Crown Automotive 4874302 Axle Shaft on 2040-parts.com

New Mazda6 teased in video

The new Mazda 6 – previewed by the Takeri Concept and due to arrive at the Paris Motor Show in September - gets its first tease from Mazda. It’s probably fair to say that we have a pretty good idea what the 2013 Mazda6 is going to look like. Mazda has been trailing the new Mazda6 with the Mazda Takeri Concept – which had a recent outing at the Geneva Motor Show in March – but now we get the first tease of what is definitely the Mazda6 and not the Takeri in a video from Mazda.

New Audi e-Tron at Detroit – the ‘Compact’ e-Tron

Audi has revealed a compact version of the e-Tron at the Detroit Motor Show Audi brought along the first Audi e-Tron to the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Looking like an electric version of the Audi R8, it managed to steal some of the thunder from BMW’s Vision ED concept . Most notable was the stratospheric torque figures Audi quoted, which ultimately turned out to be somewhat disingenuous.

Toyota's global design chief Tokuo Fukuichi appointed president of Lexus

Toyota's global design chief Tokuo Fukuichi will be the first designer to sit on the company's board of directors when his appointment comes into effect on 1 April. Fukuichi will retain his position as global head of design for the Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands and will join the board after the general shareholders' meeting. His influence on Toyota's design direction over the last few years has been noticeable, particularly with Lexus, as the company strives to make its traditionally very conservative products a little more exciting.