00-02 Mercedes Benz E320 E430 E55 W210 Tiptronic Gear Selector Shifter on 2040-parts.com

Chief engineer of Ford Focus quits to lead German yacht builder

Jens Ludmann, chief program engineer for Ford Motor Co.'s new Focus, is quitting the automaker to head a German-based maker of luxury yachts. Ludmann led a team at Ford's European base in Merkenich, near Cologne, Germany, that developed the Focus, the first car from CEO Alan Mulally's global One Ford strategy and flagship of the company's new range of global C-segment products. The German native, who joined Ford in 2000, will become CEO of Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH, effective Aug.

Audi Sport Quattro concept (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

The Audi Sport Quattro Concept will be shown at Frankfurt as a spiritual successor to the 1980s rallying legend. This time, the road-going version can muster 0-62mph in a stonking 3.7sec and top 189mph thanks to its 690bhp drivetrain.  Haven’t we seen an Audi Quattro Concept before? Yes – but this is a different take on the 2010 Quattro concept, and may make it into showrooms.

Thomas Ingenlath: Volvo Concept C to end 'vanilla' design era [w/Video]

Volvo has promised a radical change in its future design language that will be embodied in its Concept C coupé, the first concept to be developed since head of design Thomas Ingenlath's appointment in July 2012. Our first look at the concept, which debuts at this month's Frankfurt motor show, comes from a video starring Ingenlath (see left). At first it seems to just show him sketching while he explains how some people see Volvo design as "vanilla" – nice, but not iconic or cutting-edge – but if we slow it down at around the 11-second mark, we get a preview of what we can expect.