1998-2002 Ford Escort/ Tracer Speedometer on 2040-parts.com

BMW i: the new electric car sub-brand launched

I spy something... beginning with i. That'll be the name for BMW's new sub-brand for its forthcoming electric vehicles (both pure EV and hybrid), announced today. Think of i as BMW M - a sub brand for the internet-savvy, eco-conscious, city-dwelling new premium car buyer. BMW's new sub-brand was launched with a live-streaming web conference from the BMW Welt complex in Munich on 21 February 2011.

New Mercedes A-Class is “The Most Beautiful Car of the Year 2012″

The new Mercedes A-Class – perhaps set to become Mercedes’ most successful model ever – has been voted the most beautiful car of 2012. Not only that, but the new A-Class looks to be a real challenge to cars like the BMW 1 Series (except for keen drivers) and the new Volvo V40, something the old A-Class wouldn’t have had a prayer of doing, despite being the favourite car for ‘er indoors whose hubby had a big Merc. Now, to add to the accolades the new A-Class has already received from buyers, reviewers and award givers, the 2013 Mercedes A-Class has been voted “The Most Beautiful Car of the Year 2012″ by more than 100,000 car fans across 52 countries.

Jenson Button in McLaren P1 (2013) supercar fly-by

McLaren’s P1 supercar trundled out for its first official drive-by today, when F1 driver Jenson Button drove it into McLaren’s Woking citadel before unveiling his 2013 race car. The stunt confirmed that the P1 can manoeuvre on electric power alone, unlike Button’s MP4-28: the race car’s hybrid KERS system is used to deliver a short power boost to supplement the V8. McLaren predicts the P1’s electric-only mode is a capability its forthcoming Ferrari rival (codenamed F150) won’t be able to match.