C5 A/c Dash Vent on 2040-parts.com

Tesla Model S outselling Chevrolet Volt & Nissan LEAF

Tesla never managed to make any money out of their electric Lotus – the Tesla Roadster – but it does look like they’re on to a winner with their electric  executive saloon, the Tesla Model S. Despite moans that the headline-grabbing sub-$50k Model S was never a reality – and a starting point of $70k – the Model S looks set to outsell the two most successful ‘alternatively fuelled’ cars – the electric Nissan LEAF and the range extender Chevrolet Volt – in the first quarter of 2013. Sales of the electric Nissan LEAF, which costs from $29k in the US, in the first quarter of 2013 were 3,965 units and the Chevrolet Volt, which costs from $40k, sold 4,421 units.

Peugeot 2008 Concept

Peugeot will unveil its new 2008 Concept at next week's Paris motor show, developed by design teams in Paris, Shanghai and Sao Paolo. The automaker has confirmed that the 2008 will go into production; first in France, then China and then Brazil as a global product. It comes after Peugeot displayed its Urban Crossover concept at this year's Beijing auto show, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the 2008.  The 2008 concept, which measures 4,140mm long and 1,730mm wide, is painted matte fluorescent yellow with dark chrome surrounding the now-familar floating grille and the air inlets integrated into the fender.

Ford Cortina: 50 years ago today…

Ford are celebrating 50 years since the first Ford Cortina was launched and changed the car landscape forever. The Ford Cortina went on to sell an impressive 4.3 million during its twenty year life, eventually turning in to the Ford Sierra and then in to the Ford family car of today – the 2013 Ford Mondeo (which, interestingly, can be had with the 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine – smaller even than the 1200cc of that first Cortina). That first Cortina was the start of Ford’s dominance of the UK car market, leading to an unbroken run of 35 years as the best selling car brand with most of the Cortinas, almost 3 million of them, built at Dagenham – in the days Ford actually built cars here.