Harley Davidson Dyna Mid Control on 2040-parts.com

Posh car 'pushes up house prices'

HAVING a posh car in the driveway can push up property prices, according to a survey. As many as a third of people reckon having a luxury motor outside their home can add to the value of their house, the poll by car rental company Avis found. Around a third of the 2,000 adults surveyed also thought a flash car would help sell a property.

New Smart ForTwo and ForFour set for 2014 unveil

Mercedes-Benz's struggling Smart city car division is seeking to add a new dimension to the urban driving experience with its third-generation ForTwo, currently undergoing the final phase of a three-year test and development program ahead of a planned unveiling mid next year. Set for North American launch in 2015, the ultra-compact two-seat hatchback represents a fresh chapter in operations for Smart, which has recently gained greater independence from parent company Mercedes-Benz as its boss, Annette Winkler, attempts to stem years of financial losses after almost a decade of rebuilding following its short-lived joint venture with Mitsubishi. The new ForTwo, known internally as project C453, has been developed in a joint engineering program with the upcoming second-generation ForFour and its sister car, the third-generation Renault Twingo.

Nissan ‘Think Outside the Parking Box’ competition

Nissan, in collaboration with designboom, has launched an international graphic design competition with a theme to design the future of urban parking. Entitled 'Think Outside the Parking Box', registration to the competition is open to professionals, students, and design enthusiasts until September 27th, 2009. Based around Nissan's Qashqai urban crossover - currently marketed as being 'urbanproof' - the brief calls for entries that challenge any element of urban parking, be it underground, exterior, interior, multi-layer or ground level.