Blog on 2040Parts

Tuner MTM debuts 722 hp Audi RS6 Avant

It seems a minor horsepower war has just erupted over in Germany, and the title at stake in this conflict is which tuning house can build the most powerful Audi RS6 Avant. Not that long ago ABT Sportsline unveiled a 700 hp Audi RS6 Avant, an absolutely rabid grocery-getter that can make the sprint to 60 in just 3.4 seconds. ABT's RS6 Avant packs 25 percent more power than the stock version of the RS6 Avant, which made an already hair-raising 560 hp.

Concept Car of the Week: Jaguar R-D6 (2003)

Ten years ago Jaguar was still under the (s)mothering wing of Ford's Premier Auto Group. Its range comprised of the technically-advanced but stylistically geriatric XJ sedan, the golfers' favourite waftmobile XK8, the droopy S-Type with what appeared to be a lavatory seat on its nose and a Ford Mondeo in a bowler hat known as the X-Type. However things were changing in the back rooms of Coventry.

Mercedes SLS AMG Final Edition (2013) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 15 November 2013 09:00 In 2015, Mercedes will pension off the SLS AMG to start production of a new sports car:the GT AMG. So, here’s the inevitable special edition version: the creatively titled SLS AMG Final Edition. Available as a coupe and soft-top roadster, the Final Edition received a mixture of aerodynamic upgrades from the SLS Black Series, and luxury options to set itself apart from ‘normal’ SLS-kind.

Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Neiman Marcus at Los Angeles Auto Show

Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Neiman Marcus (pictured) at the LA Auto Show Neiman Marcus revealed its Christmas Edition car for 2013 last month, but all we got was a single scanned photo from the Neiman Marcus Christmas book of the Aston Martin Vanquish Volante. But now, as an introduction for the Aston Martin Vanquish Volante to the U.S. market, Aston Martin are planning to show the Neiman Marcus Edition Vanquish Volante at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week.

Crash injuries force Franchitti to retire

SCOTTISH RACING STAR Dario Franchitti has been forced to retire after suffering a number of injuries in a high-speed crash during a race in the US last month. The four-time IndyCar series winner spent five days in hospital after suffering concussion, a fractured vertebrae and a broken ankle in the last-lap crash at the Grand Prix of Houston in Texas. Franchitti, originally from Bathgate, West Lothian, said he had taken the decision based on medical advice.

DoE releases charging station and alterative fuel locator mobile app

Whether you drive a Tesla Model S, a Nissan Leaf, or a CNG-powered Ford F-150, there is now an app that drivers of all electric and alternative fuels will find useful. The Department of Energy has just released a mobile app version of its Alternative Fueling Statin Locator, available for download at the iTunes store, that will allow users to find public and private electric charging stations and alternative-fuel station all across the nation. The app displays different types of refueling stations, including biodiesel, CNG, electric, ethanol, hydrogen, LNG, and propane.

Commute times increasing

COMMUTING times are starting to creep up after falling back during the recession, a new study has shown. Research by the TUC union revealed that men in their early 40s spend longest getting to and from work, at an average of more than 67 minutes a day. Commute times for women peak in their late 20s at 54 minutes and then start to fall as they get older, said the report.

Updated 2014 Chrysler 300S to debut at LA Auto Show

The Chrysler 300 is getting a few upgrades for 2014, and it will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. To start, audiophiles -- or at least fans of a particular brand of headphones -- will be pleased to hear that the 2014 Chrysler 300S bolsters sound quality with Beats by Dr. Dre.

Tokyo Motor Show 2013 preview guide

Next week is a busy week in the world of international motor shows, as both the LA Motor Show 2013 and Tokyo Motor Show 2013 kick off with press days on 20-21 November. MSN Cars will on the ground at both shows – but here are the cars and concepts that already have us excited about the Tokyo event. The Tokyo Motor Show is Japan’s premier motoring salon, and is located at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition centre, 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo.

Electric paint that lights up!

Walking through the lobby between the North and Central Halls at SEMA we saw a more or less standard customized motorcycle. Then we saw it light up! Not with a light shining on it, and not with neon lights shining under it.

Police advocate 'role reversal' for cyclists and truckers

BRITAIN’S most senior police officer has advocated a scheme to improve cyclists' and lorry drivers' understanding of each other's needs on the road following a spate of deaths. Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said drivers and cyclists need to think about how they use the road. Speaking on LBC 97.3, he said: "It's a tragedy that we've had so many deaths in the last few days.

BMW i8 to cost from £99,895

BMW has revealed its new i8 petrol-electric range-extender supercar will cost from £99,895 – and dealers are already taking pre-orders for the 155mph, 113mpg coupe. The high-performance i8 will be the second BMW i car to go on sale, following the launch of the i3 electric city car which goes on sale in BMW dealers this weekend. BMW i8 stars at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show BMW i8 review (2013 prototype) The near-£100,000 price tag for the 362hp car means it costs nearly £6,000 more than the 560hp BMW M6 Coupe – although as it is a 2+2, comparisons can also be drawn with the BMW M6 Gran Coupe: the i8 costs just over £2,000 more.

British Honda engineers get green light from Japan

Honda UK’s small UK vehicle engineering centre is all set to grow in size and importance following approval from Japanese bosses. The British car development base supports Honda’s main European development centre in Frankfurt but has been taking on increasing responsibility in recent years. Honda Civic Tourer prototype review (2013 onwards) Honda Civic review (2012 onwards) Success here, said a Honda spokesman, has meant Japanese management feels it can hand over more responsibility to the small Swindon centre.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Final Edition confirmed for LA and Tokyo

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed its SLS AMG supercar will bow out at the 2013 LA and Tokyo Motor Shows with a limited-numbers GT Final Edition. The 350 examples of the SLS AMG GT Final Edition available are said to represent the ‘last opportunity’ for interested buyers to purchase an SLS before it gets pensioned off – perhaps in favour of a newer, smaller AMG-built sports car. On Bing: see pictures of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Final EditionMercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Coupe review (2013 onwards) Like the numbers, details about the SLS Final Edition are also limited at this stage, with this initial teaser release confirming little more than its motor show debuts.

Subaru Legacy concept (2013) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 15 November 2013 16:45 This is the new Subaru Legacy concept car, which will be displayed at the Los Angeles motor show later in November 2013. Usually, we’re pretty wary of styling concepts, given how much poetic license they allow designers, before their sexy, swooping designs are diluted to meet crash and aerodynamic benchmarks. This Legacy’s design theme is its trademark ‘Symmetrical All-wheel drive’ system.

LA Motor Show 2013 preview guide

According to the show's organisers, the 2013 LA Motor Show is the 'mother of all shows' - how wonderfully American! It runs from 20 November to 1 December at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and although it's not the biggest motor show on Earth, it does boast a fair number of world debuts and 'first reveals' – many of which we’ve rounded up in the following gallery. Tickets cost $10 (£6.22) during the week and $12 (£7.47) at weekends.

Designer Paul Smith launches exhibition

DESIGN GURU Sir Paul Smith has given a glimpse into his world with a re-creation of his office forming part of a new exhibition dedicated to his work. The fashion star takes centre-stage at the Design Museum in London for the next four months with items from his vast archive on display. Sir Paul was at the launch today, posing alongside colourful life-size cardboard cut-outs and showing off sketches, designs and other paraphernalia from his lengthy career as one of Britain's best-known creative forces.

RSPB adopts electric car technology

THE RSPB is moving to reduce its carbon footprint by taking delivery of a new Renault Zoe electric car. The white-painted Zoe will join a Kangoo Z.E. at the charity’s Bedfordshire base, with another of the all-electric Kangoos based in London.

Briefs all in for Car Design Awards China 2014

It's exactly a month since the fifth annual Car Design Awards China's launch and we're pleased to announce all the briefs are in. Created to discover the latest crop of Chinese design talent, this year's contest – open to full-time students studying a design discipline of any kind in China – features briefs from Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Geely, JAC, Qoros and UD Trucks. Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz has asked participants to study the average Chinese family, their lifestyle and habits and design the most suitable Mercedes-Benz car concept imaginable for them in the future.

ABT Sportsline introduces 700 hp Audi RS6 Avant

Hot on the heels of their appearance at SEMA and their announcement to open a location in the U.S., the German tuning firm ABT Sportsline has unveiled two new versions of the Audi RS6 Avant, dubbed the ABT Power S and ABT Power. Apparently, ABT Sportsline felt that the 560 hp output of the stock 4.0-liter TFSI-engined Audi RS6 Avant wasn't enough, and tuned the ABT Power S version to produce 700 hp. That's a 25 percent increase in power over the stock version.

Porsche Macan teased on video again – and a glimpse of the interior

A glimpse of the new Porsche Macan’s interior. There won’t be very much we don’t know about the new Porsche Macan – the ‘baby’ Cayenne – by the time it’s revealed next week. We’ve already had teases for the Macan in both photos and video, and Porsche has released yet another teaser video today of the new Macan on the track at Weissach .

Lincoln MKC Revealed. It’s NOT a titivated Ford Kuga/Escape, say Ford

The production version of the Lincoln MKC Compact SUV (pictured) has been revealed When Ford divested itself of its premier marques – Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover – it left it with little wriggle room to compete in anything but the mainstream car market. Ford in Europe is trying to address that by launching ‘Vignale’ badged cars which promise to offer more ‘Premium quality’ than its mainstream models, and Ford in the US is doing the same thing by trying to reinvent the Lincoln badge as the answer to German premium models. Step forward the new Lincoln MKC, the production version of the Lincoln MKC Concept we saw at the Detroit Auto Show in January..

Honda confirms 'mobile desk chair'

HONDA has announced details for a new version of its existing Uni-Cub ‘personal mobility solution’ – essentially a powered office chair. The Uni-Cub β is a development of the initial concept that appeared in 2012 as a bizarre solution to mobility around typical office-based work environments, although it would seem that no one at Honda had considered that humans have legs for that. It uses an omni-directional driving wheel system derived from Honda’s research into humanoid robots like the well-known ASIMO, allowing it to move in any direction according to the weight shifts of its user.

Young drivers risking lives by 'neglecting eyesight'

ONE IN SEVEN young drivers put themselves and other road users in danger because of poor vision and problems with their eyesight, according to a new study. The survey, conducted on behalf of thinkaboutyoureyes.co.uk found that those in the 18-24 age bracket were far more likely than older drivers to have problems driving because of bad vision. While more than half of drivers over 55 are required to wear glasses or corrective lenses when driving compared to just a third of young drivers, almost one in ten young drivers believe they actually probably should be wearing glasses when they drive.

Subaru Legacy Concept heading for Los Angeles Auto Show

The new Subaru Legacy Concept (pictured) is heading for Los Angeles Auto Show The Subaru Legacy is a more than decent car – and very appealing – but it’s not the most stylish looking car. But that could soon change if the new Subaru Legacy Concept – revealed today ahead of a debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week – is anything to go by. The front end is very ‘in yer face’ with a big hexagonal grill and ‘Hawk-Eye’ headlights, with big flared wheel arches hinting at decent power – and four wheel drive – and a character line running upwards along the side from the back of the front wheel arches to the tail.

Spied: Jaguar F-Type Coupe ahead of LA Motor Show debut

These are the clearest images yet of Jaguar’s new F-Type Coupe, set to be unveiled next week at the LA Motor Show and due on sale in the UK by spring 2014. The car was spotted wearing a camouflage wrap by a car-mad teenager in a supermarket car park in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, a short drive from Jaguar’s headquarters near Coventry.

FAB1 Rolls-Royce Ghost for Classic Motor Show

The FAB1 Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended Wheelbase is no stranger to us at MSN Cars. Our esteemed managing editor, Tim Pollard, once spent some time in it, hobnobbing with the likes of Chris Evans, James May, Gary Barlow and Brian Cox. Back then it was on its way from Land’s End to John O’Groats, helping to launch a campaign aimed at raising £1 million for Breast Cancer Care.

Tesla Models S UK price announced

Tesla has opened its first UK car dealership at the Westfield Shopping Centre in White City, London. At the opening of the premises, the American premium electric vehicle manufacturer confirmed its Model S saloon will cost £49,900 in the UK, with delivery of the first cars targeted for the end of March 2014. On Bing: see pictures of the Tesla Model S Find out how much a used Tesla costs on Auto Trader Tesla Motors’ co-founder and chief executive officer Elon Musk was at the event hosted specially for UK customers, and hinted at future plans for the brand in Britain: “Tesla is taking the UK market very seriously, and there are more stores and service centres to come.

Starr Trust urges car donations

A CHARITY that helps young people in the Brighton area achieve their goals is asking the public to donate old cars as part of a fundraising drive. The Starr Trust has teamed up with Giveacar, a non-profit social enterprise which collects unwanted and unused cars for charity. Cars are collected free of charge nationwide by Giveacar then sold through an online auction or disposed of at an authorised treatment facility.

New Ford Ka city car concept revealed

Ford’s Ka city car was a revelation when it was introduced back in 1996. It offered cheap thrills thanks to a sweet little chassis, and fresh styling compared to contemporary compact hatchbacks. Now, the Ka legend is moving onto its third generation with this, the 2013 Ford Ka concept – "a cleverly designed and fuel-efficient new choice for urban consumers," according to Ford.