Chevrolet Heater on 2040-parts.com

Ah, to be in Paris . . .

Well, I'm bummed. The Paris motor show press days are next week, and I'm not going. That's right; while my colleagues are cavorting in one of the world's great cities, I'll be here in the Paris of the Midwest, holding down the proverbial fort.

BMW's new 5-series next for hybrid power

The new BMW 5-series being launched this winter is likely to be the next BMW to receive the ActiveHybrid system pioneered on the petrol-electric 7-series and X6 models. BMW engineers admit they can't rely on sales of the pricey hybrid 7-series and X6 to justify the development costs, even though these range-topping halo hybrids were jointly developed with Daimler and GM. Senior sources have indicated that the new 2010 5-series will be the next BMW to get an ActiveHybrid model.

Volkswagen Golf R 400 IS going in to production

The VW Golf R 400 (pictured) is going in to production Well, we did say the VW Golf R 400 – which debuted at the Beijing Motor Show last week – looked production ready. And it seems it is. Car and Driver have had confirmation from VW’s R&D boss, Heinz-Jakob Neusser, that the Golf R 400 isn’t a concept after all but the first look at a new extreme Golf.