Audi B5 A4 Sedan Windshield Antenna Module (1996-2002) on 2040-parts.com

Electric cars must get noisier, ICE cars must get quieter

Electric cars will have to make a noise to protect pedestrians It’s four years since the Lotus solution for making electric cars noisy raised its head, since when the US has had a go at the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act in 2010 to do the same thing, the Japanese are playing too, and Toyota revealed the Prius Vehicle Notification System, and now the EU has decided its time to act to make EVs emit ‘noise’. Despite the most appealing part of an EV being that it makes our cities quieter, legislators worry about the blind, partially sighted and distracted pedestrian (think earphones and a Smartphone) being mowed down by a stalking electric car and feel the need to act. So the European Parliament has decided that by 2019 new models of electric vehicle will have to make a noise in cities, and that by 2021 all new hybrids and electrics must be noisy too.

New Mazda 6 debuts in Moscow

The 2014 Mazda 6 sedan will be unveiled at the Moscow auto show this week, but you don't have to fly to the Motherland to get details on the new model. We have them right here. As we expected, the new mid-sized sedan will make use of Mazda's SkyActiv technologies, including either a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 147 hp and 154 lb-ft of torque, or a 2.5-liter four making 189 hp and 188 lb-ft of torque.

Infiniti Essence unveiled at the Geneva motor show 2009

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 03 March 2009 11:38 This is the Infiniti Essence, a petrol-electric rear-wheel-drive coupe with 592bhp. It’s a concept, built to celebrate Infiniti’s 20th anniversary, but also to preview the company’s future design themes and environmentally friendly technologies, both of which will be essential if the badge is to conquer the UK market later this year. It’s not, but the petrol-electric drivetrain is a glimpse of Infiniti’s future power units.