Lokar Drive-by-wire Electronic Throttle Control Xbdbw-gm07 on 2040-parts.com

Italian firm buys stake in Aston Martin

The former owner of Italian motorcycle maker Ducati has bought a 37.5-percent stake in financially strapped British car maker Aston Martin. The move means future Astons could use modern drivelines and electric architectures from Mercedes-Benz's AMG division, insiders with knowledge of the deal suggest. Private equity fund Investindustrial has signed a memorandum of understanding with current Aston Martin owner Investment Dar of Kuwait that will see it pay $240 million (150 million pounds) for the ownership stake.

Ford teams up with Heinz for tomato car parts

Ford and Getty Images Forget carbonfibre, the new must-have material on your vehicle will soon be tomato fibre – or so Ford and food manufacturer Heinz are hoping. The American carmaker and the food giant have teamed up to "explore the use of tomato fibre to develop a sustainable bio-plastic material for vehicles," bringing environmentally friendly motoring to a whole new level. Ford and Heinz tomato car parts: how will they work?

Daihatsu to debut three Kopen concepts in Tokyo

Three new Daihatsu Kopen concepts have been revealed ahead of their unveiling at next month's Tokyo motor show. The blue and orange concepts are the RMZ model – although they feature slight differences – while the green car is the XMZ model. The concepts measure in at 3,395mm long, 1,475mm wide and 1,275mm tall and, like the recently discontinued Copen, fit into the Japanese ‘Kei' light car category.