Acdelco 12646459 Intake Manifold Set on 2040-parts.com

Ford resurrects Vignale name in an attempt to add premiumness to mainstream models

Ford is resurrecting the name of renowned Italian design house Vignale in an attempt to bring its mainstream models up market in Europe. Of course this isn't Ford's first experience of using a defunct carrozzeria for its range-topping models – remember Ghia? The first of these new models will be the Mondeo, which will appear with Vignale badging, lashings of chrome and quilted leather in Frankfurt next week.

Audi e-Tron Spyder – The CES Star

Audi e-Tron Spyder at the CES Audi keep on dragging versions of their e-Tron out at any given opportunity, usually focusing on a different take on some form or other of electric and/or hybrid propulsion. Our favourite so far has been the Audi A1 e-Tron, which may seem odd to those of you who know of our penchant for the fast and exotic. But hybrid cars are best suited to urban environments – even more so electric cars – and the Audi A1 e-Tron’s combination of electric motors and a range-extending Wankel engine really floated our urban boat.

Simplification or complication? Mercedes shakes up its badging again

By Georg Kacher Motor Industry 29 August 2014 15:03 Mercedes is about to simplify - it hopes - its entire badging system. All four major model ranges will be affected by the revised nomenclature which is designed to make sense of the alphabet soup. The idea is to make sure each badge reflects the main range it’s attached to.