Monroe 58551 Rear Sensa Trac Load Adjusting on 2040-parts.com

BMW: Carbon fiber goes high volume in 2013

BMW AG plans to begin high-volume production of carbon fiber parts in two years, making it a strong contender to be the first automaker to move beyond limited-edition use of the exotic material. But Daimler AG, which has taken steps aimed at making carbon fiber parts in 2012, is among the automakers racing toward the same goal. In 2013, BMW will start building the i3 electric car, a vehicle that features a passenger cell--the protective shell around the passenger compartment that ensures the integrity of the vehicle in a crash--made of plastic reinforced with carbon fiber.

Volvo XC70 D5 Review – SE LUX (2012)

Volvo XC70 D5 We’ve had the Volvo XC70 D5 SE LUX in for review and road test. Does Volvo’s now quite old 4WD Estate still have something to offer? The Volvo XC70 isn’t a car you see on every street corner, far from it.

BMW i3 EV only scores 4 stars in Euro NCAP test

BMW i3 EV only scores 4 stars in Euro NCAP test The new BMW i3 is selling well and looks to be a good buy if you do lots of driving in congested urban environments. It offers a decent amount of proper BMW goodness and probably has enough range – even without the optional range-extender engine – to cover most urban drivers’ daily needs. But it seems there is one area the i3 doesn’t come up trumps and that’s for safety – in particular pedestrian safety – scoring a disappointing four stars in the latest round of Euro NCAP testing.