Honda Acty 1991 Front Left Lower Arm [5751740] on 2040-parts.com

Local Motors XC2V design competition winners announced

The winners of the Local Motors XC2V design competition have been announced. Created in partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the brief called for individuals to co-create a vehicle body design for two different missions – Combat Reconnaissance and Combat Delivery & Evacuation – based on Local Motors' tubular steel chassis. The goal was to create a fast, lightweight, highly capable vehicle that would be suitable for various field missions.

Mercedes A45 AMG (2013) first pictures of new hot hatch

This is the Mercedes A45 AMG: the first time Merc’s in-house tuning arm has tried its hand at building a hot hatch. Packing 355bhp, all-wheel drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch paddleshift transmission, the A45 AMG will outpace a Porsche 911, but cost less than £40,000. It’s on UK sale from July 2013, but if you can’t wait that long, Merc’s baby barnstormer is appearing at the Geneva motor show from 5 March 2013.

Porsche Cayenne S Diesel: The V8 diesel Cayenne arrives

Porsche has revealed the 2013 Cayenne S Diesel with a 4.2 litre V8 diesel offering 378bhp, 626lb/ft of torque and 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds. Back in April we reported that the Porsche Cayenne S Diesel was on its way with a V8 diesel engine to take on the BMW M50d and the upcoming offerings from Land Rover with a 2014 4.4 litre Range Rover Sport seeming a likely possibility. Now Porsche has caught up and revealed the Cayenne S diesel, which gets the 4.2 litre diesel V8 with a healthy 378bhp and a very useful 626lb/ft of torque, enough to scoot the Cayenne S Diesel to 62mph in 5.7 seconds – a bit slower than the M50d, but all that torque should make it feel at least as lively.