Suzuki Gypsy Maruti Steering Coupling on 2040-parts.com

Man-made Modern Luxury Materials in Cars

Luxury, within the context of a car interior, has been closely related to the use of wood and leather for over a century. These natural materials have a familiar organic, tactile quality that are intrinsically desirable attributes for most people and, in today's mass manufactured plastic world, they also assume a luxury or premium quality. Throughout the last century, metal, leather and wood have also been progressively supplanted by bakelite, vinyl and then polymer-based plastic materials in car interiors as well.

KTM X-Bow race car unveiled

By Chris Clarke First Official Pictures 29 October 2008 13:30 Less than year after the release of the X-Bow onto the scene, KTM has launched its €83,000 (£66,000) fully homologated GT4 race car. It's aptly called the KTM Race, and the official pictures show this exciting model in all its madcap glory. The inspiration of this new model comes from KTM's experiences drawn from a first season in motorsport.

Diesel joins Porsche Panamera lineup

Porsche has put forward some eye-catching fuel-economy figures for the Panamera diesel--although we may never see the car in the United States. Set to go on sale across Europe in August, the four-door is claimed to return a combined city/highway driving fuel economy of 36.2 mpg in standard guise under European testing procedures. When fitted with optional low-rolling-resistance tires, the fuel economy climbs to 37.3 mpg on the European test--a figure that gives the Panamera diesel a theoretical range of 800 miles on its 21-gallon fuel tank.