1983 Yamaha Yz80 - Reed Valve on 2040-parts.com

One Lap of the Web: KERS, Klass and autonomous cars

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- KERS, the kinetic-energy-recovery system, was first seen in Formula One a few years back.

Mercedes GLA – the A-Class SUV – will arrive in production guise at Frankfurt

The production version of the Mercedes GLA Concept (pictured) will debut at Frankfurt 2013 It’s only three months since the new Mercedes GLA debuted at the Shanghai Motor Show as a concept, but it’s already close to arriving in production guise. In fact, it looks like the new GLA – based on the new Mercedes A-Class underpinnings – will arrive in production form at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, ahead of going on sale in early 2014. The new GLA is aimed squarely at the competition from the BMW X1 and Audi Q3, and if it delivers as well as the A-Class has it stands a very good chance of becoming the pick of the premium compact SUVs.

BMW i8: Mission Impossible

BMW i8 in Mission Impossible 4 Marketing new cars doesn’t have to mean an ‘in your face advertising’,  berating you with benefits and a call to action. It can be more subtle; simply raising awareness or putting the cars in a high-profile role in a popular film or TV show. Just like Aston Martin with James Bond (and Jaguar Land Rover in the new Bond, too) and Volvo with the Twilight franchise, BMW has placed its product in the new Tom Cruise outing – Mission Impossible 4 | Ghost Protocol.