Blog on 2040Parts

G-Power Hurricane (2008): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 02 January 2008 11:49 M5 not powerful enough for you? German tuner G-Power has announced a frankly ludicrous supercharged version of the fast BMW. The Hurricane is an apt name for the blown Beamer – it produces a scarcely credible 720bhp and has been certified at 211mph.

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (2008): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 02 January 2008 12:15 The Corvette ZR1 is back. Affectionately known by GM as ‘King of the Hill’, this range-topping ‘Vette will be powered by a supercharged 6.2-litre V8. And before you complain about the lack of the 7.0-litre V8 from the Z06, you should know that the ZR1’s forced-induction lump will kick out 620bhp and 607lb ft.

Citroen, Peugeot MPV twins (2008): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 02 January 2008 12:31 The budget MPV war is set to reignite. Peugeot and Citroen have today announced details of their respective people carriers - the Partner Tepee and Berlingo Multispace. These are big sellers for the French pair, with the previous generation Berlingo selling some 1.8 million vehicles in both car and van guises.

SAIC merges with Nanjing

By Keith Adams Motor Industry 28 December 2007 15:27 Is the Chinese car industry learning to rationalise?  Absolutely. In order to attack world markets, China’s government and its largest automotive players have been getting cute. There’s a rush to merge or combine in order to compete in international markets.

Subaru Forester (2009): first official pictures

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 27 December 2007 14:50 This is Subaru's all-new Forester estate, set to be unveiled at January's Detroit motor show. Devoted fans won't be disappointed, because the 2009 model year Forester dogmatically sticks to the Forester formula: a jacked up, four-wheel drive wagon, but with a newish look, more refinement and improved safety levels, says Subaru. Today's boxy, oldschool Volvo-look makes way for a boxy, newschool Mitsubishi Outlander-look. The lamps, grille and glasshouse are slightly more expressive than on the current car, but Subaru isn't breaking any new ground for car design. Good job, because last time that happened, the Tribeca MPV was inflicted on the world.

Car Design of the Year Awards 2007

What was your favorite car design from 2007? Here's your chance to vote for your favorite designs and CDN will present an award to the winning design teams. For the next four weeks, Car Design News is asking its readers to vote for their favorite car designs from the last twelve months.

Coventry University MA Design Show 2007

Coventry University's MA Automotive Design Show, now in its fifteenth year, recently had its annual exhibition in Coventry's Transport Museum. Entitled 'InGenius', the exhibition presented work which covered a spectrum of vehicle concepts, including public transport systems. The projects were presented as scale models and digital animated presentations using CAD modeling tools.

Mercedes SLK facelift (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 21 December 2007 00:01 Mercedes has given its SLK a spruce-up just in time for Christmas. Blink and you most certainly will miss it – but the company claims there are 650 modified parts on its renowned roadster, which gets freshened looks inside and out, and fettled engines to take it into 2008. Anoraks will spot the facelifted two-seater by its reshaped bumper and front air dam, and the large three-pointed star is given more prominence on the SLK’s snout.

CAR journalist wins top award

By Ben Pulman Motor Industry 21 December 2007 08:42 CAR's associate editor Tim Pollard has won the industry's Journalist of the Year award 2007. He scooped the prestigious gong at the annual Guild of Motoring Writers awards ceremony at the RAC Club in London for his magazine scoop on the McLaren P11 (the cover story of CAR October 2007). The judges praised Pollard's investigative journalism, which uncovered a dossier of facts, sketches and details of the new junior supercar from the Woking road car and racing specialist.

Euro NCAP latest results

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 19 December 2007 11:36 The latest round of Euro NCAP results are announced today, with another round of high scores from a range of superminis and family cars. But none of the cars tested could manage more than three stars for pedestrian protection. Daihatsu's Materia supermini and, surprisingly, the Honda Civic trailed the pack with only four stars for occupant safety, but the Merc C-class, Renault Laguna, Volvo V70 and – impressively – the tiny Mazda 2 all came out with the top score.

Nissan Forum concept

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 19 December 2007 12:42 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Forum. No, not that Forum where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did his best work, but Nissan’s new minivan concept. Due to be unveiled at Detroit in January 2008 the concept is, according to Nissan, 'a forum for family gatherings'.

Honda Pilot concept (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 19 December 2007 13:09 Honda will show a concept of the next-generation Pilot at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2008. Although the Americans call it ‘midsize’ the current car is hardly small: at 4775mm long it’s over 200mm longer than a BMW X3 so expect the new car to be as big as the X5. However, that means the concept can offer seating for eight.

Kia Borrego (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 19 December 2007 13:15 Kia will show its new, mid-size (by American standards) SUV at Detroit in January 2008. Called the Borrego, after a Californian bighorn sheep, the styling is derived from a previous Detroit concept, the 2005 Mesa. The SUV will be available with either a V6, or Kia’s first V8.

Hong-ik University Degree Show 2007

Hong-ik University held its 9th Project Exhibition from October 28th to November 3rd in Seoul, Korea. Featuring works from the 2007 graduation show and junior, sophomore semester shows, graduating students presented their proposals of next generation luxury sedan for their favorite brands. "Works of past graduation shows at Hong-ik so far have been quite conceptual; however this year's graduating students were required to take on a more challenging theme: designing traditional luxury sedans," said Prof.

Land Rover LRX concept

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 18 December 2007 11:19 Here is Land Rover’s riposte to the anti-SUV brigade: the long-awaited baby Landy – a hybrid 4x4 so small it shares a footprint with a Ford Focus. The LRX will be shown at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2008 and presages a new, compact Land Rover due on sale in the next decade. Think shrunken Freelander coupe and you’ve got the LRX in a nutshell.

Mitsubishi Evo X prices announced

By First Official Pictures 18 December 2007 18:07 Mitsubishi has just announced prices for the tenth evolution of its Lancer, and it will cost considerably more than its rival from Subaru. The cheapest Evo X will be £27,499, £2504 more than the Subaru Impreza WRX STi. But if you’re not in the market for the all-out, all-paw Lancer then fear not, because the base 1.5-litre front-wheel drive model will cost only £12,499, just £4 more than the equivalent Scooby.

Aston Martin opens new Design Center

Aston Martin has bought itself an early Christmas present – or rather it has built itself one. The new design studio – the first ever for Aston Martin – was inaugurated last week at a huge gala event presided over by the sports car maker's CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez.

British Motor Show first details

By Ben Whitworth Motor Shows 17 December 2007 10:30 It may be a long way off on your automotive calendar, but next year’s 2008 British Motor Show looks set to be the biggest yet, with organisers expecting ticket sales to top the 550,000 mark. Housed at ExCeL London in the Docklands between 23 July - 3 August 2008, the show will feature more than 60 vehicle marques and 600 cars – including the global debut for the new Vauxhall Insignia and a preview of the new four-seater Lotus Project Eagle (mule for next-gen Eagle/Esprit chassis testing above). Although it’s still some eight months distant, over 80 percent of the stand space has already been sold, and the exhibition will also include the following attractions: • The Heritage Enclosure and Parade – a driving display providing the sights, sounds and thrills of supercars from the last five decades • Drift School – a chance for visitors to be driven sideways around a circuit by professional drivers • The Marine Experience – the British Marine Federation will display a line-up of luxury water craft as well as a programme of on-water entertainment • The Autoglym Supercar Paddock, a high-octane collection of luxury marques • The 4x4 Experience, a challenging terrain for testing the best of the off-road pack • Motor Theatre, a live-action stunt show Tickets to the Show will be on sale from February, with prices starting at just £8.

Ford Focus RS confirmed

By First Official Pictures 17 December 2007 12:46 The on-again, off-again Ford Focus RS is now definitely on again. During a press event at the Race of Champions last night, Ford officially announced that a ‘no-compromise RS model’ would go on sale in 2009. And if you can’t wait that long then Ford has released this teaser picture of what the car could look like.

Rinspeed sQuba (2007): first official pictures

By First Official Pictures 17 December 2007 15:57 It had to happen. Manufacturers are fighting to fill every possible niche these days, but only Rinspeed has thought to make an underwater zero-emissions car. Due to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2008, Rinspeed says the aptly named sQuba is the ‘world’s first real diving car’.

BMW X6 (2007): first official pictures

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 16 December 2007 00:01 These are the first official pictures of the BMW X6, one of 2008’s most intriguing cars. It’s a 4x4 with a coupé body, seriously high performance engines including a 407bhp twin-tubocharged V8 and a trick diff to give it a flavour of the M division’s finest. The X6 is based on the X5's chassis and shares its wheelbase, but its around 20mm lower and has a wider track, to enhance its dynamic ability.   It’s certainly the sportiest SUV so far.

Andy Priaulx interview

By Motor Shows 14 December 2007 09:00 His racing season might be over for this year, but 33-year-old Andy Priaulx has barely stopped since clinching his third consecutive World Touring Car crown – an incredible feat in a series packed with ex-F1 drivers and touring car winners from various championships. But in-between the award ceremonies, end-of-season parties and test sessions, CAR Online caught up with the Guernsey-based racer ahead of his star turn at this weekend’s Race of Champions. Held at Wembley Stadium on 16 December, RoC sees drivers from disciplines as diverse as Nascar and F1 race head-to-head, country-against-country on what looks like a giant Scalextric set.

Suzuki A-Star concept (2007): first official pictures

By First Official Pictures 14 December 2007 10:00 Suzuki will use New Delhi’s Auto Expo next January to unveil its latest concept, the A-Star. Aimed at key evolving world markets like India, as well as Europe, the five-door A-Star hatchback will major on minimal environmental impact and real-world affordability, wrapped in what we think is some pretty striking sheetmetal. Details of the A-Star are limited, but we know it will be powered by an all-new Euro 5-compliant 1.0-litre aluminium petrol engine, hooked up to a five-speed manual transmission, that’s said to post an ultra-low CO2 rating of less than 107g/km, combined with exceptional fuel economy.

Race of Champions preview and video

By Richard Aucock Motor Shows 13 December 2007 10:00 The Race of Champions is the annual end-of-season jamboree. Two drivers from eight nations all go head-to-head, on two parallel 1km tracks, in a series of identical cars, to be eliminated via group stages to determine, in two hours, an overall winner. The fastest of the fast.

Hummer HX concept previews H4

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 13 December 2007 10:00 Hummer has unleashed three of its newest and youngest designers to create the HX concept that will make its debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January. Fresh out of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, designers David Rojas (he created the blue concept), Min Young Kang (the red and black creation) and Robert Jablonski (the grey car) were assigned to create a vision of Hummer's off-road future, creating a smaller, lighter and more agile junior Hummer. So who was actually in charge of these fledglings?

Chevrolet Volt visits the wind tunnel

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 13 December 2007 10:00 Back in January the Volt was easily the surprise of this year’s Detroit motor show. Chevrolet reckoned its radical electric four-seater was such a breakthrough that it would transform the way we drive when it arrived in showrooms by the end of the decade. And it’s just announced that the production model will be significantly more efficient at scything through the air: the Volt has been sent to GM’s wind tunnel where Chevrolet’s aerodynamicists has smoothed off some of its blunt surfaces to create a shape that is 30 percent more effective at cutting cleanly through the air at speed than the original concept.

Car Design News announces Design Contest

Unique lifestyle scenario design brief describing the lives of three "Milleniumites" (people born in the year 2000) as they might be in 2028. That really gives car designers something to get their teeth into!   Top level car designer judges - including Martin Smith, Executive Vice President of Design at Ford Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa, and Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President and Head of Design at Nissan.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS concept

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 12 December 2007 10:50 Aston Martin has squeezed its biggest engine into its smallest coupe to create the V12 Vantage RS. As the RS badge indicates, it's a lighter, faster, less compromising version of the Vantage. Aston Martin unveiled the stripped out coupe as a concept last night (11 December), but it's almost certain to make production. Oh yes.

Mazda Furai concept sneak preview

Mazda Furai concept By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 12 December 2007 11:37 Mazda will pull the wraps of yet another concept car at Detroit – and has released this teaser shot to whet our appetites. Called the Furai – that’s Japanese for ‘the sound of the wind’ - the car was inspired by Mazda’s claim that on any given weekend, there are more Mazdas and Mazda‑powered racing cars in action on circuits across the United States than any other brand.Drawing design clues from racecars in the ALMS (American Le Mans Series), the Furai is underpinned by the Courage C65 chassis the company campaigned in the 2005 ALMS series, and it’s powered by a mighty 450bhp triple-rotor rotary engine. 'Furai purposely blurs boundaries that have traditionally distinguished street cars from racing cars,' says Franz von Holzhausen, Mazda’s North American director of design.

Contest: Volkswagen Slipstream wins 2007 LA Design Challenge

Volkswagen's Slipstream concept has won the fourth annual Design Challenge competition, part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designer's conference. The award was presented during the second press day of the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show.  The theme of this year's competition, RoboCar of 2057, asked eight automotive design studios in California to form their vision of the future by depicting a vehicle that incorporates artificial intelligence engineered to make life easier and more attractive to consumers 50 years from now. Designers entered two-dimensional renderings and concept descriptions predicting how the rapidly advancing field of artificial intelligence will integrate into the automobile to make life safer, more practical and attractive, and the entries were judged by multi-discipline design professionals who selected the winner based on its originality of creative concept, integration of robotics and level of adaptation to a variety of environmental conditions and consumer needs.