Blog on 2040Parts

Fans pay tribute to actor Walker

THOUSANDS OF FANS, friends and car enthusiasts descended on a Los Angeles suburb to pay tribute to Paul Walker at the site where the Fast & Furious actor died in a fireball car crash. The Santa Clarita memorial, planned through social media, was due to begin at noon, but mourners began arriving hours earlier to leave flowers, candles, stuffed animals and other tributes. Throughout the afternoon, thousands of people, including entire families, arrived.

Brazil plant for Jaguar Land Rover

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR) is to become the first UK car-maker to open a manufacturing facility in Brazil. JLR is investing £240 million in the initiative, which will see the development of a plant that will produce up to 24,000 vehicles a year. The factory, based in the city of Itatiaia, will initially employ 400 people, with the first vehicles due to come off the assembly line in 2016.

Tesla takes a swipe at BMW & Audi

Tesla’s design boss, Franz von Holzhausen, says the BMW i3 is an IKEA car We’ve long been of the opinion that electric cars, certainly with the current levels of battery technology, can never be a replacement for an ICE car. But we do have soft spot for what Tesla are doing. That’s because Tesla has tackled the issues of electric cars in  the cleverest way possible by building a car (the Model S) that looks like a normal luxury car – rather than making it look odd or quirky just to ram home its difference – and made it travel a sensible distance on a single charge.

Mercedes GLA goes in to production in Germany

The Mercedes GLA (pictured) goes in to production The new Mercedes GLA – Mercedes’ latest spin-off from the A Class – arrived at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September as an urban SUV come Crossover, extending Mercedes reach in the premium compact sector with a serious competitor in the urban SUV market. With the growing fondness for high-riding cars – and something that’s a bit butch too – the SUV/Crossover take on the Mercedes A Class is a sound way to go and now, with production starting in Germany this week of the new GLA, Mercedes is getting close to having the GLA in customers’ hands. The first GLAs to get in to the hands of customers will probably be the GLA Edition 1 – a launch model with plenty of toys – but the model that will perhaps be most interesting is the GLA 45 AMG, with the promise of the same rufty-tufty compact SUV goodness as the rest of the range but with the 4WD platform and high performance 2.0 litre Turbo from the A 45 AMG.

2015 Ford KA Concept revealed in Europe. And it looks a bit boring.

2015 Ford KA Concept revealed in Europe Last month we revealed the new Ford KA Concept after it debuted in Brazil, and now Ford has brought it to Europe to reveal where the KA is heading. At Ford’s Go Further event in Barcelona this week, Ford revealed the KA Concept as its vision of what the 2015 Ford KA will look like and offer. Sadly, the KA seems to have lost its quirkiness and gone mainstream; it looks like another homogeneous Ford, just smaller.

Audi Crossover Concept heading for 2014 Detroit Auto Show. Is this the Audi Q1?

The new Audi Show Car heading for Detroit 2014 The 2014 Detroit Auto Show is on the way next month, and Audi are heading to Motor City with a concept they haven’t managed to come up with a name for – all they’ve managed is the ‘New Audi Show Car’. So what is it? Audi say the new Concept is a two-door model with high ground clearance and a sporty slant – a Crossover car seemingly designed to be all things to all men.

Video: Design development of the 2015 Ford Mustang

Ford has released a series of videos coinciding with the world debut of the new Mustang exploring the exterior design, interior design and the color and materials behind the new pony. The three videos include exterior design director Joel Piaskowski with exterior design manager Kemal Curic, interior chief designer Doyle Letson with interior design manager William Mangan and Ford's group color and materials chief designer,  Susan Lampinen. Each take us through the key decisions made in their respective areas in the creation of the new, global Mustang.

Warning against driveway thefts in winter

DRIVERS are being warned to not leave their cars unattended while warming them up this winter as car theft increases in the colder months. Thieves find it easy pickings when drivers leave car on driveways with the engine running to heat up the car before leaving home. However, this leads to a rise in car thefts at this time of year, according to research by Tracker.

2014 Kia Soul “Red Zone” takes it to the house

Kia Motors America announced its first special edition for the second generation 2014 Soul, dubbed “Red Zone.” This quirky, boxy compact car will get a head-to-toe makeover, taking inspiration and design cues from the 2012 Chicago Auto Show favorite, the Track'ster concept. The exterior of the Soul gets bright white paint, accented by pops of red. The grille, front and rear fascias and side skirts also will receive the distinguished red embellishments, adding to what Kia describes as “the aggressively styled body kit.” Custom 18-inch alloy wheels complete the “Red Zone” makeover.

New Mustang Madness at Venice Beach

Rick the Hippie rode by us on a battleship-grey 1939 Schwinn--thin, wispy long hair waggling in the chilly breeze, wearing board shorts and a grey flannel Hurley jacket over four layers that puffed out and made him resemble a mushroom. We were having a conversation about the Shelby GT. His eyes, wrapped behind layers of tan wrinkles, lit up.

Half of drivers try home fixes

ALMOST HALF of the UK’s drivers have tried to fix their car at home with help from an online video rather than take it to a garage. A study by breakeryard.com shows two-fifths of drivers use videos from websites such as Youtube to learn how to fix their car. The study also showed that more than half (54%) had also tried to fix their car at home to save money on repair bills.

New Mustang Finally Comes To UK

FORD has unveiled its latest generation Mustang muscle car, which for the first time will come to the UK in right-hand drive form. The car, which will go on sale towards the end of 2014, claims to be lighter and more advanced than its predecessor. Also new is a 2.3-litre, 305 horsepower engine, which Ford hopes will boost the Mustang’s eco credentials in Europe without detracting from the car’s performance.

Concept Car of the Week: IAD Alien (1986)

Established in 1976 as a railway and aeronautical engineering company, Britain's IAD (International Automotive Design) rapidly oriented its expertise towards the automotive industry providing services from design to chassis engineering and even small-scale production. By the mid-80s two concepts had been presented – the TRX and the Arrival – that showed innovative thinking and tastefulness but a little innocuous styling. In an attempt to attract both attention and more clients, IAD CEO John Shute asked his team to design a futuristic concept that was both innovative and different.

Abt Sportsline debuts 300-hp Volkswagen Golf GTI Dark

Audi and Volkswagen Group tuner ABT Sportsline is coming to the states at last. At this week's Essen Motor Show, it revealed, among other things, its own special version of the Volkswagen Golf GTI, dubbed the GTI Dark. As in, the dark side of the force.

Audi sports car concept previews new TT (2014)

By Damion Smy First Official Pictures 06 December 2013 00:01 It may not look it, but this Detroit motor show-bound Audi concept reveals the design language that set the tone for the next Audi TT, due in mid-2014. The TT is a style icon for the brand, with its third-generation looking to use sharper, more aggressive lines from this showcar. While the concept – plainly named ‘The new Audi Show Car’ – rides on ridiculously large alloys and has ‘trademark all-road ground clearance’, and while it won’t form the basis of any particular new model.

Speed causes crashes? More accurate reporting would improve driver education and safety

I am a professional race-car driver with 30 years of experience, and I still drive for General Motors' Cadillac race team in the Pirelli World Challenge series. I also have 20 years of experience educating new drivers, parents and driver-education teachers regarding safer street driving. This apparent (to some people) contradiction of experience puts me in the position of being a bit of a sounding post.

GM gets behind Vauxhall & Opel by dropping Chevrolet in Europe

Cars like the Chevrolet Trax (pictured) will disappear from the UK in 2015 GM has seemed to be fighting a battle with itself in the UK and Europe by marketing a broadly similar range of cars under the Vauxhall and Opel badges in the UK and Opel and Chevrolet in Europe. But unlike the VW Group, which manages to offer very similar cars from VW, SEAT and Skoda and create a different customer base, GM seems to have failed to make the marketplace work with Opel and Vauxhall competing with Chevrolet. So Chevrolet are on their way out in Europe.

Arrest made in Paul Walker Porsche parts theft

An arrest has been made in an apparent theft of a piece of the destroyed Porsche Carrera GT involved in a Saturday crash in California that killed actor Paul Walker, CNN is reporting. A number of cars had reportedly followed the tow truck that was transporting the wreckage to a police facility. When the truck stopped at a red light, the occupant of one of the vehicles, alleged to be 18-year-old Jameson Witty, ran up to the truck and retrieved a piece of the wreckage, a T-top roof panel of the red Carrera GT, He later posted a photo of it on Instagram.

Missing oil changes is false economy

TRYING TO SAVE money on motoring costs by not changing a car’s oil is risking a false economy as it could lead to more wear and fuel consumption, according to Two-thirds (65%) of British drivers admitted they have not changed the oil in their car in the last 12 months, with the same number admitting they buy oil for their car based solely on price. The same study by Mobil 1 also showed only 45% of drivers knew when their car’s scheduled service intervals were, while 15% said they would cut back on servicing to save money. Dan McGoldrick, of Mobil 1, said: ‘Choosing the right oil for your car is vital as it means both the lubricant and the engine will last longer, so you’re saving in the long term.’ Tim Shallcross, Head of Technical Policy at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, added: ‘Apart from lubricating the engine, oil has the important job of absorbing harmful by-products given off by the burning fuel.

New Car Sales Accelerating Ahead

IT’S GOOD news in the new car market as the latest figures from industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal registrations already outstripping those of 2012 with one month of the year still to go. A total of 159,581 new cars were registered in November - a 7% rise on the figure for November 2012. Last month's figures took the year-so-far total to 2,111,819 - a 9.9% rise on the January-November 2012 total and already in excess of the year-end 2012 figure of 2.04 million.

Carrera GT: Even Jay Leno can't make it funny

When I heard that one of those celebrity-based half-hour TV shows dug up the video of comedian Jay Leno spinning a Porsche Carrera GT at Talladega Superspeedway at 182 mph, I knew it would awaken some memories that resulted in emails like, “Say, weren't you there? Pretty ironic given the Paul Walker deal, huh?” Yes, huh. Man, what a strange day that was.

McLaren P1 lapping the Nurburgring in UNDER 7 minutes in stunning new video

The McLaren P1 laps the Nurburgring in under 7 minutes Ever since Ron Dennis claimed the McLaren P1 would be able to lap the Nurburgring in under seven minutes, we’ve been waiting for McLaren to prove it. It seems their initial attempts failed to get below the magic 7 minute barrier – unlike the Porsche 918 Spyder which lapped the Nurburgring in 6m 57s – but last month we reported that the P1 seemed to have achieved its goal by going 10 seconds faster than the Porsche in  an almost unbelievable 6 minutes 47 seconds. Unfortunately, we still don’t know officially just how quickly the P1 got round the Nurburgring, but we do now know that it was under 7 minutes thanks to a new video just released by McLaren.

Chevrolet Spark EV tops EPA's fuel-economy rankings for 2014

The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV has been named the most fuel-efficient vehicle by the EPA and the Department of Energy in a new ranking for 2014. The Spark EV returns a combined 119 mpg equivalent, achieving 128 mpg in the city and 109 mpg on the highway. Chevrolet's pure-electric hatch displaced last year's chart topper, the Scion 2013 iQ EV, with its 121 mpg equivalent rating, but the Scion is not offered for the 2014 model year, so it didn't make the list for the U.S.

Infiniti getting more mileage out of their F1 sponsorship with the Q50 Eau Rouge Concept

The Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept (pictured) will debut at the Detroit Auto Show If, like Infiniti, you’re spending and arm and a leg sponsoring Red Bull in F1, you want to milk it for all it’s worth. So we’ve already seen Sebastian Vettel installed as Infiniti’s Director of Performance (we don’t expect he sits in on many board meetings) and the Infiniti FX Vettel Edition as a (not particularly) high performance version of Infiniti’s FX SUV. Now we’re getting a new model that Infiniti can hang the F1 connection on with a performance version of the Infiniti Q50 – the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept – teased above ahead of a debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

Final 2015 Ford Mustang intro of the day

After a day that started the day before in Shanghai and Sydney before progressing around the world to Barcelona, New York and Dearborn, the redesigned 2015 Ford Mustang finished the world's longest debut by driving into wet cement in front of the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, just like the movie star it is. “Mustang has starred in over 3,000 movies and television shows,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford's president of the Americas. Mustangs have had starring roles in such cinematic hits as diverse as "Goldfinger," "Bullitt" and "Gone in 60 Seconds." The new Mustang will get a hero role in the upcoming" Need For Speed" movie.

Chevrolet Bids Farewell To Europe

AMERICAN car giant General Motors has made a surprise announcement that from 2016 its Chevrolet brand will be no more in Europe. The company has stated that it wishes to concentrate on long established brands Opel and Vauxhall instead. All is not lost, as GM will keep what it says is its ‘iconic’ models such as the Corvette, while the firm intends to focus attention on its traditional American luxury brand Cadillac ahead of a greater European push in the next few years.

Ford Mustang (2015) CAR inteviews the chief engineer

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 05 December 2013 05:00 The new sixth-generation Ford Mustang will be sold in the UK and Europe, as well as around the world. Ahead of its launch in the UK in 2015, we talk the Mustang's chief engineer Dave Perciak on what to expect from the new 'pony car'. How long have you been working on the sixth-generation Ford Mustang?

Government To Call Time On Tax Disc

THE HUMBLE tax disc is set to become a thing of the past, with Chancellor George Osborne planning to shake up the way we tax our vehicles as part of his Autumn Statement announcement. After more than 90 years affixed to British motorists' cars, the tax disc is to be scrapped and replaced with a modern electronic system. For the first time motorists will also be able to pay for their vehicle excise duty (VED) by monthly direct debit, although this will cost an extra 5%.

Dacia parades machine gun-equipped Duster

THE ROMANIAN military has apparently displayed an armoured and machine gun-equipped version of the humble Dacia Duster 4x4. The army-grade Duster has been given a degree of bulletproof plating, as well as under-body armour for the most vulnerable areas like the engine and fuel tank. However, it’s the remote-controlled machine gun mounted on the roof that’s sure to raise the most eyebrows.

Early Mercedes sells for £720,000

ONE OF the oldest surviving Mercedes cars has sold at auction for an astronomical fee. The Mercedes Simplex 28/32 HPs Phaeton eventually sold for £720,000 at the Coys auction house True Greats sale in London. Still in complete and roadworthy condition, the car was reported to be in superb, drivable condition before its sale, which was the first time it had been auctioned in its near-109-year life.