1926 Sunbeam 3-litre Tourer Unique Imp Brochure '26 on 2040-parts.com

Seat celebrates 60 years of production

SPANISH car maker Seat has this week celebrated its 60th anniversary, releasing pictures dating back to its very first model, the 1400. Six decades have now passed since the first 1400 rolled off the production line, when the brand new company was inundated with 10,000 orders following the end of petrol rationing in Spain. With so much production demand Seat was able to drop the initial price of 121,875 to a more reasonable 117,000 pesetas, or what would have been about £590 at the time.

Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid unveiled

Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid Volkswagen has revealed the VW Jetta Hybrid at the Detroit Auto Show, with a 1.4 litre turbo and electric motor promising 54mpg  and 168bhp. VW has revealed the Jetta Hybrid at the Detroit Motor Show which will, if nothing else, show the Americans that a small capacity – in thyis case a 1.4 litre TSI engine – can offer not just decent economy but also some reasonable performance. With the aid of a 20kW electric motor the Jetta Hybrid can muster 168bhp and scoot ro 60mph in around 9 seconds, but still offer 54mpg.

Who's Where: Satoshi Wada to open independent design studio

Satoshi Wada, former Senior Designer at Audi AG and Nissan Design Japan, is set to open his own design studio. Called SWdesign TOKYO, his ambitious plan follows on from a growing line of design managers who have left successful OEMs to establish their own design practices. Wada, who resigned from Audi AG in Ingolstadt earlier this month, told CDN he is aiming "to create a new vision with my own independent design studio in Tokyo".