Firebird Rear Hatch on 2040-parts.com

Kia and BMW claim 2012 Red Dot Design Awards

Kia and BMW have been recognized by the 2012 Red Dot Design Awards judging panel, picking up the ‘best-of-best' awards in the transportation product design category. The awards, handed out March 15, single out the best-designed products from over 4,000 entries across a variety of categories. Kia's A-segment Picanto and B-segment Rio were both winners in Red Dot's ‘Product Design' category, fighting off competition from over 4,500 products entered by 1,800 manufacturers from 58 countries.

New Suzuki Swift Sport starts at £13.5k reveals Suzuki UK

2012 Suzuki Swift Sport costs £13.5k in the UK Suzuki UK reveals the new Suzuki Swift Sport will cost £13,500 when it goes on sale in January 2012. The Suzuki Swift is a more than half way decent little car, and the range-topping Suzuki Swift Sport – which was revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September – looks set to be a fun little number with decent dynamics thanks to a tweaked suspension. Although the new Swift Sport only gets an extra 10bhp over the old Sport model, it can get to 62mph in 8.7 seconds and carry on going to 121mph.

DoE releases charging station and alterative fuel locator mobile app

Whether you drive a Tesla Model S, a Nissan Leaf, or a CNG-powered Ford F-150, there is now an app that drivers of all electric and alternative fuels will find useful. The Department of Energy has just released a mobile app version of its Alternative Fueling Statin Locator, available for download at the iTunes store, that will allow users to find public and private electric charging stations and alternative-fuel station all across the nation. The app displays different types of refueling stations, including biodiesel, CNG, electric, ethanol, hydrogen, LNG, and propane.