Smiths Jaeger Fuel Gauge Triumph Spitfire Mk 4 on 2040-parts.com

Volvo XC30 for 2012

It's starting to look as if the baby Volvo Crossover - the XC30 - is getting close The rumour mill has been working on a smaller crossover/SUV from Volvo for a long time – since just about the time that the Volvo C30 first hit the road. And it’s a car that makes a lot of sense, especially in the current market. So it’s not any sort of surprise to see the rumour resurface, but we’re a bit peeved to have missed (until now) the comment that’s being attributed to Lex Kerssemakers – Volvo’s Overseas Corporate Strategy President – from Geneva when he apparently said “There will be some further expansion of the XC range in the near future”.

McLaren 650s Configurator goes live

The McLaren 650S Configurator The new McLaren 650S arrived at the Geneva Motor Show last week – and as the 650S Spider too – and looks, and performs, far better than the 12C. That seems to point to the McLaren 12C being allowed to whither on the vine as McLaren’s customers opt for the new 650S instead of the 12C – even with a price difference heading towards £20k – although officially you can still buy a 12C (although we hear 12C production has been halted). We hear McLaren have already built a number of 650S models and now they’ve even got the 650S Configurator up on their website so customers – and dreamers – can spec up their new 650S.

Aston Martin showrooms go Hi-Tec

I’m not too sure it will help much with sales at the moment, but it has been announced that Aston Martin are to become the first company to use Microsoft’s Surface Device in UK Car showrooms. The Surface device is in essence a glitzy coffee table, with a built in PC running the new software from Microsoft. Based on the software Aston Martin currently uses on its website, the device allows the salesman to configure the car on a coffee table screen, with changes of colour and wheels showing on the screen.