1965 Impala Ss Gauge on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes want more Tesla-powered EVs. A-Class & CLA EV?

The Mercedes B-Class EV (pictured) could be joined by more Tesla-powered compact Mercedes EVS When Tesla was still trying to be something more than just the Silicon Valley company that put an electric motor in a Lotus to create the Tesla Roadster, Mercedes took a stake with an eye to the future. That deal between Mercedes and Tesla has already reaped some rewards with the Smart EV and electric B-Class, but it seems Mercedes wants more EVs in its lineup and wants Tesla to provide the powertrains and batteries. Speaking to Reuters, Daimler’s CFO, Bodo Uebber, said they were looking at more ways to work with Tesla and that they were looking to fo more in the premium compact arena to appeal to a younger demographic.

Hyundai integrates Smartphones in to their cars

Hyundai is harnessing the power of the Smartphone to make in-car information and driver settings integrate seamlessly. For those of us old enough to remember the first mobile phones – and the first home PCs – the realisation that we’re all walking round now with Smartphones that have more processing power than it took to put a man on the moon is almost mind boggling. Sadly, most of us use just a fraction of the capabilities of our phones, but the fact we have all that clever tech tucked in our trouser pockets gives car makers the opportunity to harness it to provide more functionality for their cars.

Adaptive steering for big Fords arrives on new Edge

By Tim Pollard Motoring Issues 30 May 2014 17:43 Ford today announced all its future large cars will have adaptive steering as standard - letting reps flick their wrists on the way in to the Welcome Break on the M4, yet tip their fingers when changing lanes on the London orbital. It's a further sign that what was once the high-tech preserve of the German brands is now firmly in the mainstream. BMW was one of the brands which pioneered variable-ratio power steering; in essence, it changes the ratio between the driver's inputs at the wheel and the rate at which turns are made at the rack.