2001 Volkswagen Passat Rear Seat Belt & Retractor Only Lh Driver Black on 2040-parts.com

2013 Astra Cabrio caught on video

We have video of the 2013 Opel / Vauxhall Astra Cabriolet on video ahead of its debut at the Paris Motor Show. We’re guessing that even though the 2013 Astra Cabriolet (which will arrive as both the Vauxhall and Opel Cabrio) is due to debut at the Paris Motor Show next month, it won’t be in showrooms until the spring – just in time for another miserable summer. Ahead of that debut, GM Europe are out at the Nurburgring making sure their new soft-top doesn’t wibble wobble too much, resulting in the spy video below.

'Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish': A tribute to Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

The recent passing of Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, has found us mourning the loss of a visionary who brought not only technology and functionality to the product design industry, but also transcended the boundary into automotive design. Jobs succeeded in making what was at the time a foreign invention – the personal computer, a device impeded by its lack of usability – attractive to the masses by making it simpler, intuitive and essentially more functional for those who didn't hold a PhD in physics. From his previous experience with the artistic qualities of calligraphy, Jobs took a sector that was so inward looking that it risked alienating the consumer – regardless of its capability – and wrapped it up in a warm, aesthetically appealing package that could be more easily understood.

Jaguar XK and XKR Special Edition launched

New Jaguar XK and XKR Special Editions launched Jaguar has decided to give the XK and XKR sales a bit of a boost with the launch of  Special Edition models as coupe and convertible. There’s nothing quite like a Special Edition model to get punters in showrooms, and with the Jaguar XK and XKR perhaps losing a bit of their glow – thanks in part to getting towards the end of their shelf life, and the arrival of the bonkers XKR-S – Jaguar has launched ‘Special Edition’ models of the XK and XKR as both coupe and convertible. The new XK and XKR Special Editions are purely cosmetic – there’s none of the extra power we’ve seen in the XKR-S – but the cosmetic tweaks are appealing.