1996 Volvo 850 Non-turbo Crankshaft on 2040-parts.com

Opel design boss dismissed

Newly appointed Opel design boss Dave Lyon has been dismissed by parent company General Motors, less than a week before he was set to take over the position at the company's troubled European subsidiary in Russelsheim, Germany. Lyon, who was set to receive Opel's design operations from current boss Mark Adams on Aug. 1, was reportedly escorted from GM design headquarters in Michigan late last week under mysterious circumstances.

Toyota Urban Utility concept embraces maker movement

Toyota has unveiled a concept designed in response to the maker movement. Called the Urban Utility, or U2, the vehicle is intended to appeal to those who have embraced maker culture - the trend of learning new practical skills, embracing new construction technologies like 3D printing, and applying them in an inventive and often entrepreneurial way. The U2 will be unveiled at the World Maker Faire in New York City on 20 September and was designed at Toyota's Calty studio in Newport Beach, CA.

Jaguar F-Type Coupe ‘Lightweight’ Club Sport plotted

Jaguar are plotting a more focused version of the F-Type Coupe (pictured The new Jaguar F-Type Coupe is the first proper sports car from Jaguar in 50 years, and it looks like Jaguar are plotting to extend the appeal of the F-Type Coupe with more focused versions. We’ve already seen the Jaguar Project 7 F-Type with a hefty dose of DNA from the D-Type – even if that was billed as a one-off – but it now seems Jaguar are looking for a limited production run of a lightweight F-Type – perhaps the Jaguar F-Type Club Sport. Motoring in Australia managed to bend the ear of F-Type Production Director Russ Varney, who had some interesting speculation to add fuel to the fire over the rumours of a more focused F-Type Coupe.