Vintage 1930's Era Twilight Chevrolet Headlamp on 2040-parts.com

2014 European Car of the Year finalists revealed. Could the Mercedes S-Class win?

Could the 2014 Mercedes S-Class (pictured) win the Car of the Year? We’re at the end of 2013, so the time has arrived to take a look at the finalists for the 2014 European Car of the Year award. In the last few years, despite Europe producing some of the most impressive luxury and performance cars on the planet, the Car of the Year Award has gone to much more prosaic machinery.

Alfa Romeo 4C on track with Giancarlo Fisichella (video)

Giancalrlo Fisichella takes the Alfa 4C round Balocco (pictured) The Alfa Romeo 4C – Alfa’s baby supercar – is due on sale next month following its UK dynamic debut at Goodwood, so to get a bit of adrenaline flowing in the veins of potential buyers, Fiat grabbed Ferrari test driver Giancarlo Fisichella and stuck him behind the wheel of the 4C to play at the Balocco test track, Fiat’s proving ground. And we have to say, the 4C doesn’t just look good, it sounds great and looks to be as light and nimble as expected. In many ways, the Alfa 4C is an Italian take on the Lotus Elise, but it manages to do it with a huge dose of Alfa flair, both in its design and its execution.

GM plants solar field at Chevrolet Volt factory

Looking to put a charge in its eco-friendly image, General Motors is installing a 264,000-square-foot solar field at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant that builds the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid sedan. The solar field, being built in cooperation with utility DTE Energy, will generate 516 kilowatts. GM says that’s enough power to charge up 150 Volts every day for a year.