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

The Hidden Work of Design Consultancies

Most major car companies carry out most of their design work themselves, with dedicated design departments increasingly capable of handling every aspect of the design process. But few car companies do not use the services of external car design consultancies for some smaller projects, and many smaller car companies use such consultancies to supplement their more limited in-house design facilities on larger design projects. Throughout the world there are numerous companies offering these design services to car companies.

Seat IBL concept car (2011) at Frankfurt motor show

Seat is sometimes described as Spain's answer to Alfa Romeo. And if that's the case, then the new Seat IBL concept car is surely a 159-influenced take on what future Seat road cars could look like. The IBL concept is another ideas car from Seat – an exploration of what to expect from future models.

2014 Volvo XC90 on track as part of £3.5 billion investment in Sweden

Volvo are investing £7 billion in their future – half of that in Sweden – and the first model to benefit will be the long overdue 2014 Volvo XC90. Just like all of Ford’s premium automotive adventures - Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin included – Volvo has suffered from a long period of under investment but now – with China’s Geely in charge – they’re forging ahead with big investment and big plans to try and emulate the turnaround Tata has accomplished at JLR. That means an investment of £7 billion over the next three years – £3.5 billion of that in Sweden – in a new scalable architecture (SPA) platform and new Volvo engine architecture (VEA) to underpin most of Volvo’s future models.