52-55 Pontiac Hood Emblem on 2040-parts.com

Nissan upgrades the Versa engine to add mpg

The redesigned Versa sedan that reaches Nissan showrooms later this summer will post a 30 city/38 highway mpg rating, up from the current model's 28/34 rating. The Versa still has a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, but the 2012 model gets a dual-fuel injector system, the first U.S. application of the Nissan technology.

Aston Martin AM310 makes a quiet debut at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este

The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este is more than a celebration of classic automotive design. It's also a great opportunity to view cutting-edge concept vehicles. This year's event saw the debut of the BMW Zagato coupe concept, and the Alfa Romeo 4C concept took home the concours' coveted “Design Award for Concept Cars & Prototypes.” You'd never know it based on the official coverage (or lack thereof), but Aston Martin also unveiled a concept at the concours.

BMW 1-series M Coupe (2011) teaser video

BMW is continuing to build up the hype ahead of the launch of its next M car – this is a teaser video giving us our first glimpse of the undisguised BMW 1-series M Coupe What’s new is our first look at this hot 1-series’ butch bodykit, complete with an engorged front bumper and triple air intakes. There are CSL-alike 19-inch wheels too, and sitting between the cross-drilled front discs is a twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six, producing 335bhp and 369lb ft. Drive, thankfully, goes to just the rear wheels, and they’ll be a choice of either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. There’ll be an M diff too, but we hear it might be on the options list as BMW’s money men fight to keep the list price under £40k.