Atk 2873 Cylinder Head-engine Cylinder Head on 2040-parts.com

VW will build small run of XL1 plug-in hybrid

Volkswagen will begin production of its XL1 plug-in hybrid in two years. "We want to go into series production with this car starting in 2013," VW chairman Ferdinand Piech told Automotive News Europe on Tuesday at an event in Doha, Qatar, ahead of the 2011 Qatar auto show where VW unveiled an XL1 prototype. (a href="http://www.autoweek.com/article/20130221/GENEVA/130229972">Read the latest update here announcing the XL1 hybrid's Geneva Auto Show debut).

Extreme sports safety kit to inspire Volvo technologies

SWEDISH car maker Volvo is aiming to develop new safety technologies based on processes used to make extreme sports safety gear. The firm has announced a partnership with POC, another Swedish company, which designs lightweight, strong and high-tech safety equipment for climbers, snowboarders, mountain bikers and other extreme sports fanatics. The initial focus will be on the relationship between cars and cyclists, with the specific aim of developing a one-way method of communicating that the driver has seen the cyclist.

Renault Formula E racer (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

Formula E, the new elite racing series for electric single-seaters, has got the FIA’s backing, confirmed the major cities that will host the races, and now we've finally seen the crucial racecar. This is the Spark-Renault SRT_01E, a joint project developed between Renaultsport and Spark Racing Technology (SRT) which has just been unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show. There’s also been input from F1 legends Williams and McLaren, plus Dallara (which builds all the cars for the IndyCar series in the US).