06 07 Mazda 5 Info-gps-tv Screen Audio-climate-clock 49336 on 2040-parts.com

Aston gets ultra-quick paddleshift

By Phil McNamara Motor Industry 28 September 2006 06:35 Aston Martin today unveils a new, Ferrari-style paddleshift transmission for the V8 Vantage. Dubbed Sportshift, the automated manual promises gearchanges in less than 200millisec, faster than you can swap cogs with the six-speed manual. Developed over the past 18 months with Magneti Marelli, the electro hydraulic six-speed box has numerous modes.

Concept Car of the Week: Fiat Scia (1993)

After a successful design competition between famous Italian design houses to rework the little Cinquecento, Fiat renewed the experience two years later by giving to nine of them – including Fiat's in-house studio – a new Fiat Punto as a base to let their creative juices flow. The results ranged from being simply forgettable (Zagato Monomille), ridiculously daft (Boneschi Doblone) or just plain ugly (Giannini Punto 4x4 TL), but one of the concepts stood out from the flock for being brilliantly bold. This was the Fiat Scia, presented to the public at the 1993 Turin Auto Show.

Mitsubishi plans ‘Colt-successor' for the United States around 2012

Mitsubishi plans to bring a global small car to the United States sometime around 2012. It would be the successor to the Colt small car currently sold in Europe and Asia. The new car would be all-new, and the name has not been decided yet, a spokesman said, referring to it as the “Colt-successor.” “There's obviously a need for a very small car,” Mitsubishi spokesman Moe Durand said.