Maier Odyssey Red Front Fenders/pair on 2040-parts.com

End of the road for 'Queen's favourite' car

ONE OF the most-loved and long-lived road vehicles, and a favourite with the Queen, is to cease production. The last Land Rover Defender will be produced by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) at Solihull in the West Midlands in December 2015. Featuring in the Angelina Jolie film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and in the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall, the Defender name can be traced back to the early 1990s.

Seat Mii

The Seat Mii is still another variation of Volkswagen Up city car. Following on from Skoda's unveiling of the Citigo last week, the Mii follows the same basic principles: Take one Up and add appropriate corporate face. As a result, the Mii retains the same diminutive overall length of just 3550mm, as well as a range of economically mindful drivetrains and power units. To differentiate itself from its siblings, the Mii adopts a ‘characteristic and unmistakable' Seat DRG, with ‘arrow' graphics in the lamps and trapezoidal grille.

Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel dies

Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel, who led the automaker during a turbulent period of recession and restructuring in the early 1990s, has died at the age of 77. "Bob was a very popular chairman with employees, and his many accomplishments as a visionary engineer included leading the development of the catalytic converter, one of the great environmental advancements in auto history," GM said in a statement. "His knowledge of battery development led to the push for the EV1 electric car, and Bob continued to build his expertise in the electrification of the automobile after he left GM in 1992." Stempel died Saturday in Florida, the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press reported Monday night.