Aston to build cars abroad

By Ben Oliver Motor Industry 03 March 2008 23:05 Aston Martin is to manufacture a major model outside the UK for the first time, CAR Online can exclusively reveal. The iconic British car maker will use the Geneva Motor Show to announce that its new Rapide four-door coupe will be built in Austria by Magna Steyr.The firm’s Graz factory is expected to build up to 3000 Rapides each year, with deliveries starting in early 2010. As with all Aston Martin engines, the £200,000 Rapide’s 6.0-litre V12 will be built in Cologne.

Apple Carplay integrates iPhone in to cars: Geneva Motor Show

Apple CarPlay arrives to take over your car’s Infotainment Apple’s bid to take a major slice of the Automotive integration with Smartphones market moves on with the arrival of Apple CarPlay at the Geneva Motor Show this week It looks like Apple have stolen a march on Android with deep integration in to the Infotainment systems of a number of car makers – with more to come – as the lines start to be blurred between Smartphones and car systems. CarPlay lets drivers with the right phone – iPhone 5 or better – access messages, play music, use Apple Maps and make calls, all hands-free and using Siri commands. Functionality with the right make of car – starting with Ferrari, Mercedes and Volvo but reaching out in to Jaguar Land Rover, BMW, Hyundai Kia, Honda, PSA, Toyota, Ford and more before long – means you’ll be able to do much of what you can already do on your iPhone but do it through your car’s Infotainment interface with familiar commands and screen layouts.

Is the V8 a dying breed? Auto engineers expect more turbos, smaller engines

The V8 engine, a symbol of power and prestige for more than a century, is looking more and more like an endangered species. A panel of powertrain experts speaking on Tuesday at the 2009 SAE World Congress painted a bleak picture for big engines in this era of tightening emission standards and volatile fuel prices. But smaller engines will not mean drivers have to give up performance.