Mercruiser Steer Lever 866322a01 on 2040-parts.com

New Mercedes A Class to spawn electric version made by Tesla

New Mercedes A Class EV on the way via Tesla It would appear that Mercedes-Benz are planning an electric version of the new Mercedes A Class with a powertrain by Tesla. The new Mercedes A Class arrived at the Geneva Motor Show in March as the Mercedes answer to the BMW 1 Series, and a very convincing new A Class it looks too. From an entry-level A Class which will get a Renault 1.5 litre dCi lump to deliver a sub-99g/km model all the way up (eventually) to a 4WD, 300bhp AMG A Class, it looks like the new A Class will cover the bases for every buyer, and then some.

News watch July 2011: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: car news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour Friday 29 July• The BBC and Sky have a agreed a TV deal for F1, which will see the Beeb only broadcast half of all Grand Prix races from the 2012 season (BBC) • Aston Martin Racing will revert to its older, V12-powered DBR1-2 LMP1 racer for the remainder of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) while the new straight six-powered AMR-One 'continues to undergo review' (Aston Martin Racing)• Dr Heinz-Jakob Neußer is to take charge of drivetrain development at VW from Volkswagen 1 October 1 2011. His predecessor Dr Jens Hadler is leaving at his own request, and Dr Rüdiger Szengel is to become deputy head of VW's drivetrain development and retain his role as head of petrol engine development (Volkswagen) Thursday 28 July• Porsche today dug the first soil at its €150m extension of the Weissach R&D base.

Skoda Rapid Spaceback stars at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

The Rapid Spaceback - it sounds like the kind of name you'd give to the world's fastest car. Or some kind of spaceship. But no, the Rapid Spaceback is the latest offering from Skoda and it's making its debut right here at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.