Volkswagen Golf Jetta Corrado Cabrio Beetle Vacuum Hose Adaptor - At Heater Core on 2040-parts.com

Salon Prive 2012: Supercars, Classic Cars & more

The last few days has seen Salon Privé 2012 at Syon Park in London with Lobster, Champagne, Supercars, Classic cars and a great atmosphere. As we’ve said before, Salon Prive is a Garden Party with endless Champagne and Lobster and manicured lawns that just happen to be littered with the finest automotive machinery on the planet. Yes, the tickets are expensive at north of £200, but you don’t just get the chance to be up-close and personal with the finest cars there are, you get an endless supply of Champagne and Lobster and the chance to people watch with a vengeance.

Volvo develops new energy storage technology

Volvo is looking to make heavy batteries in electric vehicles a thing of the past, unveiling a new technology still under development that could use the body panels of the vehicle to store energy. Everyone knows that right now one of the biggest technological limiting factors of electric vehicles are the batteries. They can be damaged through depletion, they add weight, they use expensive and polluting technologies to manufacture, and they just don't hold as much energy as we'd like.

GMC Granite concept (w/ Video)

The biggest surprise at the 2010 NAIAS was GMC's Granite concept - a design that expands (or rather contracts) the truck/crossover brand's 'professional grade' philosophy to a compact hatchback aimed at urban hipsters and early adopters. Conceived by Frank Saucedo's Advanced Design team in California and then built at GM's Design Center in Detroit, the Granite combines the basic proportions of the Nissan Cube and Scion xB with a military/industrial feel inspired by the current G-Star and Diesel fashion lines. Watch the videos to the left to see the young international design team present the rationale behind the new concept, and read our opinion of the Granite in our 2010 Detroit Auto Show Highlights.