Beck/arnley 101-5777 Lower Ball Joint on 2040-parts.com

VW win Dakar Rally in a Diesel Touarag

The Dakar rally is a cruel and hostile event, over 5000km of the toughest territory for any car rally. Never before won by a diesel engined vehicle, VW has achieved a first by not only winning the gruelling event in a diesel Touarag, but coming in second as well. This ends a seven year domination of the Dakar Rally by Mitsubishi.

Photo of the week (2008): Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 01 December 2008 14:32 Didn't make it to the 2009 LA Auto Show? Then you missed the ugliest Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe ever made (see our pictures, right). Faced with the prospect of arch-rival Bentley showing off its new Azure T – a 500bhp version of the ultra-expensive convertible – in the same hall, Rolls was clearly wondering how to compete.

Students experiment with interactive window glass for GM

General Motors is thinking long term for its back-seat entertainment. It worked with students from the Future Lab at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel to develop apps that run on a car's rear side windows. The project, called Windows of Opportunity, was inspired by studies that say passengers often feel disconnected from their environments.