2000 Saab 9-5 Door Latch Driver Left Rear 2644098 on 2040-parts.com

Bentley considers S-Tronic technology for upcoming V8 Continental

Bentley is considering equipping its future V8-powered Continental GT variant with a dual-clutch transmission that sister-company Audi badges as S-Tronic. Bentley's engineers are doing engineering studies on the feasibility of packaging the S-Tronic into the Continental's transmission tunnel. The major challenge is re-engineering and producing the GT's underbody and running gear to accept the S-Tronic, which is a different shape than that of the six-speed ZF that the W12 GT will employ.

White House pushes for Friday deal on fuel-economy regulations

The White House wants to announce as early as Friday that it has reached agreement with most automakers on a plan to raise corporate average fuel economy targets to 54.5 mpg by 2025, manufacturers' representatives said Wednesday. While no automakers have signed on to the Obama administration plan yet, most--including Ford, Toyota, General Motors and Chrysler--are generally supportive and intend to do so, the industry officials said. Each manufacturer is trying to iron out technical issues with the White House before endorsing the proposal.

Bentley 6¾ litre V8 to end production – Diesels & Hybrid on the way

Bentley’s outgoing boss has revealed Bentley are planning to drop their trademark 6¾ litre V8 and introduce hybrid and diesel options. Bentley’s famed 6¾ litre V8 engine – in production since 1959, although it didn’t grow to 6¾ litre until 1970 - is as much a USP for Bentley as the badge and the history. BMW tried to bring production of the old iron lump to an end in 1998 – replacing it with a characterless BMW 4.4 litre V8 – but it was back a year later when VW took over as the motivation for the Red Label Arnage – and it’s stayed ever since.