2012-16 Subaru Impreza Mirror on 2040-parts.com

Fiat makes bid to buy Opel

The proposed partnership between Fiat and Chrysler has been thrown into a tailspin with revelations that the Italian carmaker has made a secret offer to purchase a majority stake in Opel. Klaus Franz, chairman of Opel's works council, on Thursday confirmed Fiat's interest in a takeover of General Motors' European subsidiary, suggesting that officials have cleared the way for the signing of a letter of intent as early as April 28. Opel has been in talks with parts supplier Magna International on a possible partnership over the past month.

Ducati-powered Volkswagen XL1 in the works, may be called XLR

Volkswagen is pushing ahead with plans to boost the performance of its two-seat XL1 with a highly strung two-cylinder gas engine sourced from the Ducati 1199 Panigale superbike, high-ranking insiders at the German car maker have confirmed. Speaking on the sidelines of the unveiling of the new e-Golf in Wolfsburg, Germany this week, Volkswagen's head of R & D Hans-Jakob Neusser revealed development of the Ducati-engined XL1 is well underway. “Yes, we are working on it internally.

Future Fiat 500 and Fiat Panda imagined by design students

Students at the Royal College of Art in London were challenged to redesign the Fiat 500 and the Fiat Panda for the year 2020. Part of Fiat's "Two of a Kind" design training experience stretching out over three months, the competition attracted more than 50 entries. The design challenge was more than a competition to design the most effective exterior, as students were divided into several interdisciplinary teams and tasked with developing new solutions for the interiors and exteriors of both cars, integrating such concepts as interactivity, sustainability and global appeal into their designs.