Authentic Jaguar Sabre 19x9.5 Chrome Rear Wheel Rim (07+ Xk) on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes-Benz courts Renault for new Smart model based on Twingo

Mercedes-Benz is set to join forces with Renault in a deal aimed at providing its underdeveloped Smart division with a contemporary-engineered front-engine/front-wheel-drive platform as the basis for a frugal new Forfour model. The new Smart, due out in 2013, is planned to sit on a lightly modified version of the Renault Twingo’s underpinnings, complete with a 93.3-inch wheelbase. Speaking about the new car over the weekend, a highly placed Mercedes-Benz official told AutoWeek: “It’s a key component in plans to grow the Smart brand.

Concept Car of the Week: DeTomaso Zonda (1971)

Not satisfied in producing one of the most astonishing sports cars of the ‘60s with the Mangusta, Italian carmaker DeTomaso asserted its ambitions in 1970 by presenting an even more striking sports car, the Pantera, alongside the luxurious Deauville four-door sedan, both powered by the same Ford V8 engine. Those new gorgeous models were the work of Dutch-born Tom Tjaarda, then head of design at Ghia. Despite those amazing cars, the styling house was struggling to make a profit and that same year, Alejandro DeTomaso sold Ghia along with a large chunk of his company to Ford, which was looking for that exotic Italian touch.

Automotive Brand Awards 2012 winners revealed

The Audi A3, Mercedes-Benz Concept Style Coupé and Volkswagen Up were amongst the winners of the 'Best of Best' awards at this year's Automotive Brand Awards. The difficult job of picking this year's winners went to a panel of representatives from the media, design and brand communications world along with universities and academies. The chosen few were: freelance journalist Masatsugu Arimoto; freelance author and journalist Jürgen Lewandowski and Head of Transportation Interior Design at Hochschule Reutlingen, Professor Andrea Lipp.