun is 3859mm long and 1728mm wide, making it a chunk smaller than the next VW SUV up (the Tiguan) and smaller even than Nissan’s Juke, but it gets an extra 50mm in the wheelbase compared to the Up so interior room looks decent. Vw say the Taigun is purposely designed to look just like a mini-me Tiguan or Touareg (and sound like one too) with its very similar styling, high ride height, skid plates and roof rails with an interior that offers room for four and enough spce for 280 litre of stuff in the boot (a plentiful 987 litres with the back seats folded).

Subaru BRZ Turbo to get 280bhp

The much hoped for Subaru BRZ Turbo – the Subaru version of the Toyota GT86 – is set to arrive in 2014 with 280bhp. Last year we reported that a Subaru BRZ Turbo was in the planning (even though the official line was that the BRZ and GT86 would stick with natural aspiration) and now it looks like development is well advanced and the BRZ Turbo will arrive in 2014. Automotive News are reporting that Subaru are working hard on a turbocharged direct injection version of the BRZ with a single twin-scroll turbo they’ve developed in-house, as opposed to the port injection system currently used in the BTZ, which is a Toyota system.

New Range Rover gets Bridge of Weir Leather

The new Range Rover (2013) is getting its sumptuous leather interior courtesy of Bridge of Weir Low Carbon Leathers Land Rover’s supplier of choice for the Range Rover’s leather is Bridge of Weir Leather Company, part of the Scottish Leather Group and a privately owned Scottish Company that just happens to be the UK’s only automotive leather manufacturer (although they may need to rephrase that in a couple of years if Alex Salmond gets his way). The big shout is that Bridge of Weir’s leathers are low carbon, but what’s more interesting than the trendy (and, some would say, pointless) shout out is just how efficient Bridge of Weir are. The Bridge of Weir factory has its own Thermal Energy Plant which provides 70 per cent of its needs (and will provide it all by 2015) and all the waste products are recycled instead of being discarded.

Churchill’s Land Rover sells for £129,000

A Land Rover presented to Sir Winston Churchill on his 80th birthday has sold at auction for £129,000. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill, probably the greatest Prime Minister the UK has ever had, was 80 in 1954, prompting Rover to present the great man with a custom Land Rover so he could be chauffeured round his Chartwell Estate. The Series 1 Land Rover came complete with an extra wide passenger seat, big, padded centre armrest and leather grab handle and had the registration UKE 80 which may (or may not) have referred to Churchill’s age and ‘United Kingdom Empire.

Jaguar XF is ‘Car of the Decade’

The Southern Guild of Motoring Writers has declared the Jaguar XF the car of the decade at the SGMW’s 10th anniversary event. Designed by Ian Callum, under Ford’s ownership, the XF demonstrated that Jaguar had finally realised that building cars that were a pastiche of past glories was no longer enough to guarantee sales. Under the skin, much of the Jaguar XF carried over from its predecessor – the Jaguar S Type – but it was in the execution that the XF demonstrated it was capable of giving Jaguar new life.

New Infiniti G Series to debut at 2013 Detroit Auto Show

The new 2013 / 2014 Infiniti G Series will debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January before going on sale later in 2013. Infiniti may not have managed to make the biggest mark on the car landscape in the UK, but the news of a new G-Series is interesting because it seems likely it will offer a more interesting design and more Europe-focused powertrains. The current Infini G37 comes as a 3.7 litre V6 and nothing else, which doesn’t exactly help sales in Europe where economy and CO2 levels are a bigger driver of sales than they are in Infiniti’s main market, the USA.

Jaguar F-Type R: Coupe or Roadster?

With the new Jaguar F-Type arriving in showrooms in spring 2013, will the follow-on performance F-Type R be a coupe or Roadster? But it’s clear that the new V8 F-Type S isn’t going to be the pinnacle of the F-Type range – far from it. With Jaguar seeking to hang the whole brand identity on their first real roadster since the E-Type, a range-topping variant in the guise of an F-Type R is a certainty.

VW Scirocco GTS launches – but not in UK

There’s a new Scirocco available across Europe from this month – the VW Scirocco GTS – but it’s not coming to the UK. The GTS is more of a trim level than a stand-alone model and you can grab it with a variety of engines – 1.4 litre TSI, 2.0 litre TSI and 2.0 litre TDI – as the GTS trim just adds cosmetic tweaks to the Scirocco and nothing in the way of power or performance upgrades. Those cosmetic tweaks amount to  thumping great black stripes up the bonnet bordered by thinner red stripes (which all continues over the top and down the back of the GTS), red covers for the door mirrors, 18″ alloys, a spoiler at the back (nicked from the Scirocco R) and a more butch back bumper with diffuser.

2013 Range Rover lands in the Middle East

The new Range Rover – fresh from its world debut at the 2012 Paris Motor Show – has now arrived in one of its key markets – the Middle East. There’s no doubt that the UK will be a big market for the new Range Rover, and the US will become even more so if Land Rover can demonstrate the new Range Rover is not just the best luxury SUV there is, but that it’s properly bolted together too. But beyond Land Rover’s home market and the US, it’s the Middle East that beckons as a mainstay of Range Rover sales, so an early presentation to the wealthy clients of Range Rover dealer Al Tayer Motors – the award-winning Land Rover dealers in the UAE – was a must.

Hyundai i30 Tourer gets five-star Euro NCAP

The latest version of Hyundai’s i30 Estate – the Hyundai i30 Tourer – has gained a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating – the same as the i30 hatch. Hyundai has placed plenty of emphasis on the safety stuff in their cars too, with the i30, i20, ix35, ix20, i40, Veloster and latest i30 all getting a five star Euro NCAP rating. And now the new i30 Tourer has joined the gang with its very own top rank safety rating.

New VW Golf MK 7 goes on sale

The 2013 Volkswagen Golf – the Golf Mk 7 – is now on sale in the UK just weeks after its official debut at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. Volkswagen has put the new Golf – the MK 7 version of the best-selling Golf – on sale in the UK already, with first customer cars due to arrive in January 2013 – although the range is still limited. On offer to order now in the UK is the Golf S, Golf SE and Golf GT, but if you want the new Golf GTI – or a BlueMotion of 4Motion Golf  Mk 7 – you’re going to have to wait until well in to 2013 to be able to place your order.

Mini Convertible boat makes waves at Boston regatta

Mini knows how to make splash. On April Fool's Day, it revealed the tongue-in-cheek Mini Yachtsman amphibious vehicle. Now Mini is riding on water again for the Head of Charles Regatta in Boston on Oct.

Lexus LF-LC Blue concept unveiled in Australia

Lexus has unveiled a new take on the LF-LC concept—dubbed the LF-LC Blue—at the Australian motor show. The LF-LC Blue builds on the dramatic LF-LC coupe concept that debuted at the 2012 Detroit auto show, featuring the same wildly sculpted aluminum and carbon-fiber body. Lexus is calling concept's color Opal blue, a reference to the iridescent gemstones found in Australia.

BASF launches car seat design competition

BASF has launched 'Sit down. Move.', the first global car seat design competition. The contest asks for designers to submit their ideas for a car concept car seat using BASF materials and will be judged by three renowned industrial and automotive designers: Dave Lyon, former-Executive Director of Interior Design America for GM, industrial designer Konstantin Grcic and former Pininfarina designer Ken Okuyama along with BASF representatives.

Lincoln opens first dedicated design studio for 40 years

Ford has opened the first dedicated Lincoln design center for 40 years in Dearborn, Michigan, as part of its ongoing brand reinvention. Last August Ford announced it would be creating the studio for its luxury brand as well as increasing spending, giving it unique interiors and powertrains in an effort to differentiate it from the core Ford offerings. The Lincoln Design Studio has been built on the campus of Ford's Product Development center and houses designers, sculptors, modelers and engineers who make up part of a larger Lincoln Product Development team that will create four new Lincoln vehicles by 2015.

White remains new car buyers' top color

White remains the most popular color of choice for automotive consumers, a trend report has shown, with 22 per cent of all car buyers opting for the color. Transportation coatings manufacturer PPG's annual automotive color popularity and trend data report has, however, forecasted that more vibrant colors are set to increase in popularity. Silver came a close second with 20 per cent of new car buyers opting for it, followed by black (19 per cent), gray (12 per cent), red (9 per cent), natural (8 per cent), blue (7 per cent), green (2 per cent) and other colors (1 per cent).

First sight of Pininfarina-designed Eurostar trains

Eurostar has unveiled the first images of its new Pininfarina-designed e320 trains that are currently under construction in Germany. A £700m overhaul of the Eurostar fleet has seen a refurbishment of its existing trains as well as the purchase of 10 new trains designed by the Italian design house. The entire new Eurostar fleet should be completed by 2015 with production of the new e320 trains and refurbishment of the existing trains well underway.

Concept Car of the Week: Saab Aero X

In January 2005 Bryan Nesbitt, then-executive director of GM Europe Design, charged the 15-strong Saab Advanced design team in Gothenburg, Sweden, to create the "ultimate vision of the brand". The design team – led by head of Advanced Design at Saab, Anthony Lo – worked on a number of sports car proposals, which were considered 'the jet fighters of the road.' The chosen proposal by Alex Daniel was for a large, front-engined sports car that would become one of the most universally acclaimed concept cars of recent times. Of course the Aero X's door arrangement – complete with huge, forward-hinged canopy – is its party trick, but even without the theatrics the car's proportions, surfacing and graphics are exceptional.

2013 New York F1 Grand Prix cancelled

The 2013 Grand Prix of America in New Jersey has been dropped as organisers run out of time to prepare for the New York street F1 event. With Bernie Ecclestone pushing to get America to fall in love with F1, a headline F1 act on the streets of New York – a Monaco GP for the colonials – looked like a plan. But it’s a plan that’s now been postponed until at least 2014 after Bernie plugged the plug on organisers as they need more time to prepare for what will, by any measure, be a huge logistical task.

Citroen DS3 Cabrio to get Top Gear Live UK debut

The drop top version of the DS3 – the Citroen DS3 Cabrio – is to get its UK debut at this year’s Top Gear Live shows. Just as Fiat has with the 500, Citroen has given the DS3 Cabrio a folding roof that keeps pillars and roof rails in place so the DS3 Cabrio looks just like the regular DS3 with the roof up, saving weight and costs and keeping the very good looks of the DS3 intact. The DS3 Cabrio is due to go on sale in early 2013 – just in time for first customer deliveries in the spring – but ahead of the UK arrival of the Cabrio you can see Citroen’s appealing drop top at this year’s Top Gear Live shows.

Hyundai i30 SR – a taste of Sporty Hyundai

Hyundai in Australia has revealed the Hyundai i30 SR, an i30 with a 2.0 litre petrol engine and a sportier edge. Hyundai in the UK defaults to its diesel engine offerings across almost its entire range, with the Golf challenging i30 offering only a 1.4 litre petrol with a very modest 98bhp apart from the diesel offerings. But Hyundai in Australia marches to its own beat and has rather bigger ambitions for the brand than Hyundai exhibit in most of the rest of the world, with thoughts about a Hyundai ‘Genesis’ luxury brand (although that seems to have come to nought so far) and their very own ‘Sporty’ take for the Hyundai range in the ‘SR’ model.

German new car sales drop 11 per cent – pre-reg accounts for 33.5 per cent

New car sales in Germany dropped by 11 per cent in September with pre-reg cars accounting for over a third of all sales. That drop of 11 per cent in Germany is despite deep discount offers – an average of 12.2 per cent in September – with even the previously invincible Mercedes and VW having to offer discounts of up to €3k, despite which VW’s sales fell by 20 per cent in Germany and Mercedes by 12 per cent. What’s perhaps most interesting about the decline in car sales in Germany is the number of pre-reg cars sold (pre reg cars are cars registered by dealers to hit sales targets and then sold at a discount of up to 25 per cent).

Volkswagen puts a price on the VW Polo BlueGT

The Volkswagen Polo Blue GT – a warmed over Polo – will cost from £17,400 for the 1.4-litre 138bhp 6 spd manual. The Polo Blue GT gets the 1.4 TFSI engine with 138bhp so the little Polo can row along well enough, but it also get cylinder deactivation for when you’re not blatting from traffic light to traffic light to endow the Blue GT with official average economy of 60.1mpg (or 62.7mpg if you opt for the DSG ‘box). When you’re not worried about being parsimonious with your fuel the Polo GT skips along to 62mph in 7.9 seconds and handles well enough thanks to the Polo’s already decent setup and a 15mm lower suspension.

VW Passat Hiighline tops Volkswagen’s Passat range

Volkswagen has added the VW Passat Highline at the top of the Passat, replacing the Passat SE and adding more equipment. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the VW Passat; it’s well built and very able. It’s just very anonymous and rather dull.

Lamborghini Gallardo (2012) new Spyder and Super Trofeo racer

Lamborghini has pulled the wraps off a facelifted version of the Gallardo Spyder, just a couple of weeks after showing the restyled coupe at the 2012 Paris motor show. We've also been given our first look at the revamped Super Trofeo racer, which gets similar styling tweaks and an improved aero package. First up, the facelifted soft-top Lambo Or, to give the car its full moniker, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder.