Olympian Trailer Sway Control on 2040-parts.com

Ron Dennis steps down from F1 to focus on supercars

Ron Dennis hands over the baton to Martin Whitmarsh. He'll now be focusing on McLaren Automotive's new P11 and other road cars By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 16 January 2009 15:43 McLaren Mercedes team principal Ron Dennis is to step down as boss of the F1 team to concentrate on McLaren's other interests – including McLaren Automotive, which is planning a range of new top-end sports cars. CAR Online has led the world with its scoops on the new McLaren P11, a British alternative to the Ferrari 430 Scuderia.

Smart Forvision concept

Smart will unveil its new Forvision concept car at the 2011 Frankfurt motor as the manufacturer continues its preview its future design direction. In the last 12 months the company has revealed its Forspeed and eScooter concepts, with the latest addition designed to keep to the original ForTwo's green specifications. The Forvision uses the latest Smart electric drive system, which Daimler claims will add approximately 20 percent to the range of the current electric Smart, with an EV range of around 110 miles. The vehicle's paintwork and glass can reflect heat – on a hot day it can apparently cool the interior by around 20° C. The concept also has a glass roof, with Daimler is in the process of developing transparent solar charging technology.

Mazda's rotary engine stalled, not forgotten

Development of the next-generation rotary engine from Mazda Motor Corp., first unveiled three years ago, is making slow progress despite missing emissions targets. A top Mazda powertrain executive said today that the 1.6-liter rotary engine, called the 16X, is about 30 percent more fuel-efficient than the current rotary engine used in the RX-8 sporty car. In fact, the 16X so far performs slightly better than Mazda's standard two-liter gasoline engine, said Mitsuo Hitomi, general manager of the Japanese carmaker's powertrain division.