Mercedes E Class C207 2.2 Diesel Rear Subframe A2043520006 on 2040-parts.com

Chrysler future products: Only one minivan, no Jeep Compass

In 2014, Chrysler Group will drop the Jeep Compass and replace the Chrysler Town & Country minivan with a crossover, Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has revealed. The changes are part of a long-term effort by Marchionne to give each Chrysler Group brand a more distinct identity and eliminate product overlaps. Brand identity is crucial for Chrysler because more than 90 percent of its dealerships now sell all four volume brands: Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram.

One Lap of the Web: Bugatti state of mind

-- Last week, we looked at the new Bugatti exhibit at the Mullin Museum, which taught us more about Bugatti in an afternoon than the last three years of idly flipping through Pebble Beach programs. Having thus immersed ourselves in the House That Ettore Built, we'd really like to drive to work in a faithful Type 35 replica by the aptly named Pur Sang, which Mark Dixon of Octane drove for his 140-mile commute. "You need to keep the revs up while the engine clears its throat and warms its plugs," he writes.

Electric Porsche Boxster being developed

Porsche are developing and electric Porsche Boxster It’s not exactly a surprise that Porsche has announced its intention to develop an electric roadster based on the Porsche Boxster, after all – as part of VW – they have access to an awful lot of technology and they’d be foolish to let car makers like Tesla or Fisker potentially steal some future Porsche glory. So starting early next year – as part of a programme Porsche call Modellregion Elektromobilität – three electric Boxsters will be out and about with their electric powertrains in the real world to give Porsche feedback. Porsche are making it absolutely clear that this rolling lab for an electric Boxster is entirely complimentary to – and in no way undermines – their hybrid programme, which includes the Panamera and Cayenne Hybrid and the Hybrid Hypercar that should soon become the production Porsche 918 Spyder.