Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Opinion: Discovery Sport and the long-term ramifications of pandering to the crossover convergence

Having pored over the first pictures of the new Land Rover Discovery Sport and consumed the accompanying official literature, we’re left wondering why it shares so much of its design treatment with the Range Rover Evoque, while simultaneously removing the last vestiges of utility from the Discovery nameplate. From its virtually indistinguishable grille and lamp graphics, over its tapered roofline to its bespoilered tail, it’s hard to describe it as anything other than a derivative of the Evoque. The difference between a Discovery and a Range Rover it would seem, is a body coloured C-pillar.

Saab 9-4X (2008) at Detroit

By Ben Oliver First Official Pictures 14 January 2008 16:51 Saab pulled the covers off its new 9-4X small SUV, which goes on sale early in 2009 to rival the BMW X3 and new Mercedes-Benz GLK. Although officially dubbed the 9-4X Biopower Concept, GM Europe’s advanced design chief Anthony Lo promised CAR Online: 'We’re not teasing you. This is pretty much the car you’re going to get.' Controversially, the new Saab won’t be built in Sweden, but in Mexico, where it will share a factory with the still-secret Cadillac BRX which it will closely resemble.

Visionary tech

Ignore the marketers: There's nothing new under the technological sun. Cost and reliability concerns may have hindered the early adoption of these auto-tech breakthroughs, though you'd never know it based on their present-day ubiquity. 1941: Crossovers The combination of a fully enclosed, carlike body and all-wheel-drive underpinnings got its start with the Volkswagen Type 87 Kommandeurwagen.