Jaguar Xj6 Series (3) Cruise Control Vacumm Canister Wb on 2040-parts.com

BMW's new 5-series next for hybrid power

The new BMW 5-series being launched this winter is likely to be the next BMW to receive the ActiveHybrid system pioneered on the petrol-electric 7-series and X6 models. BMW engineers admit they can't rely on sales of the pricey hybrid 7-series and X6 to justify the development costs, even though these range-topping halo hybrids were jointly developed with Daimler and GM. Senior sources have indicated that the new 2010 5-series will be the next BMW to get an ActiveHybrid model.

500-mph Ford hovercar is the future we were promised

"Within a few decades, the urge to travel at high speed has led man to develop the locomotive, the automobile, the airplane, and the rocket. Today he can travel through the air at speeds in excess of sound, and it is likely that he will soon land on the moon." Yes, we eventually made it to the moon, 10 years after the Ford Motor Co. issued this bold proclamation.

Land Rover confirms end of Defender production

It's been all but a foregone conclusion for some time now, but Land Rover has confirmed to our sister publication Automotive News Europe that the aging Defender won't live to see 2020. Originally conceived as an agricultural machine, the first Land Rover prototype used scavenged Willys Jeep bits left over from World War II. American kids of a certain age may have been captivated by the Land Rover's mystique while watching Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom back in the '70s.