1999 99 Seadoo Sea Doo Gtx787 Rfi Gtx 787 Compass Module on 2040-parts.com

Plans for Smart’s three-seat sports car uncovered in patent drawings

Mercedes-Benz is developing a three-seat sports car for Smart. Depicted here in a series of European patent-application sketches obtained by AutoWeek, the radical new sports car forms part of an extended range of new Smart models planned for introduction by the middle of the next decade, including a more conventional four-seater to be produced in cooperation with Renault. Mercedes-Benz is reacting to increased competition from Toyota in the form of the iQ and the impending arrival of similar urban-based offerings from premium-brand rivals Audi and BMW.

One Lap of the Web: Panteras, Battlebirds and Patrick Dempsey's entrepreneurial brilliance

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. -- Sure, later versions of the De Tomaso Pantera looked a bit outrageous with their wide fenders and Countach-like spoilers.

BMW Concept 5-series ActiveHybrid (2010)

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 28 February 2010 06:30 BMW's new 5-series will quickly spawn a petrol-electric hybrid – as this Geneva motor show 2010 concept car proves. It'll be the third BMW hybrid car in production, after the ActiveHybrid X6 and ActiveHybrid 7. Like the part-electrified 7-series, the Concept 5-series ActiveHybrid uses a straight six petrol engine with twin turbos and an eight-speed auto with a hybrid module built in.How clean is the new BMW Concept 5-series ActiveHybrid?Munich says both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are improved by 10% and a zero-emissions EV mode is available, as the hybrid 5 is a full hybrid.