Aeromotive Inc. 13101 on 2040-parts.com

Fiat 500L launches

The Fiat 500L – a larger Fiat 500 based on the Punto – has launched in Italy ahead of going on sale in the UK in early 2013. We had the official arrival of the Fiat 500L at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and now we get the 500L’s official launch in Turin – together with lots of new photos and a video – before the 500L goes on sale around the world. The 500L is actually based on the underpinnings of the Punto to create a 500 MPV and, sensibly, Fiat has done with the 500L  what MINI did with the Countryman and slapped an iconic badge on even though the 500L bears scant resemblance to its cute little sibling.

Jaguar XJ_e plug-in hybrid debuts at Goodwood

The Jaguar Jaguar XJ_e plug-in hybrid research car with a 2.0 litre EcoBoost engine and 69kW electric motor on show at Goodwood. It’s been a bit of a Jaguar 24hrs with the news of prices for the new Xf Sportbrake and the debut of the new 3.0L Supercharged engine in the XJ for 2013. Now we get the public debut of the Jaguar XJ_e plug-in hybrid at the Goodwood Festival of Speed today featuring the 2.0 litre Ecoboost petrol engine from the Evoque and a 69kW (93bhp) electric motor.

AXE WOES

AN ORDINARY car journey almost turned into a horror film on a highway north of the US city of Boston when an axe smashed through the windscreen of a car. Massachusetts State Police say the axe bounced out of a dump truck. A photo was released showing the axe with a corner of its blade stuck in the passenger side of the car's dashboard.