New Meyle Semi Metallic Disc Brake Pads, D311sm on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes CLA starts to roll off production line in Hungary

The Mercedes CLA – the baby Mercedes CLS based on the new A Class – has started to roll off the production line at Kecskemét in Hungary. But that’s probably unfair; based as it is on the new A-Class, the CLA is a very good car under the skin, even if its big USP is the dramatic styling. Now, just over a week after the CLA got its first public reveal (if you don’t count the Mercedes Concept Style Coupe on which its based), the first production car has rolled off the line at the Mercedes plant in Kecskemét, Hungary.

Drivers waste £1.9 billion on insurance

A TOTAL of £1.9 billion is being wasted by drivers in the UK who automatically renew their car insurance without shopping around for the best deal. A study has found 2.4 million drivers in the UK don’t bother to compare quotes to get the best deal when their car insurance comes up for renewal. The research by Moneysupermarket.com found 8.6 million drivers in Britain could be better off by up to £220 per year each if they moved to a new insurer.

Concept Car of the Week: Pontiac Banshee (1964)

In 1964, the Pontiac Motor Division was headed John DeLorean, who would go on to become one of the automotive industry's most divisive figures. He believed that Pontiac needed a compact, exciting car to compete with the newly launched Mustang and approved funding for the experimental Pontiac two-seat sports-car program, codenamed XP-833. Inspired by another GM show car, the rear-engined Corvair Monza GT from 1963, the lines of the XP-833 were a perfect example of the Coke-bottle bodystyle: long hood, short deck and sweeping fender curves.