Exterior Door Handle Rear Left on 2040-parts.com

Bentley uses 3D printing to prototype new designs [w/Video]

3D printing is changing the way the world makes things by helping people of all disciplines to enhance and refine their ideas cheaply, quickly and effectively.  Bentley is the latest carmaker to utilize the technology to fabricate and prototype different parts to see how they'll look and work on the finished design. Using 3D printers, designers can produce parts from the exterior and interior such as the grille, tires, headlamps and door handles as well as combine different types of contrasting materials, ranging from hard plastics to rubbers of different tensile strengths.  The technology allows the user to create a solid 3D object straight from a digital model by printing layers of material on top of each other. This process rapidly decreases the delivery time, as parts can be printed overnight, and allows designers to be more creative in their ideas because of the reduced cost. Bentley isn't the first carmaker to use 3D printing technology. Audi announced last year it was beginning to prototype vehicle parts using 3D printers.

2012 Ford B-Max beats the competion on economy & emissions

The 2012 Ford B-Max has sector best economy and emissions With the 2102 Ford B-Max due to debut in production guise at Geneva in a few weeks, Ford are claiming sector best emissions and economy. Just last week we had the first photos of the production version of the 2012 Ford B-Max, heralding the arrival of Ford’s new compact MPV at Geneva 2012, ahead of its arrival in Ford showrooms in the Summer. Now Ford are keen to let us know that the B-Max isn’t just a cleverly designed and decent-looking MPV, but it’s got the competition nailed with class-leading figures for economy and emissions.

Porsche And Jaguar Rise To Digital Prominence

THE LATEST automotive search data from leading independent digital marketing agency, Greenlight, reveals Porsche and Jaguar have replaced Toyota and Citroen to become two of the ten most popular car brands that UK consumers have been eyeing up online. Greenlight’s quarterly report identified the most popular search terms and phrases consumers used when they searched on Google UK for cars in November, and ascertained which car manufacturer and dealer sites were most visible to their searches. According to the firm’s research, over 11 million searches were made by consumers looking for cars online, up almost 5% on the previous quarter.