Aisin Nsc506a Clutch Pressure Plate on 2040-parts.com

Citroen DS5 production-ready a Frankfurt

Citroen DS5 - Production ready at Frankfurt The Citroen DS5 debuted at Shanghai earlier this year – after a suitable tease, of course – but is arriving at Frankfurt as a production-ready car. Not that we can work out what Citroen has changed on the DS5 to make it production-ready. It still looks concept-y good to our eyes, and has a more than fighting chance of making inroads against more conservatively styled competition.

MINI Countryman Cooper & Paceman Cooper get ALL4 4WD

The MINI Countryman Cooper (pictured) & Paceman Cooper get ALL4 4WD We always find it astonishing that car makers ‘ration’ the availability of four wheel drive platforms in their cars, usually citing a ‘lack of demand’. But that lack of demand is usually predicated on the lack of supply, and increasing the supply of 4WD cars would see more sold, especially after a series of harsh winters where many motorists struggled to keep their cars in a straight line. So the decision by BMW to extend the availability of their ALL4 4WD setup to a wider range of MINIs is welcome, with the petrol Countryman Cooper and Paceman Cooper now getting the ALL4 option too.

Fourth Chinese Auto Design Competition launched

The fourth Chinese Auto Design Contest officially launched in Beijing last week. Sponsored by China's Society of Automotive Engineers, the China Industrial Design Association, the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the Beijing Fengtai District People's Government, the competition is the largest and most authoritative state-level professional event. Held biennially, this year's Chinese Auto Design competition is divided into two categories: Design Innovation (which judges current vehicles created by automakers) and Creative Design.