Mercedes GLA goes subterranean

FOR SUV owners looking to test their cars’ off-road credentials, the obvious place to put them to the test probably isn’t nearly 200 metres underground. But that’s exactly where the new Mercedes GLA found itself as it descended into Winsford Rock Salt Mine, 620 feet beneath the Cheshire countryside. The working mine, which supplies much of the UK’s gritting salt for wintry roads, played host to four standard (apart from extra driving lights) GLA models, which were lowered down into the mine nose first before being let loose in the 130-mile network of tunnels.

Video: GM's Clay Dean on the future of urban mobility

Clay Dean is the star of a new Faces of GM video, Anticipating the Driving Experience of the Future. The global design director for GM's Advanced Design Group, whose job also entails exploring future transportation design solutions, talks about the need to avoid short-term thinking on urban mobility, as by 2030 60 percent of the world's population will live in cities. As new challenges start to emerge, such as increasing congestion, Dean believes it is time to start thinking about transportation in a completely different way.

Kia KND-4 Concept (2007): first official pictures

By Jack Carfrae First Official Pictures 10 April 2007 11:16 KND-4 concept: the lowdown Kia has lifted the lid on its latest concept car, the KND-4 crossover. Painted in lime green paint and sporting deep-dished, 20-inch alloys, it’s not what you’d call subtle. There’s not much chance of seeing the KND-4 parked on your local Kia dealer's forecourt, though - this is very much a design project to showcase the company’s direction for its 4x4s.