Blog on 2040Parts

SAE approves new fast-charging standard for EVs, plug-ins

SAE International said it has approved a new technical standard that will dramatically reduce charging times for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles. The global engineering group said the new charging standard, developed with the cooperation of more than 190 automakers, utilities and equipment builders, will allow charging times to be reduced from as long as eight hours to as short as 20 minutes. Automakers want DC direct charging to take less than 10 minutes, or roughly the time it takes to fill a tank with gasoline.The goal is to accommodate currents as high as 500 volts distributed from public charging stations.

CDN-GM/PATAC Interactive Design Contest 2013 launched

After the overwhelming success of its European and North American interactive design competitions, GM and Car Design News are excited to announce the launch of their first competition exclusively for the Chinese market, the CDN–GM/PATAC Interactive Design Competition China. According to Bryan Nesbitt, Vice President of Design at GM International Operations, "We are excited about the potential regarding a China-dedicated competition. Design is the initial product differentiator in the automotive retail space, so demand for top design talent will continue." This is a great opportunity for young designers who are currently enrolled as students of Chinese universities to showcase their work on a global stage.

Jaguar C-X16 concept scoops 'Design Concept of the Year' award

The Jaguar C-X16 concept car has won Design Concept Car of the Year at the 2012 Scottish Car of the Year Awards. The two-seater concept – which acted as a teaser for the recently revealed production F-Type model – was first seen last year at the Frankfurt motor show and was designed to indicate Jaguar's future design direction. Collecting the award was Ian Callum, Jaguar's Director of Design, who said, "With the C-X16 concept, we set out to move Jaguar's award-winning design language on to the next generation, creating a car that is the very essence of future Jaguar performance." John Murdoch, association president, declared: "Many of these show stunners don't see the light of day but they are valuable for gauging public reaction to new ideas.

Nissan Juke-R: First customer car ready for delivery

The first Nissan Juke-R #001 – Nissan’s Juke with the heart of a GT-R – is ready for delivery to its owner. It will have cost at least £400k. Now the very first Nissan Juk-R is ready to roll out to its owner – who will have paid at least £400,000 for the privilege of owning a Juke with the running gear from a GT-R – and built by Motorsports outfit RML, with advice from Nissan Technical Centre Europe.

Hyundai Veloster Turbo gets 400bhp

Hyundai in the US has created a Veloster for this year’s SEMA show – the Hyundai Velocity – with a 400bhp Cosworth makeover. SEMA show cars are always extreme and always completely over the top, but they do show just what can be done with mainstream cars when car makers are let off the leash of marketing constraints. This year Hyundai is out playing, and as well as creating a Genesis Coupe with Cosworth power they’ve also taken the new Hyundai Veloster Turbo and created a 400bhp monster SEMA car.

Ford C-Max & Grand C-Max get 1.0 litre EcoBoost

Ford has announced that the C-Max and Grand C-Max can now be had with the 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine with either 100PS or 125PS. It looks like Ford are determined to offer the little 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine in every car they make. In fact, if they still built a proper D-Segement car like the Scorpio it would probably find its way there too.

2013 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder revealed

The 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder has been revealed, joining the 2013 Gallardo Coupe as the last facelift for the Gallardo range. Now we get the 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder – the open air Gallardo – with much the same minor tweaks to keep the Gallardo range fresh until we get its replacement. That means a bit of fiddling at the front and back for some sharper lines and a bigger outlet at the back to improve cooling for the Gallardo’s V10, which offers 560bhp and 0-62mph in 4 seconds, and the Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder gets a new set of polished alloys.

Tata will redo Nano for the U.S.

A redesigned version of India's no-frills Nano minicar will come to the United States in three years, said Ratan Tata, the billionaire boss of that country's giant Tata Group. "The U.S. is a very enticing market," Tata said in an interview.

Land Rover Defender to return to U.S.

Land Rover will bring the redesigned Defender SUV to the United States as its entry-level vehicle, said Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover. The Defender could debut as early as 2015 and will be based on the DC100 concept shown at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show. The rugged Defender is currently sold in overseas markets and was last sold here in 1997.

Defending an old-school Land Rover

I don't know how to respond today after seeing on our very own homepage that the Land Rover people will bring the successor of its beloved Defender to the United States market. The Defender is a vehicle about which “lust” is an insufficiently weak noun or verb; current and vintage Defenders elicit something beyond an emotive response. They are visceral.

Vauxhall Corsa now gets 85.6 mpg

The Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTI ecoFLEX Start/Stop now achieves 85.6mpg with emissions of just 88g/km.  The Vauxhall Corsa –  and, for that matter, the Opel Corsa – has been revealed as the most economical car ever built by GM Europe after a series of tweaks has cut its already impressive fuel consumption. The Corsa 1.3 CDTI ecoFLEX Start-Stop )which, fortunately, isn’t emblazoned on the boot lid in full) can now squeeze 85.6 miles out of every gallon of diesel, which means emissions drop to just 88g/km. Vauxhall has had yet another play with their 1.3 litre diesel and fitted a variable displacement oil pump that delivered pressure to suit the load, had a tweak with the Corsa’s brain and filled low-viscosity oil in the gearbox  The result is in improvement of 7 per cent in economy over the current Corsa.

Top Gear Special: 50 Years of James Bond Cars

Top Gear has produced a ’50 Years of James Bond Cars’ special – presented by Richard Hammond – which airs at the end of October. What do you get if you take two of the most successful franchises the UK has ever produced – Top Gear and James Bond – and stitch them together? That’s right, a Top Gear Special on 50 years of Bond cars.

Volvo C30 production ends

The Volvo C30 is now going out of production as Volvo moves to refresh its range. A new small Volvo is planned. Volvo worked hard to get the small C30 in to the hearts and minds of a younger audience with a feature role in the Twilight films, but the C30 was never a stellar seller.

New Hyundai i30 Premium launches

Hyundai has launched a new range-topping model for the i30 range – the Hyundai i30 Premium – with most of Hyundai’s extras as standard. The latest Hyundai i30 is a very good car indeed, far removed from the cheap and cheerful i30s that went before, offering good looks, decent ride and handling, a comprehensive 5 year warranty and is bolted together as well as any other car in its sector. It’s also very appealing.

BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe on video

We have video of the 2014 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe – effectively a baby 6 Series Gran Coupe – the new flagship for the BMW 3 / 4 Series range. Yes, every car maker on the planet is seeking new sales by offering more and more niche models, and BMW is no different. The best-selling BMW 3 Series range is due to be extended with a new 4 Series range of models that will offer the coupe and cabriolet versions of the 3 Series, including a car that could be considered a niche too far – the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe.

Ferrari F12: Best Supercar & Luxury Car

The Sunday Times has voted the new Ferrari F12 Berlinetta as its best Supercar and best Luxury car ahead of the first F12s arriving in the UK. The gripe we had was that the gong was awarded on nothing more than a good look at the new Range Rover and a brief ride as a passenger. Which rather taints the accolade.

Are GM planning to shut Vauxhall for good?

Could General Motors (GM) be planning to close Vauxhall down for good as they seek an answer to huge losses in Europe. General Motors has had its share of problems in the last few years, not least the bailout needed to save it from bankruptcy in the US. That US bailout has seen GM return to profit in the US, but GM Europe continues to be a big hole in its accounts as the European car market continues to struggle with over capacity and a lack of buyers for traditional mainstream cars.

Hyundai opens new Flagship Showroom

Hyundai has opened a new flagship showroom in Romford, Essex, boasting the largest showroom of any UK Hyundai dealers. Deep in the heart of south Essex lies a golden triangle – bounded by Romford, Brentwood and Chigwell – where the wildlife sports orange plumage and fluorescent teeth and endless worker ants stream in to the great metropolis down the A12 to earn a crust in their daily grind. What better place to park a thumping great dealership than in the path of Towie money and commuter traffic thought Bill Cook, Director of Hyundai dealers Essex Motor Company.

Korean Grand Prix (2012) RESULT

With the Red Bull of Mark Webber on pole and Sebastian Vettel alongside, could Vettel take the lead in the driver’s championship in Korea? Last year, Sebastian Vettel took the win in Seoul, and this year it’s a second place on the grid for Vettel as he strives to overtake Alonso in the race for the drivers’ championship, with Mark Webber sitting on pole. After Vettel’s display in Japan in the last race, and a clear edge over the rest of the fields in qualifying in Korea, it was no surprise to see the Red Bulls go clear from the start, with Vettel getting the jump on Webber and heading off in to the sunset for a clear win – despite a few tyre traumas near the end – with Webber riding shotgun for a solid second place.

McLaren 12C Spider: Lots more new photos arrive

The McLaren 12C Spider was revealed in July, but with just a handful of photos available. But now McLaren has rectified their photo count. Even when the 12C Spider took its public bow at Pebble Beach in August there wasn’t anything new from McLaren’s snappers, and at the Paris Motor show all eyes were on the McLaren P1, so nothing more for the 12C Spider from there either.

Koenisgesgg Agera R BLT impounded by China’s customs

The one-off Koenigsegg Agera R BLT has been impounded by China’s customs officials as they believe it was being smuggled in to China. When we reported the Agera R BLT had been created, we also noted that it was already crated up and on its way to China for the delight and delectation of its new owner. Unfortunately, it looks like China’s Customs officers read the same news and were ready and waiting for the one-off Agera.

Dacia Duster is Scottish Car of the Year 2012

The Dacia Duster SUV has garnered its first award in the UK – before it even hits showrooms – winning the Scottish Car of the Year 2012. Top car awards should be for cars that are available for buyers to walk in and grab from their local dealer, and they must bring something that’s not just new, but better too. We’re not sure where that leaves the winner of the 2012 Scottish Car of the Year – the Dacia Duster – as it’s hardly a ground-breaking car and it’s not on sale yet.

Vauxhall & Opel could merge with Peugeot Citroen.

GM Europe (Opel and Vauxhall) could extend their deal with PSA (Peugeot Citroen) with a Joint Venture or merger. When GM Europe and PSA announced they were forming an alliance earlier this year, we asked if this was an admission that the mainstream car market in Europe had changed forever, and an alliance between Opel, Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroen was the only way to keep the brands viable. But we did also question what use a projected annual saving of €2 billion by sharing suppliers and co-developing platforms would be to PSA and GM considering their woeful losses.

Red Bull front row for Korea Grand Prix

The 2012 Korean Grand Prix has a Red Bull front row after Mark Webber snatched pole from Sebastian Vettel. McLaren’s Hamilton is third. Qualifying for the Korean Grand Prix in Seoul this morning looked like it was heading Red Bull’s way, with Sebastian Vettel strongest in Q1 and Q2.

Autoweek in review: The Cayenne Turbo S gets more power, we drive the new Aston Martin Vanquish, and a Porsche 962 for the street

The 2013 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S will now have 542 horsepower. The Cayenne Turbo S will sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 4.2 seconds, with a top speed of 176 mph. Click here for more details.

GM to import more Chevy Spark minicars from Korea

General Motors is increasing imports of Chevrolet Spark minicars for sale in the United States following a stronger-than-expected launch here. GM recently upped its order for Sparks from the Korea plant that produces the car, Cristi Landy, marketing director for Chevrolet small cars, told Automotive News. “We've asked for more already,” Landy said Wednesday.

Concept Car of the Week: Pininfarina CNR-PF (1978)

In the 1970s alarm bells were ringing in the energy sector as a series of energy crises and rising fuel prices spiralled. The car industry was forced to produce a new generation of more efficient cars and designers were putting new models through wind tunnels to optimize their aerodynamic performance to reduce aerodynamic drag. Some pushed the limits further than others and none more so than Pininfarina, which designed a car that slipped through the air twice as efficiently than any other.

Video: Lexus LF-CC concept explained by its designers

We're big fans of the Lexus LF-CC concept after seeing it in Paris. It's not what you would call traditionally beautiful but it's incredibly complex, engagingly off-beat and, most importantly, shows – along with the LF-LC concept – that Lexus may finally have a recipe for distinctive and consistent design. Here Lexus Design's General Manager Yo Hiruta discusses the continuing evolution of the brand in an interview with the Lexus Blog.

Bugatti Galibier also a victim of VW cost cutting?

Reports suggest that the Bugatti Galibier – Bugatti’s four-door super saloon – is facing more delays. Another VW cost cutting victim? Now it looks like the next model in the Bugatti range – the Bugatti Galibier – is also facing uncertain delays.

Rolls Royce Ghost Coupe Spy Video

We have video of the Rolls Royce Ghost Coupe at the Nurburgring. Could this Ghost Coupe arrive as the new Rolls Royce Corniche? There was never any doubt that Rolls Royce would take the same route with the Ghost as they have with the Phantom by extending its appeal with a convertible and coupe option.