Mitsubishi Minica 1999 Rear Left Combination Lamp [0715600] on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes to make E-Class Coupe Estate?

The Mercedes ConceptFascination - Could make it in to production as an E-Class Coupe Estate Car makers are searching for every niche they can fill with their cars, particularly at the premium end. Audi and Mercedes are big players (we still think the Mercedes R-Class a niche too far), and BMW play the game too, with cars like the BMW X6M and the new BMW 5 Series GT. If the Mercedes E Class Coupe Estate does go in to production it will bring to five the number of models based on the same Class – the saloon, the coupe, the cabriolet and the estate plus this new Coupe Estate.

NHTSA funds development of alcohol-measuring start button

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded Takata-TruTouch some $2.25 million to continue to develop its In-Vehicle Alcohol Detection test, the company said. Takata, a safety and technology company, and TruTouch have created a vehicle start button with an integrated infrared sensor that can measure your blood-alcohol content. If the reading exceeds legal limits, the system can disable the starter.

New Audi Q7 (2013) to shed weight. But no Audi Q9 planned.

The 2013 Audi Q7 will be much lighter than the current Q7 The Audi Q7 was rather late to the SUV party of the noughties, not hitting the road until 2005. That meant the Q7 had a bit of an edge when it launched, as it was newer than its competition, but it also means the Q7 is still soldiering on when its competition has already launched newer, shinier models. But Audi are working on fixing that, and fixing the biggest criticism of the Q7 in the process – its sheer weight and size.