Blog on 2040Parts

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.

Kia Sorento (2015): the first glimpse of third-gen SUV

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 29 July 2014 09:52 This is the new, third-generation Kia Sorento coming in 2015 – and it’s set to get a dose of the style bestowed upon its Sportage little sister. Only this pair of shadowy teaser photographs has been issued ahead of the new Sorento’s debut in Korea at the end of August. But this is a global car and will be shown at the 2014 Paris motor show too in October, ahead of UK sales in spring 2015.

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.

Supermarkets cut fuel prices

LATE SUMMER driving will be less expensive following supermarket fuel price cuts. From tomorrow Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco are all reducing the cost of their petrol and diesel by 2p a litre. In Asda's case, the reduction means its customers will pay no more than 126.7p a litre for petrol, with diesel being 129.7p a litre - its lowest price since January 2011.

Passengers are the biggest distraction

THE BIGGEST DISTRACTION for drivers is other people in the car. Adult passengers are the most distracting, with 18% of drivers saying they have had a near miss or crashed because of their attention being drawn away by someone else in the car. A survey by the AA found adjusting the radio was the second biggest distraction, with 16% of drivers admitting they had narrowly avoided a collision or been in a crash while fiddling with the radio.

Diesel drivers 'pollution penalty'

DRIVERS OF DIESEL CARS could have to pay more in road tax or face additional levies to travel into city centres in an effort to tackle pollution, it is reported. Major cities around the UK are considering bringing in low emission zones to force out older diesel vehicles that are responsible for higher levels of fumes, The Times said. Almost all diesel vehicles driven into central London will trigger a £10 charge under plans being considered by mayor Boris Johnson, who will also reportedly lobby the Government to increase road tax on diesel cars to encourage motorists to move to cleaner vehicles.

Audi A3 Sportback e-tron price and specs – costs £34,950

Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (pictured) costs £34,950 If governments are going to base car taxation on Co2 emissions, then car makers are going to build cars that ‘game’ the official tests. A perfect example of which is the new Audi A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid. It’s expensive at £34,950 (although the government bribe for plug-ins does drop the price you pay to £29,950), but thanks to its ‘up to 31 miles’ range on battery power only it comes complete with official economy of 176.6 mpg and emissions of 37g/km.

Driving licence costs to be cut by almost a third

The cost of a driving licence is going down Actually the cost of applying foe a driving licence is a drop in the ocean compared with just about every other motoring cost, but the news that the Government are planning to cut the cost of anything is always welcome news. The Roads Minister, Stephen Hammond, has announced that the Government is planning to cut the cost of applying for your first driving licence from £50 to £34 if you process your application digitally and by 15 per cent if you do a paper application. That will also see the 10 year renewal of photo licences fall from £20 to £14 and driver tachograph card – for commercial drivers – will also drop from £38 to £32.

Weird car show celebrates humdrum 'classics'

CAN THE ordinary ultimately become cool? There was one group of left-field car enthusiasts at the weekend whose answer is an emphatic ‘yes’. Close to the Silverstone Classic event, where thousands of rare and desirable cars strutted their stuff for the big crowds, another event was being hosted to celebrate some of the most ordinary cars ever made.

Drink Drive Message Failing As One In 15 Fail Breath-Tests

ROAD safety charity Brake has issued an appeal to the public to not drink and drive this summer and all year-round, as figures from the Association of Chief Police Officer's (ACPO) summer drink drive enforcement campaign, show one in 15 of those breath-tested were over the limit. During the national campaign, which ran from 1 June to 30 June, 63,688 breath tests were administered, of which 4,108 (6.5%, or one in 15) were failed or refused. This is 1.3% more than during the 2013 campaign.

Drivers feeling the squeeze on parking

MOTORISTS are feeling the squeeze on parking - with rising charges and fewer and smaller spaces, according to the RAC. As many as four in five drivers have reported increasing parking charges in towns and cities. And 67% of those drivers believed there was now less parking close to their town or city centre and that parking restrictions had become more stringent where they live.

The Designers, Pt.12 – Ed Welburn, General Motors

Car Design News launched its first-ever Car Design Review yearbook at the Geneva Motor Show, featuring the award-winning Production Car and Concept Car Designs of 2013. If you're interested in buying a copy of the 160-page yearbook this interview appears in, alongside trend reports, bespoke car design infographics and a special feature on Marcello Gandini, our inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Car Design Review can be purchased here. Name Ed WelburnRole General Motors VP global designAge, nationality 63, USLocation Michigan, USAEducation Howard University "From a car-design-industry perspective, 2013 was good but not great.

New Aston Martin Lagonda super saloon confirmed

Aston Martin has confirmed the return of the famous Lagonda badge on a new car. But it won’t be a production version of the controversial Lagonda SUVconcept that appeared at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Instead Aston Martin is to build a bespoke "super saloon" as an exclusive limited edition.

British drivers shun autonomous cars in new survey

Google autonomous car: most British adults remain sceptical By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 28 July 2014 14:14 A quarter of British adults fear autonomous cars will be unsafe - and 56% would never buy a driverless car, it was claimed today. The survey by Churchill Car Insurance reveals that entrenched attitudes in Great Britain put the new generation of autonomous cars at a disadvantage before they’ve even turned a wheel on British roads. Google is leading the charge towards autonomous driving, but most major car manufacturers are also dabbling in driverless cars.

Driving licence charges set to fall

DRIVING LICENCE fees are to fall, with larger reductions for those who carry out online transactions, the Government has announced. The plans, which are to be consulted on, envisage drivers who apply online for their first driving licence would see the fee drop from £50 to £34. Drivers who renew their licence after 10 years would see the fee drop from £20 to £14.

£2m McLaren P1 GTR for Pebble Beach

McLaren McLaren will show its new P1 GTR – pictured here for the first time in an official teaser shot above – at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance car show next month. The P1 GTR will feature a number of circuit-biased modifications – including a 1,000hp engine – and will cost £1.98 million. McLaren P1 GTR: track-focused modifications The GTR is based on McLaren’s P1 hybrid hypercar, itself designed not to be the fastest, but the most focused, involving and advanced driver’s car there is.

Hungarian Grand Prix (2014): RESULT

Hungarian Grand Prix (2014): RESULT What a difference a year makes – in 2013 Lewis Hamilton was on pole for the Hungarian Grand Prix, but this year, after a car fire in qualifying, Hamilton starts from the pit lane as his team mate, Nico Rosberg, starts from pole in Hungary. Did Lewis manage to win? No, but he managed third place behind Ricciardo and Alonso and beat Rosberg, who finished fourth in one of the best F1 races there’s been.

First BMW i8 for US to be auctioned at Pebble Beach

The Frozen Grey BMW i8 for Pebble Beach The other end of the scale from BMW’s i3 City Car is the BMW i8 Supercar and, despite its modest 1.5 litre range-extender engine for its electric propulsion it seems to offer proper borderline supercar performance. With just an estimated 500 BMW i8s heading for the US this year, BMW has decided it would be a bit of a wheeze to produce a one-off i8 for the US market to plonk in Gooding and Co’s auction at Pebble Beach in August to give one lucky American buyer the chance to jump the queue for the i8 and inject some funds in to Pebble. So they’ve created a special i8 for Pebble which comes with a Frozen Grey Metallic paint job and a titivated interior with Dalbergia Brown Leather upholstery that’s been dyed using plant extracts – all very ‘Green’ – with BMW i Blue for the stitching and highlights.

Hungarian GP qualifying: Rosberg on pole for Mercedes – Hamilton out of qualifying after car fire

Hungarian GP qualifying: Rosberg (pictured) on pole for Mercedes Lewis Hamilton seems to have had most of the unreliability problems that have hit Mercedes this year, but a fire in his car before he even set a time in qualifying for the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix today in Budapest was a cruel blow to his title chances. Hamilton managed to limp his stricken car in to the pits as flames licked round the back after what appears to have been a fuel leak, but that means Hamilton will start from the back of the grid tomorrow, making it incredibly difficult to get even close to Rosberg who finished qualifying on pole. Behind Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel managed to put the Red Bull in second, with Williams’ Botas in third during a final qualifying that saw rain drench the first corner, nearly claiming Rosberg and sending McLaren’s Magnussen in to the tyre barrier and out of Q3.

Transport networks braced for holiday season

THOUSANDS of travellers are hitting the roads and public transport networks on one of the busiest getaway days of the year as the school summer holidays begin. Temperatures are expected to remain high in the UK, but there is a chance of rain and eager holidaymakers are seizing their first chance to head abroad to even warmer climes. Spain is the number one destination for those hitting continental hotspots, according to travel organisation Abta.

Summer 2014 issue of Interior Motives magazine out now

The summer edition of Car Design News' quarterly interior design publication, Interior Motives magazine, is out now. This issue features in-depth design development articles on the most important concepts from this year's Delhi, Geneva, New York and Beijing auto shows. The cover story is Hyundai's Intrado fuel-cell crossover.

Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations buys world’s biggest British car collection

James Hull’s British car collection – new owned by Jaguar Land Rover News watchers and petrolheads may be aware that the world’s biggest collection of British cars has been up for grabs recently as its owner – cosmetic dental guru James Hull – decided he wanted to see his collection in new, safe hands after a run of health problems. And now it has a new owner. James Hull has sold his entire collection to Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Operations in a deal that secures the collection’s future – and keeps it in the UK – for a price that is doubtless well below the much-vaunted £100 million it’s though to be worth.

McLaren P1 GTR OFFICIALLY previewed – debuts at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

The McLaren P1 GTR (pictured) will debut at Pebble Beach 2014 We learnt last month that McLaren had decided to produce a P1 for the track – a la the Ferrari FXX programme – and in the process revive the GTR moniker from the iconic McLaren F1 GTR to create the new McLaren P1 GTR. Now McLaren are previewing the debut of the P1 GTR at next month’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with a  design sketch of the P1 GTR ahead of its real life reveal in California. Following in the giant steps of the F1 GTR – and those of the road-going P1 – will be no easy task, but what’s on offer certainly offers lots of promise.

McLaren P1 GTR (2015): 986bhp track-only P1 to be unveiled at Pebble Beach

By John Mahoney First Official Pictures 25 July 2014 14:03 McLaren has confirmed it will unveil a track-only version of the P1 supercar at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Friday 16 August2014. Called the P1 GTR, McLaren’s take on the ultimate track day weapon is not street legal and gets 83bhp more than the standard P1, boosting power to 986bhp. The teaser image, released ahead of Pebble Beach, hints at the huge changes engineers have made to the more powerful, tracksuited P1.

Boy, 3, takes family car for a spin

A THREE-YEAR-OLD boy took his family's car for a ride - and drove down two embankments in West Sussex before ending up in a pub garden with just a bumped head. The boy started up the engine to the automatic Subaru Impreza and drove off down the family's long driveway in Henley, near Midhurst. He then carried on, driving down two embankments before ending up in the garden of the nearby 16th Century Duke of Cumberland Arms pub.

Aston Martin confirms Middle East-only Lagonda super-saloon

By John Mahoney Motor Industry 25 July 2014 16:54 Aston Martin has confirmed it will once again make a Lagonda super-saloon - but only for Middle Eastern markets. The details of Aston’s secret plans to resurrect its luxurious nameplate for a small production run of luxury saloons were revealed in the July 2014 issue of CAR following our spy photographer captured a wedgy four-door saloon testing on the roads around Aston Martin’s Gaydon HQ in Warwickshire. The mule we snapped, like the production car set to arrive in 2015, is based on Aston’s familiar VH architecture that underpins the four-door Aston Martin Rapide.

Aston Martin to bring back Lagonda

ASTON MARTIN is bringing back the Lagonda name, with the super saloon being offered for sale by invitation only. To be built at the company's plant at Gaydon in Warwickshire, the new car will be inspired by the Lagonda of 1976. Aston Martin is currently giving no indication of what the new Lagonda will cost other than saying that the price will be "commensurate with the car's exclusivity, quality and luxurious nature".

Free airport parking and transfers for Tesla owners

ELECTRIC car maker Tesla has announced a free parking and airport shuttle service for its customers, based at its new dealership near Heathrow. Model S owners will be able to book the service with the West Drayton Tesla centre, before simply turning up, having their car parked in a secure location and then being taken off to the airport with their luggage – in another Model S. Tesla representatives will also ferry the customers back from the airport terminal to their own car.

Mercedes unveils powerful new AMG 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8

By John Mahoney Motor Industry 25 July 2014 17:09 Mercedes AMG has released details of an all-new 503bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that will help fill the void when the production of its normally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 ends. Lightweight, compact and more efficient than the big 6.2-litre it replaces, the new smaller capacity turbocharged V8 produces 479lb ft from just 1750rpm. The first car to receive the new engine will be the Porsche 911-rivalling Mercedes AMG GT, but other smaller cars like the C63 AMG are also set to benefit from its compact design.

Citroen C1 declared most reliable new car

THE CITROEN C1 supermini was the most reliable new car of 2014, with an impressive reliability rating of 99.3% for the first three years, according to a Which? survey. BMW and Toyota were the best manufacturers, while the Hyundai iX20 diesel was the least reliable car up to three years old, with a score of 75.2%.