Lexus Lx570 2008-2015 Shift Knob on 2040-parts.com

Volvo’s ‘World Premier’ is a bit of a damp squib

We had been hoping – and, to a degree, expecting – that Volvo’s big ‘World Premier’ they’ve been teasing for today would be the new Volvo XC90, a long overdue replacement for the (still surprisingly good) current model which is now more than a decade old. But it’s not. Instead, the big news is that the facelift Volvo XC60 is getting a global launch with Swedish House Mafia’s ditty ‘Leave the World Behind’ as its sound track.

Michelin Challenge Design competition celebrates 10 years

Michelin has released a short video documenting the last ten years of the Challenge Design competition. With excepts from jury members Freeman Thomas, Director of Advanced Design at Ford; Victor Nacif, VP of Design at Nissan Design Europe; Geza Loczi, Director of Design at Volvo Monitoring Concept Center; Dave Marek, Advanced Design Director for Honda North America; Steward Reed, Chair of Transportation Design at ACCD; Frank Saucedo, Design Director of GM's Advanced Design Studio in California and Chris Chapman of BMW Designworks USA, the video outlines some of the 2700 entries Michelin has received since the competition's inception in 2002. That year, the MCD display at the NAIAS in Detroit featured cars from European design houses.

Executive touch for Volkswagen Passat

THE POPULAR Volkswagen Passat has been given two new generously equipped trim levels to mark its final months of production. It is due to be replaced by an all-new model within the next year, so in an effort to sell off as many as possible before that time, Volkswagen has introduced the Executive and Executive Style trim levels in place of the previous Highline. Both the saloon and the estate body styles can be ordered with the new specification.