2008 Kia Spectraair Flow Meter 1002127 on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes launch new 9G-Tronic gearbox on E350 BlueTec

New Mercedes E350 BlueTec (pictured) gets 9-speed 9G-TRONIC auto It’s not exactly a million years ago that automatic gearboxes offered poorer performance and economy than manual gearboxes, and came as standard with just three gears. But now, automatic gearboxes are so good they can  change quicker than any driver and, with the proliferation of eight-speed auto ‘boxes, offer improved economy and performance too. The next logical step is even more ratios in an auto ‘box, and Land Rover has already revealed they’ll be fitting the Evoque with a 9-speed ZF ‘box from 2014, and the new Jeep Grand Cherokee gets a nine-speed auto ‘box too.

Chrysler Sebring Convertible

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 29 November 2006 09:43 America’s best-selling convertible arrives here a year from now – complete with right-hand drive layout, tax-friendly turbo diesel power, metal folding roof, sharpened dynamics and a £22k price. Unveiled at this week’s Los Angeles motor show, the all-new Sebring will come with the choice of either a Volkswagen-sourced 2.0-litre 140bhp turbo diesel fourpot or Chrysler’s own 189bhp 2.7-litre V6 petrol engine, hooked up to six-cog automatic or manual boxes. Chrysler’s engineers claim that roof down, the new convertible is two and a half times stiffer than its predecessor, which is just as well as the previous model – which was sold in minute quantities here back in 2001 – had all the torsional rigidity of a wet bath sponge.

Concept Car of the Week: Keio Advanced Zero (2001)

‘Eight-wheeler electric limo-MPVs are the future!' said nobody. Ever. But professor Hiroshi Shimizu from Keio University in Japan believed such a machine could help him promote his innovative electric car concept.