Betty Boop Aloha Steering Wheel Cover on 2040-parts.com

Aston Martin puts on a show for the Lord Mayor

Aston Martin puts on a show for the Lord Mayor The weather on Saturday was wet and miserable, but that didn’t stop the annual Lord Mayor’s Show in London going ahead, complete with a selection of Aston Martin’s finest. The Lord Mayor’s Show happens on the second Saturday in November every year, and has for 477 years followed the same route  - even throughout World Wars – as the City of London celebrates the inauguration of a new Lord Mayor. This year Aston Martin was asked to take part by the The Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers of London – an apt invite for Aston’s centenary year – and Aston Martin responded with a decent turnout of models.

BMW UK updates and extends 3 Series, 5 Series & 6 Series

BMW UK is adding new models and engines to its UK line-up, including xDrive 3 Series models, 520d Gran Turismo and a new 650i engine. BMW UK is having a comprehensive update of UK models and options right across the range, with a focus on more economical options on the 3 Series, 5 Series and 6 series models. Probably the big news for the BMW 3 Series is the arrival of the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 which gets the TwinPower 3.0 litre and a 55bhp electric motor to deliver 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds and official economy of 47.9mpg.

Car Design News Contest

As one judge, Geert Jan Schellekens, Principal Automotive and Industrial Designer at SABIC Innovative Plastics, said; "From several hundred entries to 20 finalists in a day's time - what could have turned out to be a cumbersome process, if not a bureaucratic nightmare, actually became an intensive yet fun session with many intriguing and interesting interpretations of the contest brief - fuelling some lively discussions!" Another strong impression from judges was also of the variety of design entry and the effort that had been put into them, as Dale Harrow said: "I'm very impressed with the standard, and particularly with the diversity of entries to the contest". Derek Buckmaster,Global Market Director, Body Panels & Glazing for SABIC Innovative Plastics, said: "I was surprised by the depth of thought which the entrants had put into their designs to meet the diverse needs of the three 'milenniumites' described in the design brief. The designs displayed numerous approaches to meeting the environmentally-friendly and light-weight goals." All designs were considered relative to the Assessment Criteria a critically important part of the contest, created to ensure as much fairness in the process as possible and detailed in the Contest part of Car Design News.