Blog on 2040Parts

Autodesk Alias Scan Surfacing webinar takes place on 8 October

Autodesk has announced its latest webinar, which looks at the firm's Alias Scan Surfacing and Quick Surfacing software. The 45-minute webinar will take place on 8 October, and begins at 8am PDT in Los Angeles and 11am EDT in Detroit, which is 16:00 GMT in London and 17:00 CET in Munich. A 15-minute Q&A will follow the presentation.

Wales considers car smoking ban

PEOPLE IN WALES caught smoking with children in their cars could be fined £50. Drivers caught with a cigarette in hand at the wheel while youngsters are strapped up in the back could face an on-the-spot fine. The move aims to protect youngsters from harm caused by second hand smoke, a Welsh government spokesman said.

Toyota Urban Utility concept embraces maker movement

Toyota has unveiled a concept designed in response to the maker movement. Called the Urban Utility, or U2, the vehicle is intended to appeal to those who have embraced maker culture - the trend of learning new practical skills, embracing new construction technologies like 3D printing, and applying them in an inventive and often entrepreneurial way. The U2 will be unveiled at the World Maker Faire in New York City on 20 September and was designed at Toyota's Calty studio in Newport Beach, CA.

Brits bamboozled by bizarre rules

EUROPEAN driving laws are leaving Brits in a bit of a pickle, with many people completely unable to separate wacky truths from absurd fiction. To celebrate its new road trip competition, chocolate experts Cadbury dug up a selection of crazy driving laws across the continent and mixed them in with some entirely invented ones to create a quiz that caught many folks by surprise. For a start, 75% of people refused to believe that a dirty car is punishable by law in Belarus.

Apple iWatch illegal to use while driving

The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed that any driver caught using Apple’s new iWatch wearable technology behind the wheel will receive the same penalty as if they were using a mobile phone. The new “smartwatch” was announced this week and allows wearers to read text messages, make phone calls and browse the internet on the device. On Bing: see pictures of the Apple iWatch Apple to launch app that finds your car The wristwatch is wirelessly linked to the user’s mobile phone, which supplies the data connection to surf the web and make and receive calls.

First Sight: Mercedes-AMG GT

“If I was to buy any sports car that wasn't a Mercedes, it'd be a Porsche 911,” says Mercedes' head of design, Gorden Wagener. “But when you see the two cars together, we think ours has the edge.” He's talking about the new Mercedes-AMG GT, a front-mid engined, two-seater sports car that's unashamedly aimed at higher-end 911s, and we've come to see it at Mercedes' Sindelfingen studio.  The GT replaces the larger SLS, and is seen by Wagener as the best example yet of his 'sensual purity' design philosophy: “The SLS is very much [he gestures] line, line with a surface in between. With the GT we started with the surface and worked to refine and reduce the number of lines.” Elements of the SLS's platform have been carried over, so the GT measures the same 1,939mm wide.

Charity Drag Race Redefines The Meaning Of Fast

TAKE one airport runway and a Formula One car and it’s not hard to work out what happens next. In the case of the annual Race the Runway event held at Edinburgh airport, driving flat out in a Formula One car produced some interesting numbers. Run by and benefiting the Prince and Princes of Wales Hospice in Glasgow, event invites owners of high performance cars – not just Formula One machines – to participate in a series of drag races in return for a donation to the Hospice.

Mini hits three million milestone

THE MUCH-LOVED new Mini has reached two major milestones this week. Since BMW took over the brand in 2001, three million Minis have now been produced at the plant in Oxford and the company has also reached the two million mark in Minis for export. The three millionth Mini is a five-door Hatch Cooper S and has a special exterior design to celebrate its heritage and British roots.

Viva La Viva

VAUXHALL is to resurrect the Viva name as it plans to launch an entry-level car to sit alongside its Mini rival the Adam and soon to be launched new Corsa supermini. For now the car maker isn’t giving much away, although it has revealed that the new car will be a five-door model. And while the new Viva will be a significant step up in terms of refinement and sophistication over its 1963 namesake, it’s clear that Vauxhall is keen to tap into the current trend for producing low cost cars that’s proved so successful for the likes of Dacia.

Honda showcases self-driving car

HONDA has shared its vision of the hands-free commute, a car that can safely drive itself on the road while the driver's hands are off the wheel. While the car is just a prototype, Honda says the technology could start appearing on Honda cars in 2020 and beyond. The prototype - an Acura RLX sedan - has cameras that monitor lane marking and multiple radar sensors on the front and sides.

2015 BMW 2 Series Convertible Price & Specs – costs from £29,180

The new BMW 2 Series Convertible arrives – and there’s an M235i version too As BMW changes its nomenclature, the BMW 2 Series Convertible arrives as a replacement for the old 1-Series Convertible and becomes the third BMW in the 2-Series range, joining the 2 Series Coupe and the FWD 2-Series Active Tourer. Due to go on sale in February 2015, the new 2-Series Convertible is looking to build on the success of the old 1-Series Convertible with a wide range of specs and powerplants – from the 220i and 220d to the range-topping M235i – and prices starting from £29,180 for the 220i Convertible rising to £37,710 for the M235i Convertible. Four power plants will be available in the 2-Series Convertible, with the 220i getting 184bhp, 228i with 245bhp, 220d with 190bhp and the range-topping M235i Convertible gets 326bhp.

London cabbies in go-slow protest

LONDON cabbies are staging a go-slow protest in the capital today against a decision by London Mayor Boris Johnson over taxi pollution. The Cabbies Against Boris (CAB) organisation says Mr Johnson is wrong to have scrapped older taxis on pollution grounds. CAB says research shows that new vehicles contribute more to pollution than older ones.

New Jaguar XE OFFICIALLY launched – price from £27,000

The new Jaguar XE arrives After months of teasing, years of planning and huge sums of money spent, it’s here – the new Jaguar XE. Looking like a slightly smaller version of the XF, with an upright nose, longish bonnet, coupe-like profile and stubby tail, the XE is clearly a Jaguar – and a fairly conservative one at that – which is probably sensible when  entering such a competitive sector as the ‘Premium’ compact saloon market. But the new XE isn’t just a punt for a few sales in a new sector for Jaguar, but a car that could take Jaguar from an interesting maker of relatively low volume cars to a global ‘Premium’ car maker; nose to nose in a very competitive sector with, principally, Audi and the A4, BMW and the 3 Series and Mercedes and the C-Class.

More women 'caught drink driving'

THE NUMBER of women convicted of drink-driving has almost doubled in recent years, a survey has shown. Women accounted for 9% of drink-drive convictions in 1998, but this figure had risen to 17% by 2012, the survey revealed. From car insurance company Direct Line and transport organisation the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund, the survey also showed that 17% of female motorists thought they had driven while over the legal alcohol limit in the past year.

Jaguar’s XE Launch Exceeds All Expectations

AT a glittering launch event in London Jaguar treated the assembled media to a succession of theatrical and musical acts ahead of the main event – the long-awaited unveiling of its new XE compact executive saloon. The new car is a big deal for Jaguar, as it allows the Brit car maker to go head-to-head with the likes of BMW, Audi and Mercedes in the fiercely competitive compact executive market. Jaguar’s XE is tasked with showcasing a range of new technology that’s expected to be rolled out to other models in the coming years.

Mercedes AMG GT & GT S OFFICIALLY revealed

The Mercedes AMG GT officially revealed It seems to have taken forever for the Mercedes AMG Gt to arrive, and now it has we get not one but two variations- the AMG GT and AMG GT S. Effectively replacing the SLS AMG at the top of Mercedes sporting line-up, the AMG GT isn’t as ‘super’ a Supercar – certainly not in terms of prices – as the old SLS AMG. In fact, although Mercedes are yet to confirm prices, we’re expecting the AMG GT to start at under £100,000 (just) and the AMG GT S to be £10k or so more.

Jaguar XE (2016)

The XE is Jaguar's rival to the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C-Class. It's the smallest of Jaguar's sedans, fitting into the range below the XF and XJ. It's the first production model to use Jaguar's aluminum architecture that's intended to reduce weight, yet increase flexibility for both engineers and designers.

Aston Martin Lagonda

The Aston Martin Lagonda name has been resurrected again, but this iteration promises to be far less controversial than the 2009 SUV concept. Created for a select group of Middle Eastern clients, this large three-box sedan (dimensions haven't yet been made available) offers a well-judged balance between the current Aston Martin range and the idiosyncratic 1970s Lagonda by William Towns. Its proportions are very extreme for a luxury sedan, with a cabin sat far rearwards behind a very shallow A-pillar.

General Motors to offer talking cars by 2016

GENERAL MOTORS has said that in two years it will offer cars that talk to each other and can almost drive themselves at highway speeds. The company said the semi-autonomous freeway system called Super Cruise will be an option on a new Cadillac that goes on sale in the summer of 2016. The company also plans to put vehicle-to-vehicle transmitters and receivers on all Cadillac CTS models during the same time-frame.

Mercedes S 500 Plug-In Hybrid price & specs – costs from £87,965

The Mercedes S500 Plug-in Hybrid arrives in the UK It’s more than a year since the Mercedes S500 Plug-in Hybrid was revealed, and now it’s finally going on sale in the UK and, if your pockets are deep enough, it offers a perfect ‘cake and eat it’ car. Under the skin there’s a 3.0 litre V6 biturbo delivering 329bhp and an electric motor adding a further 116bhp which together give the S500 Plug-in the ability to blat to 62mph in just 5.2 seconds but return official economy of 100.9 mpg and emissions of a measly 65g/km. That combination means that you won’t have to pay Boris to drive through London, and your BIK rate will be a very modest 5 per cent, making the S500 plug-in Hybrid a perfect choice for every board member in the country currently paying 35 per cent on their petrol S500, BMW 7 Series or Audi A8.

Peugeot reveals 308 GT warm hatch

Peugeot had revealed a new GT version of the 308, offering a step-up in performance while buyers await the hotly-anticipated new GTi version. The 308 GT range is offered in both hatchback and SW estate models, with a choice of petrol and diesel versions. The firm has lowered the suspension, enhanced the styling and even introduced a new colour called Magnetic Blue.

Price Announced For Super-Frugal Hybrid S-Class

MERCEDES-BENZ has revealed prices for its high-tech S-Class plug-in hybrid model. The car, which boasts 100.9mpg and a 65g/km CO2 rating, will cost from £87,965 when it hits the showrooms later this month. The car is aimed at buyers seeking to combine limousine space with city car running costs.

Peugeot 308 GT arrives as Hatch & Estate (SW)

The Peugeot 308 gets a warm makeover with the arrival of the 308 GT The new Peugeot 308 started arriving in the UK at the start of 2014, but the choices didn’t include a hot, or even a warm, version for those who want a bit more get up and go in their family hatchback. So the arrival of the new Peugeot 308 GT – as a hatchback or estate (SW) – is welcome, even if the 308 GT comes in the ‘warm’ rather than ‘hot’ category. We’ll have to wait for a 308 GTi or a production version of the Peugeot 308 R for proper get up and go.

Going, Going, XC90 Gone

THE First Edition of Volvo’s all-new XC90 – 1,927 individually numbered cars only available for sale online – sold out in 47 hours. Most of the cars were reserved within one hour from when the sale started. At its peak, seven cars were sold every minute.

New Jaguar XE launch – watch it LIVE on Cars UK

New Jaguar XE launch – watch it LIVE on Cars UK (below) The new Jaguar XE launch is finally upon us, and you can tune in to Cars UK live at 7.15pm UK time (2.15pm EDT) to see exactly what Jaguar’s take on the BMW 3 Series has to offer. Despite tonight being the official reveal, we already know quite a bit about the new XE. Underpinning the new XE will be Jaguar’s new aluminium iQ Al platform – which will also underpin the Jaguar SUV when that arrives – promising less weight than the 3 Series and better economy thanks to its lower weight.

Surgeons most likely to make insurance claim

DOCTORS who work as surgeons are the most likely to make a claim on their car insurance, with 36% of them making an ‘at fault’ claim at some point in their driving history in the past five years. Healthcare professionals do not come out well in the top 10 of drivers most likely to claim on their own insurance, with GP doctors in second place and health visitors in third. The trend continues with hospital consultants in fourth and clinical psychologists in fifth spot and psychotherapists in sixth.

Poll Reveals Car Remains King Despite Congestion Woes

MOTORISTS are trying alternatives to the car to get to work but some find journey times are worsening, according to an AA/Populus survey. More than 20% of 21,000 AA members polled said they had tried different types of transport on their daily commute. These included car sharing, cycling, public transport and motorbikes or scooters.

Tyre kickers cost industry millions

CUSTOMERS who have no intention of buying a used car are costing dealers millions of pounds every year in wasted time and lost purchases. By taking up the time of sales staff and keeping them away from genuine buyers, so called ‘tyre kickers’ soak up time touring showrooms and asking questions. Some will even take a test drive while having no intention to buy a car.

Lack of history loses 20% of a car’s value

A CAR being sold without a full service history is worth one-fifth less on average than a car with a fully stamped service book. This amounts to an average of £1464 for the typical used car sold in the UK with a price of £7706. A study by Kwik Fit found buyers expect a 19% discount for cars with incomplete or no service history, which is costing the used car industry £10 billion per year in lost revenue.

Italian Grand Prix (2014) RESULT

Italian Grand Prix (2014) RESULT After the difficulties of Spa for lewis Hamilton two weeks ago, he’s managed to take pole position in the 2014 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, pushing team mate Nico Rosberg in to second place. But can he hold on to that advantage? The answer is: yes and no.