Blog on 2040Parts

Beijing Motor Show 2006

The 9th Beijing Motor Show has opened at the China International Exhibition Center. Alternating with the Shanghai Motor Show, 'Auto China 2006' is the largest auto show in the history of China. More than 90 vehicles from 30 different manufacturers are on display.

New boss plans VW revolution

By Georg Kacher Motor Industry 22 November 2006 10:00 The Volkswagen Group is set for a huge shake-up, following the resignation of chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder. Product plans across all seven marques, the group brand strategy, platform sharing and costs will all be reviewed by incoming boss Martin Winterkorn, who clinched the role following Audi's stellar performance under his leadership. CAR Online can reveal that Winterkorn is likely to rip up Pischetsrieder's brand group structure, to improve communication and efficiencies.

Volkswagen Neeza concept

By Phil McNamara/Georg Kacher First Official Pictures 20 November 2006 09:00 VW Neeza concept: the lowdown Volkswagen is developing a Ford S-Max rival – and this Neeza concept gives a clue to its thinking. Designed in China and unveiled at the Beijing motor show, the Neeza is a five-seat crossover MPV. And that's the exact concept that's under development by Volkswagen's R&D team, with a launch target of 2009.

Volkswagen Passat R36 (2006): first official pictures

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 17 November 2006 10:13 VW Passat R36: the lowdown Volkswagen has pulled the wraps off its 'R' flagship Passat – and the five-door is the fastest estate VW has ever made. Scooped by CAR Online a few weeks back, the R36 puts out 296bhp, which launches the estate fromk standstill to 62 in 5.8sec. Available as a saloon, too, the R cars go on sale in early 2007, with prices starting at an estimated £28,000.

Design Essay: The two-tone selector of style

Not since the heady days of rude boy rule has two-tone black and white made such a comeback. The first showing was at the winter 2004 fashion catwalks, which then reached the stores in spring 2005. This trend was swiftly followed and endorsed by the furniture and product designers that showed their wares at the spring 2005 Milan Furniture Fair.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster (2006): first official pictures

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 15 November 2006 08:42 Vantage Roadster: the lowdown Aston Martin today reveals the convertible version of the V8 Vantage coupe. Badged Roadster, the two-seat soft-top retains the knee trembling-looks and identical, stellar performance of the fixed head Vantage. That means 0-60mph blurs past in 4.9sec, with 175mph flat out, courtesy of the 380bhp V8 engine.

Mazda hints at new look

By Phil McNamara Motor Industry 15 November 2006 10:49 Mazda is working on an all-new, swoopy design language, which will be unveiled on this Nagare concept car in late November. The company has issued this borderline pointless, teaser sketch of the coupe concept. The Nagare show car – to be unveiled in Los Angeles on 29 November – will influence the next wave of Mazdas, such as future sports cars.

Michelin Challenge Design 2007: The not so ugly truth about rising vehicle safety standards

Can cars be safe and beautiful at the same time? That may not have been the case a few decades ago when automakers were forced to hang those big, ugly so-called federal bumpers off the ends of their vehicles.  With vehicle safety standards on the rise around the globe are designers today feeling a little '70s deja vu when it comes to meeting the challenges of making cars safe as well as more fuel efficient? "(Back then) we said it was the end of automotive styling," says Patrick Le Quement, senior vice president for corporate design at Renault and one of the world's most influential automotive designers.

Mitsubishi Lancer

The 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show. With styling already hinted at by the Concept-X and Concept Sportback of 2005, the illustration released by Mitsubishi remains largely faithful to these showcars. The trim of the Down-Road-Graphic modified only slightly; this now gives the front a six element graphic, and chrome is also used.

Smart ForTwo

First launched in 1998 as the MCC Smart City Coupe, the ForTwo has been redeveloped as it moves towards the North American market. Length has increased from 2.5m to just under 2.7m - for greater crash protection and more trunk space, which now stands at 340 liters when packed to the roof. Regulations have also seen the IP straightened out, though the prominent air vents remain.

Coventry University students prepare for MA Degree Show

Olly Stephens'  taxi design uses new technologies and a fresh design aesthetic to propose a vehicle that will give commuters new options for urban travel. Jimi Pearce has looked at how the emergency services might adapt to cater in light of increasing incidents of violence towards them. His MergeNC concept is an urban patrol vehicle that cuts response time whilst providing a safer working environment for its personnel.

Ford S-Max is Car of the Year

By Phil McNamara Motor Industry 14 November 2006 08:54 Ford's S-Max MPV has been crowned European Car of the Year, by a panel of journalists. Is it a victory for originality, or yet another duff decision from Europe's motoring journalists? The shortlist for the award comprised: • Citroen C4 Picasso • Fiat Grande Punto • Ford S-Max• Honda Civic• Peugeot 207 • Skoda Roomster • Vauxhall Corsa • Volvo C30 The panel of 58 writers selected those eight contenders for the 41 cars eligible for the award.

Smart ForTwo (2006): first official pictures

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 10 November 2006 08:31 New Smart ForTwo: the lowdown These are the first pictures of the new Smart ForTwo, which goes on sale in the UK in September 2007. The Mk2 city car looks much the same, but it's had a thorough overhaul. In comes a 1.0-litre engine with more power, mated to an automated manual transmission that's claimed to eliminate today's slow and jerky changes.

Designer Albrecht Graf Goertz dies

One of the world's legendary designers, Albrecht Graf Goertz, has died aged 92. Goertz was best known for his work at BMW, though he also worked with Porsche, Nissan and Toyota during his career. His most acclaimed works are the BMW 503 and 507 models - but Goertz also had a hand in the design of the 1964 Silvia 1600 Sports Coupe.

Suzuki Cervo

Suzuki is a relatively low-key brand without the variety of models nor media exposure afforded by rivals, so it might be surprising to learn that over the past fifty years they have not had an annual loss, while their growth rate in Europe since 2000 is on a par with Toyota's. With sales figures now snapping at the heels of Renault, Suzuki has just launched the Cervo, a new car for the K-class segment in Japan. The Suzuki Cervo follows the popular Grand Vitara and award-winning Swift, and has also been dubbed stylish and sporty.

Bristol's 1012bhp Fighter (2006): first official pictures

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 08 November 2006 09:37 Bristol today revals a new twin-turbocharged version of its Fighter supercar, claiming this T model will crack 0-60mph in less than 3.5sec and has a top speed limited to 225mph. The iconoclastic west London luxury car maker developed the T to satisfy customer demands for more performance. Not that the regular Fighter is a slouch: the 525bhp V10 coupe cracks 0-60mph in 4.0sec and surpasses 200mph.

Mitsubishi Delica D:5

Arriving in Japan early next year is the new Mitsubishi Delica D:5, the fifth generation of a model series that began in 1968, and the third new model the company has launched this year after the eK Wagon and Pajero. Mitsubishi says the Delica was developed to 'fuse the comfort of a minivan with the powerful performance of an SUV' and uses 2.4-liter engine with four-wheel-drive. The styling of the Delica takes its cues from the Mitsubishi Concept-D:5 unveiled at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, with strong graphics and perched stance.

Punchy diesel bound for Mini Cooper

By Phil McNamara Motor Industry 07 November 2006 09:00 Mini is planning the first ever diesel Cooper – and the common-rail unit will have almost 50 percent more power than the outgoing Toyota engine. The Mini Cooper diesel will run the 1.6-litre HDi four, which features in Peugeot-Citroen and Ford cars. Peak power is 110bhp, with 180lb ft of torque on tap.

Jag GT3 racer hints at 500bhp XKR

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 06 November 2006 09:48 Jaguar XKR GT3: the lowdown This is the Jaguar XKR GT3, a 550bhp, race-fettled XK which will campaign in the 2007 FIA GT3 series. But the big news is that its uprated V8 engine is bound for a roadgoing XKR, to propel Jaguar up the power league and into the realm of Merc's 510bhp SL55 AMG and BMW's 500bhp M6. Apex Motorsport will design, develop and campaign the XKR GT3, shown here in an official artist's impression.

Volkswagen goes mad in Las Vegas

By Alex Fuller First Official Pictures 02 November 2006 03:33 R GTi: the lowdown VW has cooked up two hotter Golf GTis for the SEMA tuning show: the 225hp Thunder Bunny and 375hp R GTi. This mean hatch is the R GTi, which gets a big helping of carbonfibre to shave off weight and a huge power upgrade. The 197bhp 2.0-litre’s stock turbo makes way for a bigger blower, yielding 375hp.

Chrysler's SEMA freak show out in force

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 02 November 2006 10:00 Speciality Chryslers out in force Chrysler has unveiled a host of slammed, tuned and beefed up models for this year's Speciality Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show in Las Vegas. Leading the charge is this dazzling drag racing take on the forthcoming Dodge Challenger, the Super Stock Concept. Click next to see more jaw-slackening takes on the Dodge Nitro and Chrysler Sebring.

Volkswagen Golf GTi Edition 30 (2006): first official pictures

By Jason Golembo First Official Pictures 27 October 2006 08:43 VW Golf GTi Edition 30: the lowdown Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the Golf GTi's UK launch, and to celebrate, Volkswagen will release 1500 of this GTi Edition 30. Complete with uprated 230PS (or 227bhp) engine, deeper bodykit and an interior makeover, the special edition is the fastest version of the hot hatch to date. The engineers have tweaked the 2.0-litre turbo's engine management, to extract the additional 30bhp.

Ascari A10 (2007): first official pictures

By Jason Golembo First Official Pictures 26 October 2006 05:20 Ascari A10: the lowdown Ascari has unveiled a lightweight version of its KZ1 supercar, which it claims is a British rival for the Ferrari FXX. With 625bhp on tap and a kerb weight of around 1200kg, the new supercar is claimed to despatch the 0-60mph in 2.8sec – just 0.3sec slower than a Veyron. Just 50 A10s will be built in Ascari's Banbury plant, with only ten going to UK homes.

Peugeot 4007 (2006): first look

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 26 October 2006 10:00 Peugeot 4007: the lowdown This is the 4007, Peugeot's short-cut into the booming crossover-SUV market. Looks familiar? It's a badge-engineered version of Mitsubishi's new Outlander.

Mercedes-Benz World

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 26 October 2006 11:40 The lowdown The name says it all - Mercedes-Benz World. Situated next to the historic Brooklands race circuit and museum in Weybridge, Surrey, this multi-million pound group of designer buildings is Mercedes’ shiny new experience centre. Sitting in 60acres of parklands, it’s the ultimate one-stop Mercedes shop, with everything from a conference centre to an off-roading circuit.

Fiat Bravo (2006): first official pictures

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 26 October 2006 12:18 Fiat Bravo: the lowdown Fiat is going back to the future, by resurrecting the Bravo name on this sexy new family hatch. These are the first pictures of the all-new Bravo, which replaces the square and unloved Stilo with a far more enticing design. From the front, the Bravo resembles a pumped up Punto.

Citroen C-Crosser (2006): first official pictures

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 26 October 2006 12:26 Citroen C-Crosser: the lowdown Here's Citroen's C-Crosser SUV, a Mitsubishi Outlander with a facelift and butt-tuck. It's also the sister car of the Peugeot 4007, another badge-engineered French 4x4 revealed on CAR Online today. As with the 4007, Citroen has taken the Outlander, grafted on its corporate nose, added different 18-inch wheels and tweaked the rear lamps.

College for Creative Studies Student Exhibition 2006

Senior transportation design students at Detroit's College for Creative Studies presented their work to the public and industry representatives during the school's annual Student Exhibition earlier this year. The major project brief revolved around the notion of an 'Exquisite Chrysler.' Students had to identify six vehicles from the past that represented a combination of great beauty and good design, regardless of brand. In addition, six examples of great design outside of the automotive realm were to be chosen as possible influences.

BMW 3-series convertible (2006): first official pictures

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 24 October 2006 10:03 BMW 3-series convertible: the lowdown Here's the car BMW said it wouldn't develop: a 3-series convertible with a folding hard-top. Although condemned by the R&D team for being too heavy, raising the centre of gravity and sapping dynamic ability, BMW has been forced to listen to the market and introduce a glass and steel-roofed cabrio. With a large boot and easy access for luggage, the 3-series convertible promises to be practical, and the extra glass compared with a fabric cabrio should make it airy too.

Caterham Seven (2006): first official pictures

By Ollie Compton First Official Pictures 24 October 2006 12:47 Caterham Seven: the lowdown Caterham has kicked out the K-series, replacing it with a tuned 1.6-litre Ford engine for the next generation Seven sports car. The Sigma engine – used in the Fiesta and Focus – is available with two outputs: 125bhp in the Roadsport (pictured), or 140bhp in Superlight trim. A third engine with around 160bhp will follow in spring 2007.