Joe Rocket Manta-xl on 2040-parts.com

New Ford Ka city car concept revealed

Ford’s Ka city car was a revelation when it was introduced back in 1996. It offered cheap thrills thanks to a sweet little chassis, and fresh styling compared to contemporary compact hatchbacks. Now, the Ka legend is moving onto its third generation with this, the 2013 Ford Ka concept – "a cleverly designed and fuel-efficient new choice for urban consumers," according to Ford.

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.

Citroën Creative Award winners announced

The 2012 Citroën Creative Awards presentation ceremony was held last week, with ten prize winners receiving awards for their submissions in a global competition. The contest, which attracted over 800 entries from 87 different countries, was organized into three main categories, in which both experienced and amateur designers were encouraged to take part in. Wouter Van Vugt, a Dutch graphic designer, for his entry ‘Junior Driver', won the ‘Ideas Contest', which focused on the traveling comfort of future Citroën cars.