Kelsey-hayes Rim. 1966 Corvette on 2040-parts.com

Kia Picanto (2011): the first design sketches

Kia will replace the Picanto city car in spring 2011 - and these are the first pictures of the new 2011 small car. The production Picanto will be shown at the Geneva motor show in March, with UK sales slated to begin soon after 'from late spring 2011.' It's yet another design from Kia's European styling studio in Germany led by ex-Audi man Peter Schreyer. This time a three-door will be sold alongside the five-door Picanto.

Volkswagen Golf R 400 sounds like it means business (video)

The VW Golf R 400 (pictured) on the move in Vienna The Volkswagen Golf R Concept arrived at the Beijing Motor Show recently, and it looked pretty much production-ready. So it was no huge surprise when we got news that the Golf R 400 is going in to production – although probably in limited numbers with a big price tag – and there seems to be more than a fighting chance it will actually get more than the 395 bhp (400 PS) the concept has. But even if the R 400 only comes with 395 bhp, it promises to out-do the current hot hatch champion – the Mercedes A45 AMG – with a 0-62mph of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 174mph, with all its power being put down to all four wheels through VW’s 4MOTION.

The bestselling new cars in Britain

September is the biggest month of the year for new car sales in Britain: car manufacturers say it’s the most important month to get right and a good September performance is thus something of a bellwether test. The UK trade body the SMMT has just released new car registration data for September 2013, which enables us to get a picture of the state of the nation’s new car sales. And the news remains glowing.