Powermaster 9612 Mastertorque; Starter on 2040-parts.com

Nissan reinvents its Popular Qashqai Crossover

FANS of the school run can rejoice as Nissan has given one of the nation’s most popular SUVs a makeover. The firm has unveiled its latest generation Qashqai, and you’ll be able to get your hands on one from February 2014. With bold claims of having reinvented its crossover model, Nissan is boasting of low emissions and fuel consumption figures plus the inclusion of high levels of safety-related technology for its new car.

Range Rover Sport sets desert crossing record

A RANGE Rover Sport has set a new record for the fastest crossing of one of the harshest desert environments on Earth. The new off-roader, which was standard apart from an additional protection plate under the chassis, crossed the Empty Quarter in the Middle East between Wadi Adda Wasir in Saudi Arabia and the border of the United Arab Emirates in 10 hours and 22 minutes at an average speed of 51.87mph. Covering 530 miles en route to the new record, the Range Rover Sport was driven by veteran Dakar rally expert Moi Torrallardona, a man who understands everything there is to know about driving large off-road vehicles in demanding desert conditions.

Is the Volkswagen BlueSport Roadster back on?

There was talk that VW needed at least three of its brands to take the BlueSport project in to production, and there was talk not just of a VW Bluesport but also a SEAT BlueSport, one from Skoda, another from Audi and even a Porsche BlueSport. But in the end, not a single part of VW’s vast group seemed enamoured enough with the BlueSport to take the project forward. But it now looks as though the idea of the BlueSport is far from dead, with VW’s design boss, Walter de Silva, declaring that he’s a big fan of the BlueSport project, and he’s far from the only one in the VW Group who feels the same.