Nsr Nvs-1000 Navtex Receiver Display on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes-Benz has big plans for small cars

Breaking outside its American position of rear-wheel-drive luxury vehicles, Mercedes-Benz will launch its new front-wheel-drive architecture in the United States in the next three years in the form of a coupe, SUV and possibly a small wagon or compact hatchback. Joachim Schmidt, Mercedes' global sales and marketing boss, said Mercedes is developing at least four models based on its MFA, or Mercedes Front-wheel-drive Architecture. "We will introduce the next generation of our MFA family to the U.S.," Schmidt said in an interview.

Maserati head to India

Maserati Quattroporte will be the big seller in India It’s not a surprise that Maserati has announced it’s going to enter the marketplace in India, very sensibly in partnership with Indian luxury retailer the Shreyans Group, who also import Ferrari. After all, just about every other car maker is rushing headlong to the sub-continent to cash-in on India’s booming economy and Maserati wants a piece of the action. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Tata selling the Nano for a plate of rice and a cow’s udder, or Bugatti wanting a Maharajah’s Palace in exchange for their hypercar, it’s boom time in India at almost every level of consumption.

Driven: Honda FCX Clarity

It may be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell but the Honda FCX Clarity is no work-in-progress; its technology awkwardly shoehorned into an existing model. Nor is it a brittle concept without suspension banned from exceeding 30mph. It's a safety-tested four-seat executive sedan designed from scratch to accommodate hi-tech underpinnings.