1989-1991 Seadoo Jetski 587 Cylinder Head Yellow on 2040-parts.com

CAR tech: Audi's miracle e-fuel (2013)

Global warming; sky-high oil prices as reserves peak; spiralling crop prices and intense pressure to find fertile land – society faces immense challenges, as it strives to protect the planet and keep our cars on the move. Audi is working on a miracle fuel that could help mitigate these problems, in a facility under construction in the uncompromising, scorching environment of New Mexico, USA.  Not content with having a range more diverse than London’s World Pride parade, Audi is moving into the fuels business, in partnership with US biotech firm Joule Unlimited. The pair are developing carbon-neutral synthetic fuels, called e-fuels in keeping with Audi’s E-tron eco brand.

Daimler and Renault-Nissan strike a global partnership

Daimler today struck a wide-ranging partnership with the Renault-Nissan alliance, in a deal that will usher in new jointly developed cars, shared technologies and a multitude of cost savings.  Cars such as the new 2014 Smart Fortwo will now be twinned with the next Renault Twingo, while the Forfour is set for a comeback and we can expect plenty of shared combustion engines and electric motors, borrowed platforms and jointly developed SUV tech across all three parties. And that's only scratching the surface of the possibilities opened up by this wide-ranging deal.

Mercedes to make E-Class Coupe Estate?

The Mercedes ConceptFascination - Could make it in to production as an E-Class Coupe Estate Car makers are searching for every niche they can fill with their cars, particularly at the premium end. Audi and Mercedes are big players (we still think the Mercedes R-Class a niche too far), and BMW play the game too, with cars like the BMW X6M and the new BMW 5 Series GT. If the Mercedes E Class Coupe Estate does go in to production it will bring to five the number of models based on the same Class – the saloon, the coupe, the cabriolet and the estate plus this new Coupe Estate.