1986 Vw Volkswagen Gti Original Car Sales Brochure Tri-fold on 2040-parts.com

Creature comforts now top car-shoppers' 'must-haves'

New technologies come with a learning curve, but once we tackle the initial challenge it's amazing how quickly new features become “must-haves.” From cars that unlock as we approach to those that keep themselves between the lines and a safe distance from what's ahead, we have already become accustomed to high-tech driving. So which features would most drivers refuse to live without? Surprisingly, it's the simplest creature comforts most people hold dear—at least for now.

CPP to buy Browns Lane

CPP are off to Browns Lane - where every E-Type Jaguar was built As regular readers will know, we’re big fans of CPP and are always happy to big them up at the drop of a hat, even before they acquired Vladimir Antonov’s money and set forth on a mission to buy up the world’s niche car makers. So with solid funding from ‘Vlad the Investor’, CPP are on a fast road to being a sizeable force in world car manufacture; not in the volume sense, but certainly in the impact their products are making. Despite pointing out to us that they haven’t actually bought Zagato (technically correct) Zagato is now very much part of the CPP portfolio, as is extreme off-roader Bowler – a more recent acquisition – both solid names to exploit in a high-end car maker future Nirvana.

Mercedes SL (2012): aluminium saves 8% weight

Mercedes' new 2012 SL will weigh a solid 140kg less than today's SL roadster - a significant saving of some 8%. This crash diet has been enabled by the adoption of aluminium for the new SL. The learnings from the SLS gullwing are now trickling down to the higher-volume SL, which will be revealed in December 2011.