Datsun Roadster Horns on 2040-parts.com

New Michelin Premier A/S with EverGrip tyres promise better grip when worn and 60,000 miles

New Michelin Premier A/S with EverGrip tyres (pictured) promise better grip when worn and 60,000 miles We all know that tyres for a car don’t seem to last five minutes, and every mile you drive from new makes the tyres less effective. But Michelin reckon they’ve turned that logic on its head with their new Premier A/S with Evergrip. Due to launch in the US in spring – and hopefully the UK and Europe later in the year – the Michelin Premier A/S with EverGrip has new tyre technology that actually improves grip as the tyre wears, and promises 60,000 miles of useful life.

Kia KV7 concept

Kia is clearly keen to grab the last of 2010's headlines by releasing this teaser render of its upcoming concept, the KV7, due to be unveiled at the Detroit auto show. The large crossover appears to preview a replacement for the Korean manufacturer's Borrego. While the exterior's clamshell tailgate, muscular wheelarches and Ford Explorer-aping lamp graphics (from this view, at least) may be directly relative to a production model, it's unlikely that the rear gullwing door openings will make the transition.

Smart For-Us concept unveiled at 2012 Detroit show

Smart made a splash with its world debut at the 2012 Detroit auto show: its For-Us concept car provides a vision of the Smart as an American icon, a pick-up. The diminutive truck - just 3547mm long - is longer than a Fortwo, and is supposed to be based on the running gear of the next-gen Smart Forfour, aka the new Renault Twingo. So if the For-Us doesn't look so much like a Smart any more, from the front at least, that's why.