Suzuki Swift 2007 Audio [0161050] on 2040-parts.com

Smart car tipping strikes San Francisco

The Smart ForTwo: brilliantly designed to be safe, compact transport for two people and easily manoeuvred around the city. Although perhaps a little too easily manoeuvred, if what happened to four of the little blighters in San Francisco earlier this week is anything to go by. That’s not a standard parking procedure: ‘Smart car tipping’ has suddenly become a thing.

Volkswagen Beetle Dune 'could be built'

IF YOU like your Beetles with a little more ‘dune buggy’ about them, Volkswagen’s latest concept is right up your street. And what’s more, it really could be right up your street if public reaction to the so-called Beetle Dune is strong enough. With a body raised by 50mm, 19-inch wheels and a special rear-mounted luggage rack reminiscent of early Beetles, the Dune plays on its dual heritage strands of its earliest predecessor and the fully off-road biased dune buggies built on Beetle chassis.

Fiat 500: Suspension tweak and 2-pot engine

The Fiat 500 is to get stiffer suspension and a range of 2-pot engines It’s not hard to see why the Fiat 500 has been a runaway success. It has the cute factor going on, but on the right side of pastiche; prices are much more reasonable than its rival in the ‘small car icon revisited’ stakes – the MINI, and Fiat have done a sterling job on the marketing side. And it’s not just been the tin-top, bog-standard  Fiat 500 that’s flown out of showrooms.