Lincoln Mark Vii Lse Emblem Mirror & Trunk (3) on 2040-parts.com

Diesel Smart to become UK’s cleanest by 2009

By Guy Bird Motor Industry 17 June 2008 10:30 From February 2009 the cleanest conventional-engined car you can buy will be a diesel Smart Fortwo. That’s the date set for the launch of a right-hand drive version of the city car brand’s oil-burning two-seater Fortwo coupe and cabriolet already on sale in Continental Europe. The incredible economy and emissions stats – 85.6mpg and 88g/km of CO2 – are streets ahead of current low emitter champions like the VW Polo 1.4 TDI Bluemotion and Seat Ibiza Ecomotive, both offering 74.3mpg and 99g/km.

Recalls and stop-sale orders leave GM cars sidelined at dealers

Memorial Day weekend is one of the busiest times of the year for car dealers around the country, but the recent spate of recalls and stop-sale orders for GM vehicles will be putting the brakes on a lot of potential sales. Specifically, Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC dealers will be unable to deliver tens of thousands of large SUVs and crossovers, a segment that has seen a lot of demand in recent months because of unavailable parts for recalled cars, Automotive News reports. When it comes to large crossovers, the recall of 1.3 million examples of the GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, and Chevrolet Traverse vehicles from the 2009-2014 model years is likely to hit dealers hard.

Classic style for road-ready Beetle Dune

A VERY special Volkswagen Beetle has hit the coastal roads of northern Germany, and it might just arrive in showrooms soon, too. The new Beetle Dune concept captures a little of the spirit of the classic version, with 50mm of extra ride height, big, bold wheels and a rear-mounted ski rack. It looks stunning on the move, where its broad-spoked 19-inch wheels look almost like solid discs of polished metal and the ski rack has the visual effect of an old-school Porsche 911-esque spoiler.