Dorman 748-362 Window Reg With Motor on 2040-parts.com

New techniques cut cost of carbon fiber

Carbon fiber, once so costly that it was the preferred material only for fighter planes and supercars, is catching the attention of weight-conscious automakers. Carbon fiber's cost is falling dramatically, thanks to production advances that let suppliers speed the material's finicky, and costly, curing process. One technological breakthrough that makes carbon-fiber auto parts more affordable may come from a process used to make carbon-fiber golf clubs.

Autodesk Automotive Days - Munich 2009

Autodesk's Automotive Days design conferences, launched in Munich in 2008, have highlighted the key growth area of digital prototyping. And at last month's conference the focus was once again broadened to include coverage of conceptual design and creative visualization (at the very beginning of the design process) and design for manufacture - at the culmination of the process. Speakers from Autodesk outlined the innovative features of their latest product suites, while keynote presentations from leading automotive designers such as Frank Stephenson of McLaren and Volvo's Rickard Franklin showed in fascinating detail how the benefits of these software systems were being maximized in busy corporate design studios.

CAR Most Wanted of 2014: Jaguar F-type R

By the CAR editorial team First Official Pictures 03 January 2014 12:00 At last, the hottest concept car of 2011, the Jaguar C-X16, morphs into a most wanted car of 2014: the Jaguar F-type coupe. It’s available in supercharged V6 form, with either 335bhp or 375bhp, but the version you’re looking at (and that we can’t wait to get behind the wheel of) is the most serious driver’s car Jaguar has ever made. It’s the new F-type R, and it packs the same power as a Jaguar XFR-S, or an XKR-S GT.