01 02 03 04 05 06 Stratus L. Frt Spindle/knuckle Sdn on 2040-parts.com

BMW, Mercedes consider return to 4-bangers in U.S. market

Facing stricter fuel economy standards, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are considering bringing four-cylinder engines back to the United States. BMW stopped offering four-cylinders in 1999 when its 318ti hatchback flopped. Mercedes-Benz had four-cylinder engines on the 2005 C230 and SLK230 but dropped them in favor of six-cylinder models.

2009 Mazda 3 hatchback unveiled ahead of Bologna

Mazda has today released the first pictures of the new Mazda 3 hatchback, ahead of the Bologna Motor Show on December 3rd. The pictures come hot on the heels of the recently announced saloon and, just like the saloon, the Mazda 3 hatchback is a much fresher design, with far more sporty pretensions. One of the big aims for Mazda with the 3 was, of course, a much more economical car without sacrificing the old model’s strengths.

Audi Sport Quattro Concept arrives on video

It does seem almost a certainty that Audi are planning on building a production version of the Audi Sport Quattro concept we saw at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month. After all, Audi has already had one stab at a high-end recreation of the iconic quattro in 2010, turned up at Frankfurt with a second, more powerful, version and has now got that version running around on video to celebrate 100,000 Facebook Likes. If Audi are going to build the Sport Quattro it’s almost certainly going to be a limited edition run at a price that eclipses even the current range-topping Audi R8 V10 Plus.