Mast Motorsports Godzilla Header Flanges Mn-fd2-302377 on 2040-parts.com

Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid does 62mpg in the hands of motoring journalists

The Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid – a Panamera with a plug-in hybrid powertrain – arrives last month, along with a 2013 facelift for the Panamera range , complete with claims from Porsche that it could do 91mpg. That was never going to happen in the real world, but Porsche has followed up its official economy figures with a degree of proof that the Panamera E-Hybrid can actually achieve very impressive economy numbers in the real world, and in the hands of motoring journalists – a group not renowned for their light touch on the throttle. At a press event in Hockenheim, Porsche let car journalists loose on the Panamera E-Hybrid for a total of 42 drives over a total distance of 750 miles and returned an average of 62mpg.

Jeep rolls out blacked-out Grand Cherokee 'concept'

Jeep rolled out a new trim package for the Grand Cherokee on Wednesday and is running a contest on the Internet to give it a name. For now, Jeep bills the new Grand Cherokee as a concept but says it anticipates bringing it to showrooms this spring--timing that implies that the production decision has already been made. The concept starts with the four-wheel-drive Grand Cherokee Laredo X package, then adds blacked-out trim, a mesh grille and 20-inch aluminum wheels painted in gloss black.

Bentley uses 3D printing to prototype new designs [w/Video]

3D printing is changing the way the world makes things by helping people of all disciplines to enhance and refine their ideas cheaply, quickly and effectively.  Bentley is the latest carmaker to utilize the technology to fabricate and prototype different parts to see how they'll look and work on the finished design. Using 3D printers, designers can produce parts from the exterior and interior such as the grille, tires, headlamps and door handles as well as combine different types of contrasting materials, ranging from hard plastics to rubbers of different tensile strengths.  The technology allows the user to create a solid 3D object straight from a digital model by printing layers of material on top of each other. This process rapidly decreases the delivery time, as parts can be printed overnight, and allows designers to be more creative in their ideas because of the reduced cost. Bentley isn't the first carmaker to use 3D printing technology. Audi announced last year it was beginning to prototype vehicle parts using 3D printers.