1991 1993 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe Sc Right Power Window Regulator W/ Motor on 2040-parts.com

News watch April 2010: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hourThursday 29 April 2010• The European Commission has published a document outlining plans to encourage the take-up of electric cars. It includes a strategy for a common charging socket (Financial Times)• BMW has leapfrogged Toyota as the world's most valuable automotive brand, according to the BrandZ Top 100 survey.

Mercedes accidentally publishes the first 2014 Mercedes S-Class photo

The image has since been removed, but not before it escaped in to the wild to give us our first official view of the new S Class, a car which has always set new standards in equipment and safety with each new launch, and the 2014 S Class will be no different. What will be different is the range of models we expect to arrive in the next few years, from standard and long wheelbase S Class through an S Class Coupe, S Class Convertible and a super-luxury S Class Pullman, which will effectively replace Mercedes’ failed Maybach adventure. The new S Class looks less bulbous than its current incarnation, with the bulging rear wheel arches gone and a slimmer look all round.

Volkswagen to buy 42 percent of Porsche, full merger planned

Volkswagen will buy 42 percent of Porsche's sports-car business en route to a full merger by the end of 2011, the companies announced Thursday. VW will pay $4.7 billion for its initial stake in Porsche. It positions the new company to have 10 brands and global sales of 6.4 million, and Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn is likely to lead the entity.