Mercruiser Trim Cylinder Portside Bravo I-ii-iii on 2040-parts.com

Opinion: Discovery Sport and the long-term ramifications of pandering to the crossover convergence

Having pored over the first pictures of the new Land Rover Discovery Sport and consumed the accompanying official literature, we’re left wondering why it shares so much of its design treatment with the Range Rover Evoque, while simultaneously removing the last vestiges of utility from the Discovery nameplate. From its virtually indistinguishable grille and lamp graphics, over its tapered roofline to its bespoilered tail, it’s hard to describe it as anything other than a derivative of the Evoque. The difference between a Discovery and a Range Rover it would seem, is a body coloured C-pillar.

Ford Iosis X concept

With an abundance of small SUVs entering the European market, Ford has been conspicuously absent from this segment, something that the Iosis X will hope to quell. Using the same 'kinetic design' theme as the Iosis concept from last year, the Iosis X puts a coupe-like window graphic and roofline upon thick sills, similar in this respect to the Opel Antara concept. But while Opel will have their model on the road imminently, those wanting the Ford equivalent will have to wait until early 2008 for the forms to be toned down and put in showrooms.

Audi Urban Future Summit: Interactivity in the future city

The Audi Urban Summit is an international convention bringing together experts on urban mobility and development to discuss one central question: Which energies and forces will change the city of the future in 2020 – and what relationships will exist between these forces? Held in Frankfurt, just prior to the city's auto show, the summit aimed to hold an open discussion that was ‘free from preconceptions about how cities and mobility can be shaped in a suitable and sustainable way in the future'. Workshops focused on three key themes: Energies of data, energies of social relations and energies of resources.