08 Malibu Automatic Transmission 1159472 on 2040-parts.com

Porsche Boxster Spyder (2010) first pictures

This is the new Porsche Boxster Spyder and, as the arrival of any new Porsche tends to be a polarising event, you’ll either be sighing in disgust or yelping in delight. The bare facts? This Boxster Spyder is Porsche’s lightest and quickest current-gen roadster yet thanks to the folding roof being junked.  The Spyder will be unveiled at the LA Auto Show in December 2009, and it’s not a run-out limited edition like previous Spyder-tagged Boxsters, but the third (and most expensive) permanent addition to the roadster range.

Lincoln gets own design studio

Ford is creating a dedicated design studio for its luxury brand Lincoln in an ongoing bid to rejuvenate the brand and position it further apart from the core Ford offering. The new design studio will be situated in the Product Development Center in Dearborn, Michigan, with Max Wolff – recruited from Cadillac last year – charged with leading the brand in its revival efforts. Ford has also announced that it will be increasing spending on the brand, giving it unique interiors and powertrains.

Volvo S60 saloon (2010) unveiled

This is the new Volvo S60, and it’s the latest attempt by the Swedish safety-mongers to snatch a share of the small executive saloon market that’s dominated by the 3-series, A4 and C-class. Volvo has only released two exterior photos of the new S60 – we’ll see the interior closer to the car’s Geneva motor show unveil in March 2010 – as it wants to highlight the new car’s design. Under now-departed design chief Steve Mattin, the S60 has been created as the car that will start the differentiation of Volvo design and break the one-size-fits-all focus.