2005 Volvo Dash Cluster on 2040-parts.com

Yet another Kia Compact Crossover Concept heading for Frankfurt 2013

Yet another Kia Compact Crossover Concept (pictured) heading for Frankfurt We do seem to have had something of a run of concepts from Kia lately – particularly Compact SUV/Crossover Concepts – but none seem to be heading for production. Already in 2013 we’ve had the Kia Provo Concept, which looked like a suitably funky urban warrior to take on the market the Nissan Juke made its own, even if the ‘Provo’ name caused publicity-seeking politicians to spit and stomp. Following close on the heels of the Provo came the Kia CUB for the Seoul Motor Show (note the cuddly name – Kia didn’t want to shoot themselves in the foot again) which, although entirely convincing, just looked like yet another urban warrior compact crossover/SUV.

Saab enters Court Protection – just as we predicted

Victor Muller takes Saab in to Court Protection Two weeks ago we reported that Saab were about to seek court protection from its creditors in a bid to buy time until investment from China arrives. And that’s exactly what’s happening. Saab are waiting for investment funding from China – via Pang Da and Youngman – totalling €245 million which should put Saab back on a solvent footing – at least for a while – and allow the beleaguered Swedish car maker to resume production and push on with future plans.

Hydrogen powered Black Cab hits London streets

The first LTI TX4 hydrogen-powered London Taxi A hybrid fuel cell electric London cab has been revealed, but unlike recent developments with the traditional Black cab – where Mercedes are busy taking over - this experimental hydrogen-powered Cab is based on the familiar LTI TX4. The joy of using a hydrogen tank to run the batteries is that unlike a plug-in hybrid a refuel will take all of five minutes – no more than filling up with petrol or diesel would, A full tank will give a range of around 250 miles and – just like a plug-in BEV – the hydrogen powered cab is emission free at the point of use. The plan is to raise funding to produce a fleet of hydrogen powered Black Cabs in time for the London Olympics in 212.