1956 Plymouth Weatherstrip 1681154 Right Rear Door Outer Window Belt Sweep on 2040-parts.com

Volvo celebrates the seatbelt’s golden anniversary

By Freddie Fulton Motor Industry 12 August 2009 10:11 Today marks the 50th anniversary of the three-point seatbelt. It was patented by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin in 1959, but the Swedes magnanimously opened up the tech to other car makers as they saw the real-world safety benefit of seatbelts in all cars. The design was so effective that in Germany the patent registrars listed it in the top eight inventions which have made an impact from 1885 to 1985.

Audi Quattro concept (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

This is our first look at Audi’s new Quattro concept, the latest evolution of Ingolstadt’s plot to build a flagship super-coupe inspired by its Eighties all-wheel drive icon. However, it doesn’t just look a whole lot more aggressive than the original 2010 Quattro concept – it’s also massively punchier under the skin. What’s new exterior-wise for the 2013 Audi Quattro concept?

CAR tech: who's to blame for your car's terrible fuel economy?

In early 2013 Audi lost a case brought by the Advertising Standard Agency (ASA) because of ‘misleading’ fuel economy figures used in an advert, after a customer complained they couldn’t get anywhere near the 68mpg quoted. The court case once more exposes the yawning gap between officially sanctioned mpg figures and those experienced by owners. A recent study by the Independent Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) looked at cars sold in the UK and Europe, and discovered the difference between official mpg figures and real-world driving had grown from 8% in 2001 to a barely believable 21% in 2011.