Porsche® Rear Outer Wheel Bearing, 1976-1989 on 2040-parts.com

(Another) Audi A3 e-tron hybrid at Geneva 2013

The Audi A3 e-tron – a hybrid A3 EV based on the A3 Sportback – will debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show as a concept. This Audi A3 e-tron isn’t a pointless electric supercar – like the R8 e-tron – or another rollout of the A3 e-tron BEV, but a hybrid A3 with a proper ICE engine coupled to an electric motor, just like the A3 e-tron concept we saw in Shanghai in 2011 That still means a lot of complicated and heavy technology to game the silly official economy tests and come up with ‘official’ economy figures of 158mpg and 35g/km, but the A3 e-tron would – if it were made – offer big tax breaks for company car drivers. The A3 e-tron gets a 1.4 litre direct injection petrol engine good for 148bhp working with an electric motor good for an extra 100bhp.

McLaren MP4-12C software fixes done – deliveries re-start

McLaren MP4-12C - back on track The birth of the McLaren MP4-12 C should have been a cause for real celebration; the first new McLaren in a generation (almost) and a Brit competitor for the Ferrari 458. But there have been problems. Like all small car makers, McLaren has to buy-in most of the clever computer whiz-bang stuff all new cars have, which means McLaren’s tech-bods have to work out how to make it all play pretty together.

Renault and Caterham to co-build Alpine sports cars

Renault and Caterham are to join forces and build a new range of sports car models together from early 2013, under the classic Alpine badge, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn confirmed today. At a press conference in Paris, he announced a new Anglo-French partnership which will spawn a new breed of sports cars for both brands. 'This innovative partnership with Caterham embodies a longstanding ambition: the creation of a sports car with the Alpine DNA,' said Ghosn.