2 Bridgestone Turanza El-400, 215/50/17 P215/50r17 215 50 17, Tire # 32258 Qa on 2040-parts.com

Volkswagen New Midsize Coupe debuts at China motor show

The Volkswagen NMC (New Midsize Coupe) concept makes official the German carmaker's plans for a style-led sedan to challenge the likes of the strong selling Mercedes-Benz CLA. Unveiled at the Beijing motor show, the new four-door closely previews a future Jetta-based model that will slot into the Volkswagen lineup beneath the existing Passat CC, most likely in 2016. Volkswagen design boss Klaus Bischoff describes the NMC as “avant-garde protagonist for a new compact sedan class.” Looking all but ready for production, it continues the current Volkswagen design lineage, with crisp features and lines, heavily horizontal detailing, and taut surfacing -- all aimed at providing it with a technical-inspired appearance.

Walt Arfons: 1916-2013

No one seemed to know why the two brothers stopped talking, but their resulting rivalry led to some of the fastest cars ever built, two of which went more than 600 mph. Walt Arfons battled his half-brother Art on the Bonneville Salt Flats and at dragstrips across the country, but the pair rarely spoke over the course of one of the longest and most intense motorsport rivalries ever. Walt and Art started out working together, building a three-wheeled dragster in their native rural Ohio in 1952.

Video: Exploring the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class

To coincide with the announcement that its new C-Class has entered production, Mercedes-Benz has released a video exploring its design. Featuring design chief Gordon Wagener and other key members of the team, the video explains where their inspiration came from and how they experimented with proportions during its development. While the dropping bodyside feature line is a key element of the exterior, it's also found inside the C-Class, where the typical Mercedes sports car interior is combined with the floating, vertical center console.