Mercedes Ponton 180d Camshaft M636.930 on 2040-parts.com

VW Beetle Dune to go on sale in early 2016

By Georg Kacher Motor Industry 02 July 2014 09:52 Volkswagen will launch a production version of the Beetle Dune, CAR magazine has learned. The news means that a VW Beetle Dune very like the concept car you see here will be in showrooms in early 2016. The VW board approved the Beetle Dune at a meeting in May 2014, CAR understands.

Vauxhall launches speed limit detectors on Insignia (2008)

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 19 June 2008 07:53 Vauxhall's new Insignia will be the first of a wave of cars to have a forward-facing camera that can read road signs. The optional kit will detect speed limit and no overtaking signs – and flash up a reminder to the driver on the dashboard.GM calls the tech, which will be launched in early 2009, Traffic Sign Recognition and it uses a small, wide-angled camera system supplied by Hella. It sits at the top of the windscreen near the rain sensors and rear-view mirror, scanning the road ahead taking 30 photos per second.It's 1984 all over again...With a range of 100 metres, the camera focuses on circular patterns and then interprets the numbers inside by contour comparison; if a match is found on the software's database, that road sign will be flashed up in the driver's binnacle.The front-facing camera is also used as a lane departure warning system, alerting the driver if they unintentionally swerve out of their lane on a motorway.Cars with cameras: a growing trendMore and more manufacturers are fitting cameras to their cars nowadays and you can expect a flood of systems like the Insignia's to be launched in 2009, including the new BMW 5-series.CAR tried out these new systems on Bosch prototypes in 2007.

Man vs MiTo: Alfa MiTo races Iwan Thomas through London

Man vs Mito London Race Alfa Romeo sponsors UK Athletics (UKA) by divvying up cars to high-profile athletes. Good for the athletes; good for Alfa. So with the domestic athletics season upon us someone at Alfa had the bright idea of giving the MiTo and UK Athletics a bit of publicity by having a race.