06 Suzuki Ltr450 Subframe on 2040-parts.com

Weather still causing commuter chaos

COMMUTERS had a miserable return to work today as bad weather continued to cause havoc to road travel. A number of major road routes were affected by flooding or by fallen trees, while one lane was closed on the M48 Severn Bridge due to strong winds and a section of the M77 in Glasgow was closed because of flooding. A landslip at Hawick on the Scottish Borders led to hold-ups on the A7, while a section of the A36 in Hampshire was closed due to a fallen tree and fallen power cables.

Volkswagen XL Sport Concept gets Ducati power: Paris 2014

The Volkswagen XL Sport Concept (pictured) gets Ducati power The Volkswagen XL 1 may well be an impressive ‘Supercar’ (that’s super-economical, rather than plain ‘super’), but it’s a daft amount of money and, unless you’re trying to make a ‘Green’ statement, not for everyone. But this Volkswagen XL Sport Concept is a more appealing car – both visually and mechanically – as VW take the XL 1 and rework it in to a sports car with a little help from Ducati. Because under the skin of the XL Sport lies a 197bhp V2 that’s come from Ducati (just as we reported a year ago) and delivers 197bhp through a seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box, with a reduction gear between engine and gearbox to boost torque, revs to 1,000 rpm and can get to 62mph in 5.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 157mph.

CDN and GM launch new interactive competition for students in North America

Car Design News is pleased to announce the launch of this year's Car Design News-GM interactive design competition, a collaboration with GM and our partners, Alcantara, CGT, Pace and SRG Global. GM is offering five students a paid internship (with housing included) at its studios in Warren, Michigan. 
One winner will be picked from each brand (Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC) 
and one additional overall winner will also be chosen by the judges.