2007 Saab 9-7x 97x Dash Speedometer Instrument Gauge Cluster W/ 85k on 2040-parts.com

Essen Motor Show 2013: in pictures

After the corporate seriousness and Germanic efficiency of the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Essen Motor Show is an altogether more relaxed affair. Albeit one delivered with the same level of German efficiency. It's the perfect show for the run-up to Christmas, with wild concepts and weird creations from the custom and tuning industry.

New VW Golf BlueMotion: Paris 2012

Volkswagen has revealed the MK 7 version of the Golf Bluemotion in Paris, offering 88.3mpg and 85g/km emissions. Volkswagen are billing the Golf BlueMotion as a concept, but it’s heading for production and is expected to offer the same emissions and economy figures as the BlueMotion Concept – 88.3mpg and 85g/km. That makes it 15 per cent more efficient than the outgoing BlueMotion.

New Mercedes SLS planned – & it won’t be a hybrid

AMG’s Tobias Moers has confirmed that a new Mercedes SLS is planned – as is a sub-SLS SLC – but it won’t come with hybrid power and electric assistance. But the Mercedes take on a supercar – the Mercedes SLS – isn’t set to go down the KERS route ant time soon according to AMG’s Director of Vehicle Development, Tobias Moers, who said that a next generation SLS – which is under development – would rely on weight saving and engine tweaking, just like the new Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series (pictured above), rather than electric assistance for its performance. Moers also said that Mercedes and AMG realised that the AMG brand doesn’t have the cachet of Ferrari and they have no plans to produce a car to go head to head with LaFerrari (or even the McLaren P1) so we won’t be seeing a hyper-SLS pushed upmarket in to the firing line of Ferrari any time soon.