01 02 03 Malibu Speedometer Instrument Cluster Dash Panel Gauges 145,252 on 2040-parts.com

Official: Aston Martin gets its hands on Mercedes AMG engines & Electronic Architecture

Aston Martin & AMG confirm they’re getting in bed together Back in December we reported that Aston Martin had new investment from Investindustrial and wondered if that would mean – thanks to an existing relationship between Investindustrial and AMG – if we’d see Aston Martin finally getting access to AMG’s engines and platforms. By May, things had moved on and it was clear that Aston Martin and AMG were in talks for Aston Martin to get access to their engines for the next generation of AML’s cars. Now those talks have borne fruit and AMG and AML have signed a letter of intent for Aston Martin to “access significant Mercedes-AMG GmbH and Mercedes-Benz Cars’ resources, allowing the development of bespoke V8 powertrains and the use of certain components of electric/electronic (e/e) architecture.” Interestingly, there’s no talk of V12 engines – which could mean Aston Martin are going to move from the current Ford V12 for the DB9 and Vanquish to a powerful V8 from AMG – and nor is there talk of sharing platforms.

Volvo V40 Review: D3 SE Nav (2012)

This week we have Volvo’s very promising new V40 in for review and test in the guise of the V40 D3 SE Nav manual. For perhaps the first time, Volvo are offering a serious alternative to cars like the BMW 1 Series (and the new Mercedes A Class) with the V40. Certainly on all the things that grab the headlines – looks, performance and equipment – the V40 seems to be a very credible effort from Volvo.

Fiat to offer two spinoff models based on the 500L for 2014

Fiat unveiled two new versions of its popular 500L in its home market a couple months ago, the 500L Living and 500L Trekking editions, both designed for different audiences. While the 500L Trekking will have adventure in mind, offering a taller ride height and protective bumpers, the 500L Living will be an ideal car for young families. For the 2014 model year, Fiat will be offering both of these in the U.S.