Blog on 2040Parts

Daimler’s Car2Go Smart car sharing dropped in the UK

I sight you won’t see from tomorrow – a Car2Go Smart on a UK road Need a car for a quick trip across town and don’t want to use public transport of a taxi? Then a car-sharing club is a good way to go. There are several choices on offer for those wanting a car for a quick trip but only one – Car2Go, run by Daimler and Europcar using Smart ForFours – will allow you to pick up in one place and drop of at your destination.

Volkswagen Tops Satisfaction Table

ONE of the most respected customer satisfaction surveys is out, and cars made by German-owned manufacturers are the most satisfying – that’s according to a poll of more than 15,000 motorists. German vehicles took seven of the top 10 places in a customer satisfaction table compiled by What Car? and marketing information services company JD Power.

Volkswagen GTI Roadster bows at Woerthersee

As we expected, Volkswagen introduced the real version of the GTI Roadster “Vision Gran Turismo” at the Woerthersee festival in Austria on Thursday. The show car was originally created for the PS3 game's “Vision” series of cars. It debuted in-game on Monday.

John Fitch's Phoenix up for auction

John Cooper Fitch -- World War II hero, racer par excellence, safety pioneer, and all-around nice guy -- used to show off his Phoenix at the annual Greenwich Concours d'Elegance in southwestern Connecticut, not terribly far from his 1700s estate in his beloved Lime Rock. The Phoenix was his vision of an American Porsche, a strange mashup of a De Tomaso Pantera with Corvette Stingray. Twin humps on the fenders hid dual spare tires, different sizes for the front and rear.

2015 BMW X4 first drive

What Is It? It's as if the X6 made a Mini Me. Just as the oddly proportioned X6 Sport Activity Coupe took the perfectly sporty-looking BMW X5 and made it into the oddly proportioned, goofy-roofed big seller it is, so the X4 adds the goofy roof and unusual proportions to meld the mutant flanks of all 3- and 4-series vehicles into this everlasting whole.

Vauxhall Reveals The Secrets To A Successful Road Trip

A VAUXHALL commissioned survey, entitled ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ has revealed that 93% of 5-18 year olds are occupying themselves with a phone or tablet during long car journeys. However, traditional car games such as i-spy, car snooker and waving at other drivers, are not completely out the window in this modern, electronic age. It seems the survival of the traditional car game has lasted the test of time despite the introduction of new technologies, with over 87% of parents encouraging children to play games not involving technology.

Famous drivers complete amazing driving stunt

A QUARTET of the world's most skilful drivers has stunned the car world with an incredible stunt on a pitch black racetrack edged by lights. Internet driving sensation Ken Block joined racing drivers Mike Rockenfeller, Augusto Farfus and Adrian Zaugg to lay on a sensational four-car stunt relay called Blackout. Within the four-stage indoor course, the drivers had to face a major obstacle in each: the Laser Tunnel, Laser Drift, Slalom and Laser Box.

Poor driving posture a pain in the neck

THE WRONG driving position could be putting millions of commuters' health at risk, according to a major physiotherapists' organisation. Drivers who don’t adjust their car seat and steering wheel to suit their individual needs are risking significant further problems, says the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). Latest census figures for England and Wales reveal that almost two-thirds of workers (15.3 million) commute by car and the CSP says poor driving posture is a key factor that can lead to musculoskeletal problems such as back and neck pain.

Who's Where: Martin Smith to retire, succeeded by Joel Piaskowski as Ford Europe head of design

Martin Smith, head of Ford of Europe design for the last 10 years, will retire at the end of this year, before which he will work on a project to study the future direction of the company's global design direction. He will be replaced by current head of strategic concepts group, Joel Piaskowski on 1 July. Smith (64) first joined Ford back in 2004, leaving General Motors as director of design for Opel/Vauxhall.

Volvo Teases With Release Of New Xc90 Interior

SWEDISH car maker Volvo ramping up the hype surrounding its low awaited new large SUV. The second generation XC90 is an important car for the firm, and it’s started the process by issuing pictures of the car’s interior. The new interior is clearly the most luxurious to have been designed for a Volvo, taking its inspiration from the country of Volvo's birth, Sweden, which has a reputation for integrating the latest technology with clean, unfussy design.

One Lap of the Web: Let's get dynamic

-- How do New Yorkers get by with cars? One way is to drive around in a Baja Bug. Another way is to dive into the strange subculture that is alternate-side street parking, as The Awl explains, which features its own robust cast of well-meaning street urchin characters.

Puncture-proof car tyres 'within five years'

FORGET run-flat tyres – soon we'll be driving on un-puncturable tyres with no air in them at all. Tyre maker Bridgestone has announced plans to have its AirFree concept tyre installed on road-going cars within three to five years. The company made the announcement at a special event at its headquarters in Tokyo.

In its first year, Indy 500 'glamping' shows potential

For the first time, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway offered “glamorous camping” or “glamping,” on the track's infield during the Indy 500. Across a small lake from the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course's eight hole, IMS settled “Glamptown,” a village of 70 10-foot x 15-foot canvas tents. The tents were available with the choice of a comfortable queen bed, double beds, or two to four military-style cots.

Refreshed Fiat 500 Hits The Streets

FIAT has released the refreshed version of its popular 500 supermini. The car boasts style, comfort and technological enhancements for 2014 A key new feature is the market-first seven-inch digital instrument display, which is said to combine cutting-edge technology without disrupting the trademark aesthetics of the cabin. Standard on 500S and Cult models, the layout of the speedometer, rev counter and trip computer will be familiar to existing 500 fans, but the centre of the display - which contains a digital image of the car - can be configured to show various trip computer readouts, such as distance travelled, instant fuel consumption and range.

Audi RS5 TDI Concept gets electric turbo and 380bhp

The Audi RS5 TDI Concept (pictured) gets an electric turbo It’s two years since Audi revealed it was working on an electric turbo to be used in a twin-turbo setup, with the electric turbo able to offer boost pressure from much lower down the rev range than a normal turbo. That has turned in to the Audi RS5 TDI Concept, where Audi has replaced the normal RS5‘s V8 with a 3.0 litre TDI engine with a small electric turbo for low rev work and a bigger turbo to do the higher rev stuff. The electric turbo works from the off to provide maximum torque of 553lb/ft from just 1250rpm, before the bigger normal turbo takes over at 3,000rpm to continue the boost.

Why Ford’s Euro design is changing: Joel Piaskowski replaces Martin Smith

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 28 May 2014 14:30 Ford today confirmed that it is shaking up its European design team, as it appoints Joel Piaskowski to replace the retiring Martin Smith. Smith, 64, has led Ford of Europe’s design team for a decade and is the father of the brand’s edgy ‘kinetic design’, but will step down on 1 July 2014, it was announced this afternoon. Before he retires fully at the end of the year Smith will work with the Blue Oval’s vice president of design, Moray Callum, on a global project looking at the future of Ford design.

M25 Driver Clocked Doing 149MPH

THE IAM has, with the aid of the Freedom of Information Act, done some digging to find out the scale of speeding in the UK. During the course of its research, it found that the top offender was a motorist clocked at 149mph on the M25. The offence, near Swanley in Kent, was captured by a speed camera and was the highest recorded speed during the period April 2013 to May 2014.

Four Decades Of Speedy Skodas Celebrated

CZECH car maker Skoda is celebrating 40 years of performance motoring. The Skoda RS story began in 1974 with the Skoda 180 RS and 200 RS racing cars. The legendary Skoda 130 RS in the 1970s and 1980s was one of the most successful sports cars of its time.

Jaguar BlackJag 2004 concept car up for sale

It's not often that a former auto show concept is offered for sale, mostly because of buzzkill stuff like government crash standards, emissions compliance documents and other boring paperwork. But it does happen from time to time, such as when General Motors sold off a chunk of its Heritage Collection -- though most of those cars were sold without titles, just on bills of sale, which prevents them from being registered for road use. This week there is (allegedly) a 2004 Geneva motor show concept for sale -- a running concept car for that matter -- with a steep price to go along with it, as GTSpirit has discovered.

Volvo teases photos of new 2014 XC90 interior

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 28 May 2014 18:13 Volvo has taken the unusual step of trailing the inside of its new XC90 crossover ahead of the outside. So feast your eyes on this – the new cabin of the 2014 Volvo XC90.  The inside-out reveal means that we’re seeing the family-friendly interior in extraordinary detail. Don’t assume this is some marketing gaffe, either: Volvo is keen to stress that its new SUV is focused on carrying up to seven passengers in understated Swedish luxury, modern connectivity and – this is a Volvo, after all – supreme safety.

Update: Google self-driving car is really just a transportation pod

Google will launch its own fleet of autonomous vehicle prototypes – with no steering wheels and no gas or brake pedals – as the technology giant begins a new phase of its self-driving car project. Google designed the car and plans to have about 100 test vehicles that are fully autonomous with extra safety features, company co-founder Sergey Brin said during a conference Tuesday hosted by technology blog Re/code in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. > See how Google's autonomous car navigates city streets here The New York Times reported Tuesday night that a Detroit-area manufacturer is building the cars for Google, which declined to name the manufacturer, according to the Times' story.

Update: Google's robot car is like driving an elevator

Welcome to the future everyone, you may now release all worries, and all control. Google has released photos and video of its first self-driving vehicle, and a Ferrari 458 it ain't. The car pod people mover has no steering wheel, no gas pedal and no brakes.

Vogon poetry: Mercedes-Benz shows off S63 AMG Coupe

Depending on your taste for the "crown of literature," the above video is either barbaric hokum or sublime wordplay -- image-laden poetry, in AABB rhyming scheme, appealing to car enthusiasts making full use of their expensive English majors. "Darkness has a companion tonight," reads the passably Vincent Price-ish voice of a poem written exclusively for AMG by a "Betty Stewart," over sounds of the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Coupe roaring mellifluously across abandoned runways and through the world's largest parking garage. "Small creatures prick ears and tremble with fright.

Google reveals its first self-driving car prototype (video)

Google’s first self-driving car prototype (pictured) Google might not be the first company that springs to mind as a car maker, but Tesla has already proved that Silicon Valley can produce a car that buyers want and Google are intent on following a similar route. But where Tesla’s USP is its long-range electric capabilities – and a desire to build cars for the market – Google’s goal is more technology orientated and is all about developing self-driving car technology that works in the real world. For the last few years, Google has been experimenting with existing cars kitted out with self-driving gubbins, but now they’ve taken the next step and built their own self-driving prototype.

New Ford Mustang for Europe gets 500 orders in first 30 seconds

The new Ford Mustang (pictured) was much in demand. The new Ford Mustang effectively went on sale in Europe at the UEFA Champions League final at the weekend, and it was an overwhelming success for Ford. Not only did Ford get the first 500 registrations – enough for the entire initial European offering – in the first 30 seconds,  it ended up with a total of 9,300 registrations during the match, and Ford say the lucky 500 ‘winners’ – 130 of them in the UK – will be notified in the next few weeks if they’re getting a new Mustang.

Google Car (self) drives into the future [w/video]

After years of speculation, Google finally announced its Google Car autonomous vehicle at the Recode Code Conference in Palos Verdes, CA yesterday. Google CEO Sergey Brin unveiled the company's new two-seat, driverless vehicle at the software conference, underlining the company's aim of drastically reducing road deaths and injuries caused by human error, particularly by distracted drivers. "We're now exploring what fully self-driving vehicles would look like by building some prototypes; they'll be designed to operate safely and autonomously without requiring human intervention," said Brin.

New 2015 Volvo XC90 Interior fully revealed

The interior of the new Volvo XC90 fully revealed The Volvo XC90 is well past its sell-by date, but it’s still a credible cross between an SUV and a family mover. But the all new 2015 XC90 is getting close and today Volvo has decided to reveal their new range-topper from the inside out with a full reveal of the XC90′s interior. With the current XC90′s interior architecture more than a decade old, it’s a good place to start; Volvo has created an interior for the new model that’s a world away from the current model.

2015 Volkswagen Passat – the 10 things you need to know

What will the 2015 Volkswagen Passat look like? Well, VW has teased us with a set of pictures and various technical details of the all-new Passat, which will go on sale next year. Demand for traditional family saloons has fallen dramatically in recent years, but  Volkswagen is going after that section of the car-buying market – as well as the BMW 3 Series  and the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class – with its new 2015 Passat.

MINI Superleggera Vision concept unveiled

Doesn’t this look pretty special? It’s the MINI Superleggera Vision concept – a modern interpretation of the classic open-top two-seater created by MINI and Italian design house Touring Superleggera. It was unveiled on the shores of Lake Como at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2014 and is purely a concept car for now, but it could well influence future members of an expanded MINI family.

A9 Speed Cameras Project Under Way

WORK has begun to install new safety measures on one of Scotland's most notorious roads, as construction has started on an average speed camera system on the A9 between Perth and Inverness. The A9 is regarded as one of the country's most dangerous roads, with fatal and serious road accidents on the single carriageway between Perth and Inverness significantly higher than the national average. The system is one of a number of measures that have been promoted by the A9 Safety Group in a bid to improve safety in recent years.