BMW Concept X5 eDrive hybrid set for Frankfurt motor show

BMW is on a roll when it comes to electric-car technology, and the German automaker will be showing a new X5, dubbed the BMW Concept X5 eDrive, at the Frankfurt Motor Show in just a few weeks. The concept uses a four-cylinder gasoline engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology coupled with a 95-hp electric motor. This hybrid powerplant is coupled with BMW's xDrive all-wheel drive system.

Manufacturers report 2013 sales boom

CAR MANUFACTURERS are reporting strong surges in sales for 2013, with one mainstream brand up by more than 55%. So far Ford, Vauxhall, Skoda, MG, Lexus, Renault, Audi and Mercedes have all reported excellent sales performance, with Mercedes having passed the 100,000 registrations per year mark for the first time in the UK. Largely thanks to the introduction of the Dacia brand this year, the Renault Group has seen a 55.3% rise in sales, to 63,319 units.

One Lap of the Web: No school like old school

-- You don't see a Packard-powered hot rod very often, and we have to wonder why. Stuff your Ford flatheads, ditch your boring V8s! Few things in the world are cooler than eight cylinders lined up in unwavering authority, to the tune of 327ci, with a McCullough supercharger feeding four Stromberg 97 carburetors above aluminum heads.