Q by Aston Martin – wonder where they got that name from?

Q by Aston Martin - whatever you want Aston Martin has revealed a new customisation programme for their cars – Q by Aston Martin – which debuts at Geneva. Q by Aston Martin is AML’s latest ploy to garner more revenue from their cars, and is said to bring together Aston Martin designers, engineers and craftsmen (and women, no doubt) to offer buyers of Aston Martins the ultimate choice in personalisation and customisation. The photos of some of the possibilities Aston Martin sent us do show the sort of modifications we would often take the michael out of.

First Sight: Mercedes-AMG GT

“If I was to buy any sports car that wasn't a Mercedes, it'd be a Porsche 911,” says Mercedes' head of design, Gorden Wagener. “But when you see the two cars together, we think ours has the edge.” He's talking about the new Mercedes-AMG GT, a front-mid engined, two-seater sports car that's unashamedly aimed at higher-end 911s, and we've come to see it at Mercedes' Sindelfingen studio.  The GT replaces the larger SLS, and is seen by Wagener as the best example yet of his 'sensual purity' design philosophy: “The SLS is very much [he gestures] line, line with a surface in between. With the GT we started with the surface and worked to refine and reduce the number of lines.” Elements of the SLS's platform have been carried over, so the GT measures the same 1,939mm wide.

Toyota Auris Hybrid, Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Land Cruiser and iQ (2009): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 02 September 2009 13:25 Toyota has announced its line-up for the 2009 Frankfurt motor show – and it’ll be led by a new hybrid version of the Auris hatchback. The Hybrid Synergy Drive tech from the Prius has squeezed under the bonnet of the Auris to make a new, cleaner hatch and extend the Japanese firm’s lead in petrol-electric tech. It won’t be just a battery-powered Auris on show, however.