Beck/arnley 171-6885 Contact Set on 2040-parts.com

Audi Q5 refreshed for 2013, new engines added

For a mid-cycle refresh, Ingolstadt hasn't lavished a whole passel of aesthetic rearrangement upon the Audi Q5. There's some fiddling in the interior, some minor meddling with the face and, really, that's about that. The company did, however, go a bit zany in the engine bay.

BRP Design Center Inauguration

On September 10th, Canadian powersports specialist BRP inaugurated its new Design & Innovation Centre in Valcourt, Quebec (one hour south-east of Montreal, near the US border). This new 5000 m2 state-of-the-art building will house BRP's design and advanced concept teams working on all its brands and product families: the Can-Am spyders and ATVs, Lynx and Ski Doo snowmobiles, Sea Doo personal watercrafts and speedboats, and related lifestyle and accessories design. The team of 60 individuals includes transportation designers, product designers, graphic designers, engineers, human factors experts, mechanics, CAD technicians, modelers, molders, painters, and management.

Merc to revive straight six, plus 4cyl and smaller V8s

Mercedes has just signed off a new engine family which will see most full-sized Mercs in future run four-cylinders, downsized V8s and… straight sixes. A friendly Mercedes engineer recently met CAR to disclose the engine plans for future models, including the surprise disclosure that Merc plans to switch to straight sixes, like its rivals over in Munich.  It's fair to say I almost choked on my breakfast croissant when I found out the details of the next MB engine generation which has just been signed off for release in 2015. Mercedes' future four-cylinder engines Again, there will be a family of new low-cost fours, and the big-bore V8s will be replaced by a series of downsized turbocharged 4.0-litre units.