2005 800 Polaris Liberty Motor/engine on 2040-parts.com

VW CrossBlue concept (2013) first official pictures

This is Volkswagen's next SUV, just revealed at the 2013 Detroit motor show. Called the CrossBlue, it's a 'mid-sized' six-seat SUV aimed specifically at the American market. Yet judging by these images, and to these European eyes, there doesn’t seem to be much ‘mid-sized’ about it – it's a mammoth five metres long, coming in at 200mm longer than a VW Touareg.

Infiniti to get Audi A3 fighter in product blitz

Nissan plans to introduce a compact, entry-level Infiniti model below the G series to compete against such cars as the Audi A3 and Lexus CT 200h. The car would be part of a global product blitz to build Infiniti's lineup to 10 vehicles from seven by 2017. The car would be based on the Etherea concept shown in March at the Geneva auto show, a person familiar with the plan says.

Old is new again: Will a floor-hinged throttle pedal be in your future?

If you think that every little nut, bolt, switch, gear or widget in your new car wasn't scrutinized by a team of highly educated, overworked car geeks (read: engineers), think again. A couple of recent conversations with automotive engineers confirmed that virtually nothing that goes into a car today is taken for granted. During the recent Pebble Beach weekend, I had the pleasure of spending time with an engineer for Jaguar, and the subject turned to materials used for various switches in the cabin.