Jetta Mk6 Splashguards (front) on 2040-parts.com

Scion considers moving upscale

Toyota's struggling Scion brand may move upscale to challenge entry-level luxury models coming from European automakers. The new lower-luxury niche includes Mini, the front-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz CLA arriving this fall and Audi's compact A3 sedan shown last week on the eve of the New York auto show. Scion has gone after young entry-level buyers since its inception 10 years ago but has lost its early momentum.

Conquer summer with this custom 1977 Dodge Tradesman van

Vanning never died, man. While fair-weather vanners ditched their groovy Plymouth Voyagers for front-wheel drive imports, hard-core custom freaks have been keeping the fire burning all these years. While we're not ready to proclaim a full-on custom van renaissance, we can feel the revival coming: It's a subtle yet noticeable rocking emanating from certain corners of the American and Swedish car scenes.

New Mercedes ML to be the Mercedes GLE

The Mercedes Concept Coupe (pictured) will arrive as the Mercedes GLE Coupe Car makers’ model ranges have grown massively in recent years and that, in a lot of cases, has left traditional model designations floundering to inform potential buyers. Mercedes has made some moves of late to address the lack of clarity in model designations (the Mercedes CL, for example, has become the new Mercedes S-Class Coupe), and new models have started to arrive with more descriptive names. Models like the CLA (a coupe from the A-Class range) and GLA (an SUV/Crossover from the A-Class range) and that looks set to be extended when the next Mercedes ML and ML Coupe arrive in 2015.