Ichibahn 1012903 Silver Shifter Knob on 2040-parts.com

First Jaguar F-Type customer cars leave Jaguar’s Castle Bromwich

The first proper sports car from Jaguar since the E-Type ended production almost 40 years ago (and it could be argued the later V12 E-Types were more a GT than a proper sports car), the F-Type is a hook to hang Jaguar’s future intent on – and it seems to be making a pretty good fist of it. It may not be cheap (you’ll pay £80k for a V8 F-Type) and it may be heavier than its lightweight aluminium underpinnings promise, but it looks great, goes very well and seems to have proper Jaguar ‘Soul’. A winning combination.

Volkswagen New Midsize Coupe debuts at China motor show

The Volkswagen NMC (New Midsize Coupe) concept makes official the German carmaker's plans for a style-led sedan to challenge the likes of the strong selling Mercedes-Benz CLA. Unveiled at the Beijing motor show, the new four-door closely previews a future Jetta-based model that will slot into the Volkswagen lineup beneath the existing Passat CC, most likely in 2016. Volkswagen design boss Klaus Bischoff describes the NMC as “avant-garde protagonist for a new compact sedan class.” Looking all but ready for production, it continues the current Volkswagen design lineage, with crisp features and lines, heavily horizontal detailing, and taut surfacing -- all aimed at providing it with a technical-inspired appearance.

Design Services: Artware Concept and Dassault Systèmes

Concept cars are the creative work and the car manufacturers' future vision as expressed by their in-house design studios, but the physical sculpture, the one we see under the spotlight at motor shows, is often the work of design consultancies. It is at these independent studios that the conceptual study, sometimes even a simple sketch, is visualized into a life-size, running prototype. Artware Concept is not a novice in the field.