Nissan Silvia 1993 A/c Switch Panel [0660900] on 2040-parts.com

2014 Volvo S80 grabs IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus+

The second-generation Volvo S80 has been with us since 2008, and just a year before its scheduled replacement with an all-new model it has managed to grab a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The S80 now joins its XC90, XC60, and S60 siblings in receiving this accolade, which was instituted just last year when the IIHS created a new type of crash test called the small overlap test. The small overlap test is designed to recreate a rather typical road accident scenario, one which hadn't been added to the roster of crash tests by most vehicle organizations.

Win a signed sketch of the Renault Dezir concept

The new October 2010 issue of CAR Magazine features a beautiful shoot of Renault’s new Dezir, a rear-wheel drive electric supercar concept that will be unveiled at the 2010 Paris motor show. And CAR’s editor Phil McNamara has been to Paris early, for an audience with Renault’s design director Laurens van den Acker, and to see the stunning Dezir in the metal. It’s the first of six concept cars from Renault, before we see the new van den Acker-led design language appear on the Clio 4 in 18 months time.

Volvo’s ‘World Premier’ is a bit of a damp squib

We had been hoping – and, to a degree, expecting – that Volvo’s big ‘World Premier’ they’ve been teasing for today would be the new Volvo XC90, a long overdue replacement for the (still surprisingly good) current model which is now more than a decade old. But it’s not. Instead, the big news is that the facelift Volvo XC60 is getting a global launch with Swedish House Mafia’s ditty ‘Leave the World Behind’ as its sound track.