Blog on 2040Parts

30% of drivers would do a runner after a parking scrape

Almost a third of drivers would consider leaving the scene of an accident if only minor damage was caused – while another 4% said they’d do a runner even after a more serious collision. The shocking stats come from a survey of over 2,000 people commissioned by ContractHireAndLeasing.com. The world’s weirdest car crashes revealed Cheapest cars to insure for 17-18 year olds The results show that honesty amongst drivers varies depending on their age and location.

Hyundai i20 (2015): the first design renderings

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 01 August 2014 04:30 Hyundai today issued this pair of design renderings of the new i20, revealing a supermini with even more aspirations to be German. With shades of mini Golf in both the front and rear design sketches, the new 2015 Hyundai i20 looks more European than ever. This, of course, should come as no surprise, since the new i20 has been styled at Hyundai Motor’s Design Centre Europe in Rüsselsheim, Germany.

Citroen DS3 Cabrio DStyle by Benefit is the latest DS 3 Special Edition – costs £18,745

The Citroen DS3 Cabrio DStyle by Benefit We have to assume that Citroen see the DS3 Cabrio as a proper ‘Girly’ car as they’ve teamed up with Benefit Cosmetics to create a Special edition DS3 Cabrio inspired by their Stay Flawless Primer - the Citroen DS3 Cabrio DStyle by Benefit. With that in mind, you won’t be shocked to learn that the DS3 Cabrio by Benefit is all about the looks, and there’s nothing new going on under the skin, just the VT1 120 1.6 litre petrol engine with a five-speed manual gearbox good for 0-62mph in 9.9 seconds. Those tweaks to the looks of the DS3 Cabrio include a Polar White paint job with a black fabric folding roof and Fuchsia Pink for the door mirrors and alloy centres, with Benefit’s ‘Gabbi’s Head’ logo on the B-Pillars and on a Fuchsia Pink badge at the back.

UK drivers fear 'black box' tech in cars

EUROPEAN UNION plans to install ‘black box’ technology in all new cars from 2015 have met with an overwhelming ‘no’ from UK drivers. The EU regulations will see e-Call fitted to all new cars sold from November 2015. The e-Call technology automatically contacts the emergency services in the event of a collision and could save 2500 lives on the roads of Europe every year.

How South America designed the Ford Ka

The Ka Concept was shown at the São Paulo auto show in Brazil in November 2013, and was revealed in production form last week. It marks the first time the Ka has reflected the broader brand homogeneity of the 'One Ford' design strategy, and continues the Ka's shift in direction from the distinctive original.The new car is the work of Ford's South American design studio in Camaçari, Brazil - its second 'One Ford' car, following the EcoSport. But while the crossover enters a new segment, the 17-year history of the Ka nameplate in Brazil gives an insight into how the demands of the local market have taken precedence over design iconicity.

Most drivers say no to toll roads

RADICAL Government proposals to privatise some roads in the UK and for companies to charge a toll have been rejected by drivers. Seventy-seven per cent of drivers say they would avoid toll roads and use another route to avoid paying to drive on a road. The government is considering handing over the running of some roads to private companies as part of the Infrastructure Bill as recommended in the Cook Report.

Mercedes E-class (2015) gets new nine-speed transmission

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 31 July 2014 12:45 If you thought car transmissions were racing to challenge mountain bikes, wait until you see the new 2015 model year Mercedes E-class. Daimler today confirmed the revised E-class will get the company’s nine-speed automatic transmission on the E350 Bluetec diesel. The Mercedes 9G-Tronic gearbox has an epically long top gear, all the better to reduce fuel consumption and emissions for E-class owners.

Toyota’s production hydrogen car will be the Toyota Mirai

It looks like this is the Toyota Mirai Toyota are planning to join what looks set to be a bit of a rush by car makers to introduce mainstream hydrogen fuel cell cars with a production version of the Toyota FCV Concept. That production FCV was from Toyota revealed in June, but it didn’t have a name. But it seems, at least according to a report from Bloomberg, that it will be the Toyota Mirai.

Family wins £10,000 Volkswagen from local garage

A HORSHAM family is gearing up for a memorable summer in the sunshine after beating thousands of motorists across the UK to win a Volkswagen car worth a cool £10,000. James Bancroft and his family won the Bridgestone-led competition after driving in to his local Elite Garage on Brighton Road in Horsham for a new set of tyres. Three weeks after James texted his details as part of the Bridgestone sales campaign, he was told that he’d beaten more than 2,000 fellow hopefuls across the UK to win a Volkswagen Up hatchback.

Elon Musk to appear in an episode of The Simpsons

By Tim Pollard Motoring Issues 31 July 2014 09:29 Tesla chief Elon Musk is to appear in popular TV animation The Simpsons, the show’s executive producer has revealed. In a tweet this week, Al Jean said Musk would be in the first of 11 episodes of the next series of The Simpsons, the long-running comedy now entering its 26th season. For a man who’s already founded internet payment facility Paypal, launched Tesla Motors and backing space exploration firm SpaceX, an appearance on The Simpsons is probably just another day in the office for Musk.

Car insurance price fall is 'last hurrah'

THE PRICE of car insurance premiums is plunging, according to the AA. Average premiums fell 19.3% in the year ending June 30 2014 - the largest 12-month decrease since the AA index started 20 years ago. But the AA warned this could be the "last hurrah" for cheaper premiums and said the number of claims remained "stubbornly high" despite Government reforms to curb fraudulent injury claims.

Poll Reveals Dishonesty Of Drivers Causing Damage

A NEW poll, commissioned by ContractHireAndLeasing.com, has found that a worrying 30% say they would consider leaving the scene of an accident after only causing minor damage. If that doesn’t sound bad enough, 4% said they would leave even if extensive damage was caused. The research also showed that honesty among drivers varies extensively between age, location and income groups.

Goodwood Revival To Honour Iconic Maserati 250F

SEPTEMBER will see the organisers of the popular Goodwood Revival mark 60 years of one of Formula 1’s most iconic machines, the Maserati 250F. One of the highlights of the historic race meeting will be one of the largest ever on-track collections of the car at the September 12-14 event. As many as 16 examples of the 250F are expected to take part in the Richmond Trophy, which this year will feature 2.5-litre, front-engined grand prix cars of a kind that raced from 1954 to 1960.

Fans get chance to drive with Top Gear's The Stig

FANS OF BBC hit Top Gear will be able to experience the white-knuckle thrill of spinning round the programme's test track driven by The Stig, as well as driving laps themselves. The corporation's commercial arm BBC Worldwide is allowing viewers to be in the driving - or passenger - seat by launching a series of high-speed attractions at Dunsfold Park in Surrey, at which the programme is filmed. They can follow in the tyre tracks of celebrities such as Tom Cruise or Benedict Cumberbatch by trying out the "star in a reasonably priced car" course in a Kia Cee'd, just like those used on the BBC2 programme under the eye of a professional driver.

Diesel fumes linked to illnesses

DIESEL exhaust fumes have been linked to a range of illnesses and long term health conditions from heart disease to diabetes. The fumes are a complex mixture of gases and fine particles containing contaminants including microscopic particles less than one-fifth the thickness of a human hair and small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream. Over a long period of the time, exposure to the fumes can raise the risk of potentially deadly blood clots and increase the risk of stroke by narrowing the arteries that carry blood to the brain.

Road users wary of driverless cars

ROAD USERS will be wary of the introduction of driverless cars, motoring groups said today. The AA said Business Secretary Vince Cable was today expected to confirm that the first trials of driverless cars would start in January 2015. But AA president Edmund King said that a recent AA/ Populus survey of more than 23,000 AA members showed that 43% did not agree that UK legislation should be amended to even allow trials of the technology.

Brits taking risks abroad

THOUSANDS of British drivers risk breaking down or paying an expensive repair bill while on holiday in Europe. More than a quarter of UK drivers head to the continent without checking their car or having it serviced in preparation for a long journey. The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) found 33% of drivers make no effort to check their car, motorbike or motorhome before going on holiday.

New Discovery Sport Teases Seven-Seat Cabin

LAND ROVER has dropped the biggest hint yet as to the role its new Discovery Sport model will play in the firm’s line-up, with a cheeky nod to the car’s seating layout. Making the unusual point of drawing attention to its prototype cars with dramatic camouflage, the latest set of graphics to adorn the premium compact SUV show an illustration of a third row of seats. This nod to family-centric buyers should ensure plenty of pre-launch interest, as seven-seat cars in this sector of the market are the exception rather than the norm.

Autonomous cars on British roads by January 2015 – Vince Cable

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 30 July 2014 09:18 The British government today announced new laws to allow autonomous cars on UK roads by 2015, prompting a review of the Highway Code and new legal measures to make sure driverless cars comply with current motoring law. Business secretary Vince Cable attended an event at the motor industry test facility at MIRA in the Midlands to unveil the measures, which include a £10 million regional fund for cities to apply to become a driverless car test area. Up to three cities will be selected to share the funding for trials that are expected to last between 18-36 months.

Toyota GT86 CS-R3 rally car (2014): first official photos

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 30 July 2014 17:00 It’s hard not to be a fan of the Toyota GT86. What’s not to like about a back-to-basics sports coupe with all the robustness of a Toyota and the brio of a junior Cayman? So our eyes were opened wide when we saw this – the new GT86 CS-R3 rally car, with extra raw fun dialed in.

Seven seats for new 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport

The new 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport – the car that will replace the British firm’s Freelander small SUV – will feature third-row seating. As a result, the Disovery Sport will be more practical than the car it replaces, offering room for seven people in a “5+2” seating arrangement.   2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport: seven seats as standard Land Rover has confirmed the third row of seats will be fitted as standard in the UK, as highlighted by the new prototype vehicle’s clever camouflage wrap.

Range Rover Sport SVR the fastest SUV around the Nurburgring

By Tim Pollard Motoring Issues 30 July 2014 11:35 In a questionable bout of willy-waving, Land Rover today announced one of the most pointless speed records we’ve yet heard: the new Range Rover Sport SVR became the fastest production SUV around the Nurburgring. The breathed-over RR SVR lapped the Nordschleife in 8min 14sec, spelling out the performance credentials of the fastest ever Land Rover. The record was set by a standard production SVR, which will be unveiled sans disguise later this summer.

2015 Range Rover Sport SVR sets SUV Nurburgring lap record

Land Rover Land Rover claims that the 2015 Range Rover Sport SVR has set a new Nurburgring lap record for the fastest production 4x4, lapping the challenging German track in just 8 minutes and 14 seconds. First revealed at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed last month, the Range Rover Sport SVR is a super-SUV, Land Rover’s fastest and most powerful production car ever. Range Rover Sport SVR: engine, power and performance Under the SVR’s bonnet is a tuned version of the regular Range Rover Sport V8’s 5.0-litre supercharged engine, tweaked to produce a colossal 550hp – a 40hp increase over the next most powerful model in the range.

Jaguar XE S revealed in Jaguar’s ‘Feel XE’ Project launch

Jaguar XE S revealed in Jaguar’s ‘Feel XE’ Project launch Jaguar Land Rover has taken to the ‘celebrity launch’ with a vengeance in recent years, enlisting a wide range of faces from Victoria Beckham (and David in China) to Daniel Craig by way of Lana del Rey and a bunch of acting villains. And they’re at it again with the new Jaguar XE. Jaguar has launched their FEEL XE marketing campaign for the XE today, ahead of its debut in London on 8 September, and are putting the talented Emeli Sandé at the front, although there will also be appearances by Stella McCartney and Idris Elba as the XE campaign progresses.

Range Rover Sport SVR takes on the Nurburgring – and wins (video)

Range Rover Sport SVR takes on the Nurburgring – and wins (video) We’re not sure at what point a car actually becomes a ‘production’ car, but that’s a tag Land Rover are putting on the new Range Rover Sport SVR as it takes to the Nurburgring and comes away with a time of 8 minutes 14 seconds – the fastest by a production SUV. Land Rover are keen to tell us the lap by the RRS SVR was in a standard production car, by which we assume a car that’s built to the specification announced for the Sport SVR when it arrives next year. That means the full fat 542bhp from its 5.0 litre V8 and performance that is clearly impressive, although Land Rover still hasn’t given us specific performance figures, and certainly enough - together with suspension tweaks – to make it very impressive on road.

Fiat 500L Vans Design Concept – what happens when a trainer firm designs a car

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 29 July 2014 10:48 Fiat has a record of letting fashion labels design its cars. Just look at the Fiat 500 special editions by Gucci, GQ and Tracey Emin. So it should come as no surprise that the Italians have let trainer company Vans have a go at making its podgy 500L a bit cooler.

Rock Legend Swaps Microphone For Classic Racing Mini

NOT content with belting out hard rock tunes, AC/DC front man Brian Johnson will son be charging around Croft racing circuit at the wheel of a classic Mini. The rock great is scheduled to compete at Croft’s Nostalgia Weekend (2-3 August), which the circuit is describing as an irresistible blend of fast cars, wheel-to-wheel racing, vintage music and dress. Johnson will take to the circuit in the Historic Touring Cars class behind the wheel of a 1964 Mini Cooper that he purchased late last year after driving it in his television series ‘Cars That Rock With Brian Johnson’.

Boris planning war on diesel car drivers – London Mayor wants drivers of diesel cars to pay more

Boris wants to charge diesel cars an extra £10 to enter London We’ve long banged on about the nonsense of basing the cost of motoring on the Co2 emissions of cars, and it seems the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, also realises that Co2-based taxation has led to a real pollution problem. As we reported as far back as 2010, petrol cars – certainly before the introduction of Euro 6 emissions recently – are far cleaner than diesel cars when it comes to the sort of stuff that really matters – NoX and particulates. And the problem has been exacerbated by basing car taxation on Co2 emissions as lower Co2 levels have been much easier for car makers to achieve on diesel engines, which is why diesel-engined cars now account for around 50 per cent of all cars sold in the UK.

New Land Rover Discovery Sport to get 7 seats – and they’re (almost) revealed

The Land Rover Discovery Sport shows it 7-seat layout We already know that the Land Rover Discovery Sport will be replacing the Freelander in Land Rover’s range next year as the first in a family of Discovery models from Land Rover. It seemed likely that the new Discovery Sport would come with five seats as standard but with as even seat option to add another dimension, but Land Rover has decided it is going to offer 7 seats as standard, setting it apart from the competition in the ‘Premium’ sector. Land Rover are busy running prototypes of the new Discovery Sport, and to ram home the point that the new Discovery Sport is more flexible than its competition they’ve covered it in camouflage that looks like the skin of the car has been peeled back to show the 7-seat (well, 5+2) arrangement inside.

Land Rover Discovery Sport (2015) to be a seven-seater

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 29 July 2014 16:29 Land Rover has confirmed that the new Discovery Sport will have a third row of seats as standard in the UK. The news means that the Freelander is not only growing into a baby Discovery by name, but also adopting big brother’s seven-seater layout. This handful of official press photos reveals the 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport in an unusual quasi-disguise.