Brake Carrier Plate Rear Axle Right Black 05-12 4704309010- on 2040-parts.com

Forget high beams -- lasers are coming

Audi has kicked off 2014 with the unveiling of an updated version of its Sport quattro concept car -- as first revealed at last year's Frankfurt motor show. Set to underpin the German carmaker's stand at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the latest incarnation of the bullish-looking two-door coupe showcases distinctively styled matrix LED headlamps with new laser light technology that, Audi officials suggest, will soon begin appearing on regular production models as a high-cost option. Already confirmed for the Audi R18 that will compete at the Le Mans 24-hour race later this year, the new headlamps use matrix LEDs and an aperture mask for low-beam mode.

For new CAFE rules, automakers place high-stakes tech bets

Game-changing 2015 fuel economy rules are forcing vehicle development teams to make high-stakes bets on expensive technologies--bets that will separate the winners from the also-rans. Not only do federal rules target a 2015 fleet average of 35.5 mpg, up from the current 27.5 mpg for cars and 23.1 mpg for light trucks; they force automakers to bet on different technology packages for each vehicle segment. Companies that do best at mixing technologies while keeping down costs will have an advantage when buyers wince at higher stickers.

McLaren P1: New photos & video of production P1

The McLaren P1 production car pictured hot weather testing We’ve had a surprising amount of McLaren P1 news in the last couple of weeks, with a claimed lap time at the Nurburgring that didn’t quite meet expectation, P1 customer Jay Leno getting to grips with the P1 at the Top Gear track  and the news that the P1 is all but sold out. Now, with the first P1s getting close to delivery (McLaren are about to start building customer cars at the rate of one a day), McLaren has released photos and video from their final stint of hot weather testing in the US, with a completely undisguised, production version P1. McLaren have been in the west of the US, where temperatures reach 52 degrees, putting the P1 through its paces in extreme heat in California, Nevada and Arizona, both on the road and at the Willow Springs International Raceway in California, just to be sure it doesn’t melt in the sun.