Blog on 2040Parts

JAC SC-9 concept promises new brand identity, hi-tech interface for Beijing

The JAC SC-9 concept is the latest concept to be announced ahead of next week's Beijing motor show. A statement from the company describes this crossover as combining the "exclusivity of a luxury Gran Turismo, the flexibility of a genuine off-road vehicle and the excitement of a high performance sports car" and we're interested to see how these characteristics are brought together. Designed in JAC's Turin-based Italian Style Centre under design director Lou Tik, the SC-9 is also said to introduce a new brand identity for the Chinese carmaker as well as featuring "ground-breaking interface technology".

Ford Focus redesign revealed ahead of New York auto show

Ford is set to reveal a redesigned 2015 Focus sedan at the New York Auto Show next week, on the heels of the debut of the Focus hatchback in Geneva last month. The automaker will present the whole range of Focus cars, which are due to go on sale later in the year. The Focus sedan will feature a heavily reworked exterior design, adopting the hexagonal corporate grille of the larger models, a redesigned front fascia, and new headlights.

Phones topple tailgating as most hated driving habit

THERE’S a new ‘hate’ at the top of drivers’ lists, after a study from Kwik Fit showed that using a phone at the wheel has overtaken the long-standing bad habit of tailgating. Talking or texting while driving is hated by 47% of drivers, according to the research; comfortably ahead of tailgating on 42%. It’s the first time that following too closely has been knocked off its seriously irritating perch in years.

Final Corvette freed from museum sinkhole, and it ain't pretty

At last, our long national nightmare is over: All eight Corvettes sucked into the Bowling Green, Ky., National Corvette Museum sinkhole back in February are back at ground level. And there's a lot to be happy about. First and foremost, we're thankful no one was hurt in the incident, which happened in the early morning hours of Feb.

Lacklustre Pothole Performance Highlighted By Survey

THE GOVERNMENT has got a long way to go to convince drivers that they have the pothole problem in control. That’s the view of 67 percent of motorists polled by road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). According to the IAM’s survey, those respondents believe the government is doing a bad or a very bad job of maintaining the nation’s roads.

Dodge Charger and Challenger refreshed for New York auto show

Dodge is set to unveil a refreshed Charger and Challenger for the 2015 model year. Prior to the debut of the models at the New York auto show next week, the automaker has dropped a few teaser images. First, Dodge has given the front fascia of the Charger a serious redesign, trading the large, upright headlights for sleeker units, also dramatically altering the grille design.

Campaigners oppose CCTV parking camera ban

CAMPAIGN groups have joined local authorities in warning against plans to ban CCTV parking cameras. The Local Government Association (LGA) and the groups are opposed to Government plans to stop councils from using CCTV to tackle dangerous parking outside schools. The cameras are being used to prevent drivers blocking bus lanes and loading bays and to stop pavement parkers posing a risk to disabled pedestrians.

Peugeot Exalt Concept: OFFICIAL

The Peugeot Exalt Concept (pictured) now officially revealed We had the first photo of the Peugeot Exalt Concept earlier in the week, but now Peugeot has caught up with that reveal and released a gallery of photos of the Exalt and details too. With strong design hints from Peugeot’s Onyx Concept – like the long bonnet, short overhangs, bold wheel-arches and crisp lines – the Exalt appears to be a five-door hatch even though it looks like a four-door swoopy coupe. Peugeot has hand-made the bare metal body panels of the Exalt and covered it in part with a ‘Shark Skin’ material which is said to improve aerodynamics and fuel consumption.

Shark-inspired Peugeot Exalt set for Beijing

This is the new Peugeot Exalt concept – a sleek, new sporty saloon that's set to make its debut at the Beijing Motor Show later this month.   A suitable follow-up to the Peugeot Onyx? The turbo petrol plug-in hybrid drivetrain provides 340hp The Exalt builds on the equally stunning Peugeot Onyx concept from the 2012 Paris Motor Show, and the Peugeot Exalt is set to make its debut at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show, with the Chinese market increasingly important for Peugeot and its rivals.

Supercar on a ski run: Jon Olsson goes nuts in his Rebellion R2K

Well, here’s something you don’t see every day. Several somethings, in fact. That would appear to be a Le Mans-spec racing car driving up a ski run, being chased by a helicopter.

Driving the Ford Mustang II King Cobra: Some context required

Nearly every Ford Mustang -- from the very first cars through the Fox platform era and right up to today's models -- has its partisans. The only exception? The poor, forgotten Mustang II.

2014 Hyundai Equus Ultimate: Race Organizer Review

Welcome back to the Race Organizer Review series, in which I plunge new cars into the weird and demanding world of a traveling race official with the 24 Hours of LeMons road-racing series. A LeMons Race Organizer's ride must be able to haul large amounts of gear between airport, hotel, and track, while impressing the jaded and finicky racers in the paddock. So far, we've seen the Mini Cooper S Paceman in California, the Mitsubishi Lancer GT in Texas, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution in Wisconsin, and the Chevrolet SS in Texas, and a couple of weeks ago your Race Organizer brought the 2014 Hyundai Equus Ultimate to Race Sonoma aka Sears Point in the upscale wine country of Northern California.

Car insurance cost at four-year low

THE COST of insuring a car has fallen to a four-year low as motorists benefit from a record 19% drop in average premiums compared with a year ago. The Confused.com car insurance price index, in association with Towers Watson, reveals the average cost of comprehensive car insurance in the first quarter stood at £596, a drop of £140 against this time last year. The figure, including a reduction of 7.5% on the previous quarter, means that average premiums have dipped below £600 for the first time since late 2009.

Cost of driving theory test to drop by 25%

Mercedes-Benz The government has announced that the cost of the driving theory test is to be cut by 25%, saving learner drivers in excess of £100 million over the next nine years. How much does the driving theory test cost? Under the new plans the cost of a car theory driving test will drop from £31 to £25 in October 2014, with a further drop of £2 more planned in October 2015.

New Land Rover Discovery gets ‘see through’ bonnet. No, it’s not an April fool (video)

The ‘See Through’ bonnet on the new Land Rover discovery The idea that the new Land Rover Discovery family – which we’ll get a first look at in New York this month – will come with a see-through bonnet does seem like it’s a story we should have run on 1st April. But it’s not. In fact, the Transparent Bonnet virtual imaging Concept is an augmented reality view of what’s ahead when you’re off-road, so you have full visibility of what’s ahead and below the car.

Mercedes Concept Coupe SUV (2014) hints at X6 rival

Mercedes' new Concept Coupe SUV previews a new ML-based 4x4 that goes on sale in 2015 By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 09 April 2014 12:18 This is our first glimpse of Mercedes’ new rival to the BMW X6. It’s the new Mercedes Concept Coupe SUV, a show car set to be unveiled at the Beijing auto show later this month, but it also previews a new ML-based 4x4 that’ll go on sale in 2015. The solitary teaser image was revealed at the Daimler annual shareholders' meeting (sounds like a fun event…) where chairman of the board of management and head of Mercedes' car division Dr Dieter Zetsche announced the company’s future expansion plans.

Ford S-Max Vignale concept unveiled

Remember the Ford Mondeo Vignale concept from Frankfurt? It's basically a posh Mondeo, but Ford would like us to think it's a bit more than that. Vignale is Ford's attempt at going upmarket – taking on German premium brands with 'Vignale lounges' in special dealerships and specially trained 'relationship managers'.

Toyota recalls 6.58 million cars – 35,000 in the UK

The Toyota Yaris (pictured) – one of the Toyotas recalled It seems Toyota has decided its dealer service centres aren’t busy enough, so it’s revealed a massive series of recalls for 6.58 million Toyota’s around the world – and 35,124 in the UK – to fix a raft of problems. The cars affected are the RAV4, Hilux, Yaris and Urban Cruiser models, and although no accidents or injuries have occurred as a result of the problems, Toyota are taking no chances. The Rav4 and Hilux models are being recalled to fix a spiral cable assembly in the airbag module where the shape and location of a retainer for the flexible flat cable could damage circuitry when the steering wheel is turned.

Land Rover reveals amazing ‘invisible bonnet’ technology

The Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept car will debut groundbreaking ‘virtual bonnet’ technology that uses augmented reality to make the front of the car invisible. The new tech is part of a range of technology features to be revealed on the firm’s New York Motor Show star car next week (16 April). Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept (2014): first glimpse Land Rover Discovery family to grow with new models It uses cameras located in the grille to capture what the car will drive over – and then uses powerful processing software to feed this into a head-up display.

Bentley Hybrid Concept is a Mulsanne, but it’ll arrive in the new Bentley SUV

The Bentley Hybrid Concept (pictured) will debut in Beijing There’s been lots of talk of a Bentley Hybrid for a number of years now, and in 2011 Wolfgang Dürheimer confirmed that hybrid was in Bentley’s plans and that it would be a plug-in. Fast forward three years and we get the Bentley Hybrid Concept, Bentley’s first crack at a plug-in hybrid powertrain all wrapped up in the Mulsanne. But it won’t be the Mulsanne that sees a production version of the hybrid powertrain but, as expected, the new Bentley SUV.

'American Nitro' is back!

"Seventies drag-race mayhem is back!" bills "American Nitro," a schlocky drive-in exploitation film whose only quote of praise, from a dog-eared period issue of "Car Craft," reads, simply, "SPECTACULAR CRASHES!" Director Bill Kimberlin says that he made "American Nitro" in 1979 as a response to Tom Wolfe's influential 1965 essay, "The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby." "I was just getting out of high school in a small town in Northern California when Wolfe's book came out," he said. "Nitro came about as my response to the car culture I was exposed to in the small valley town of Boonville, Calif. Instead of 'American Graffiti,' I made 'American Nitro.'" A fitting comparison, in fact, considering Kimberlin later worked for George Lucas at ILM, starting with" Return of the Jedi." Now the movie is being released on DVD for the first time -- beware of bootlegs, warns the website -- and digitally remastered, while retaining the explosive charm and goofy narration of the 1979 original.

Mercedes Concept Coupe SUV is the new Mercedes ML Coupe (MLC)

The Mercedes Coupe Concept SUV (pictured) will debut in Beijing Cars UK reported back in 2011 that a Mercedes ML Coupe (perhaps the Mercedes MLC) was in the planning to take on the BMW X6, and Mercedes confirmed as much when they revealed will build a fifth model at its US plant in Alabama. Mercedes plan to start building their fifth model in Alabama in 2015, and today’s reveal of the Mercedes Concept Coupe SUV – which will debut at the Beijing Motor Show – is the first public step on the way to a coupe version of the M-Class – and the battle to steal sales from the BMW X6. Mercedes aren’t saying much about the Concept Coupe SUV, but they do say it’s a sportily-styled coupe SUV and provide a first look at a series production car expected next year.

Incredible 'see-through bonnet' technology revealed

LAND ROVER has unveiled a barely believable new technology that allows off-road drivers to effectively see through the bonnet all the way to the ground. Cameras mounted on the front grille film the terrain and transmit the visual feed to a head-up display for the driver. The alignment is set up to perfectly match the real angle of view beyond the bonnet, creating seamless visibility right back to the car’s wheels.

Land Rover Discovery Vision concept (2014) ‘see-through’ bonnet revealed

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 09 April 2014 10:22 Land Rover is set to unveil a new 4x4 concept at next week’s 2014 New York auto show, and not only will it preview the future design direction of an expanded Discovery-badged SUV range, but it’s packed with new off-road-aiding technology too. The design of the Discovery Vision concept remains under wraps until 16 April 2014, but ahead of its debut Land Rover has revealed the show car will feature its new Transparent Bonnet technology. Not quite.

Toyota recalls 35,000 cars

CA MAKER Toyota is recalling more than 35,000 UK cars after it discovered faults that could deactivate airbags, cause seats to move while driving or, in a rarer case that involves undue force, break steering columns. The three separate issues affect some RAV4, Hilux, Yaris and Urban Cruiser models, Toyota said. The Japanese company said there had been no reports of accidents, injuries or fatalities linked to the issues from anywhere in the world, but it was recalling the 35,124 UK-registered vehicles in line with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) code of practice.

Audi TT SUV concept: official sketches

Audi is set to reveal an all-new SUV concept car based on the Audi TT at the Beijing Motor Show. The new Audi concept will be the second time the brand has floated the idea of a TT-style SUV this year, following the unveiling of the Audi Allroad Shooting Brake show car at January’s Detroit Motor Show. The new Audi SUV concept will have more of an ‘off-roader’ feel than the Shooting Brake, and so will take its styling cues from the Audi Q-model SUVs, as these images show.

Olympian Hoy dreams of racing at Le Mans

SIR CHRIS HOY is planning a competitive comeback in 2016, with the Le Mans 24 hours race the target rather than the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. The 38-year-old is Britain's most decorated Olympian with six gold medals, including two at London 2012, and has won 11 world titles. He announced his retirement in April 2013, but his passion for motor racing and competition will be fulfilled after agreeing a deal with Nissan, which will see him compete in the 2014 British GT Championship.

35,000 Toyotas recalled over safety concerns

A total of 35,124 Toyotas in the UK are being recalled following safety concerns over the airbag modules, seat rails and steering columns. Toyota Airbag could fail to go off Some 24,785 UK-registered Toyota RAV4 and Hilux models are being recalled following a possible issue with the spiral cable assembly in the airbag module. Due to the position of a retainer in the system, Toyota admits “there may be a risk when the steering wheel is turned of damage to certain circuits that provide connectivity to the airbag.” This would prevent the airbag from working in a crash, and would illuminate a warning light on the dashboard.

Crash cyclist invents new cycle light

A CYCLIST who was once knocked down by a car has invented a new bike light to help make cyclists more visible. Ed Ward has been showing off his invention at the Gadget Show Live in Birmingham, where it has been shortlisted in the top 20 of the British Inventors' Project, a new award launching at the tech show for the first time. "I got hit by a car from behind.

New Mercedes-Benz SUV coupe for Beijing

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz has teased its answer to the BMW X6 ahead of its unveiling at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show. The coupe SUV – which is likely to be called the MLC – will be based on the ML and shown at Beijing in concept form, before a production vehicle is revealed next year. Like the X6, the Mercedes-Benz concept coupe SUV features a rakish rear roofline and is likely to divide opinion among buyers.