Performance Machine - 0177-2028-bm - Scallop Inspection Cover, Contrast Cut on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes-Benz scores double wins at German Design Council awards

Mercedes-Benz took home two design trophies from the 2014 German Design Council awards, winning Special Mentions for the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-class and the Ener-G-Force concept vehicle. The German Design Council traces its history back decades, and every year dozens of experts evaluate more than a thousand entries, with just a fraction of them being automotive designs. This year 30 well-known design experts judged approximately 1900 submissions, assessing a variety of design elements in picking their top choices, and this year a duo of Mercedes-Benz vehicles won the praise of design gurus.

Kia Ray concept car (2010) first news and photos

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 11 February 2010 09:00 Kia Motors has picked the 2010 Chicago motor show to unveil its new Ray plug-in hybrid concept car. It's a futuristic look at what a 4.4m-long Kia family car of tomorrow could look like. It's based on the Kia Forte platform, but boosted by a plug-in hybrid system mixing a 151bhp direct-injection 1.4-litre petrol with the latest lithium-polymer batteries.

SsangYong Korando 4×4 gets cheaper with arrival of the Korando SX

SssangYong has dropped the entry price for its 4WD C-Segment SUV Korando with the launch of the Korando SX. SsangYong is the Korean car maker that hasn’t yet quite managed to drag itself out of the bin marked ‘Oh, dear’, but the takeover of SsangYong by the deep-pocketed Mahindra and the launch of the seemingly convincing SsangYong Korando Crossover/SUV last year auger well. The Korando is aimed at cars like the Hyundai ix35 and Kia Sportage, and it seems a decent enough offering in a slightly generic way (even if it is penned by Giugiaro), with a 2.0 litre turbo diesel with a decent enough 173bhp and with a choice of auto or manual, FWD or 4WD.