River Road Turnpike Cruiser Boot Size-9 on 2040-parts.com

Fiat previews the 500X small crossover

Fiat gave an unexpected sneak preview of a crossover variant of its 500 minicar. The model, which will be called the 500X, will go on sale in Europe in early 2014 and shortly after in North America. Fiat brand global boss Olivier Francois showed a full-size styling model of the 500X during the media launch on the 500L small minivan in Turin, Italy, on July 4.

Munich University of Applied Sciences degree show 2009

The University of Applied Sciences in Munich, Germany, held their annual degree show earlier this summer, hosting an array of projects from various design disciplines, including industrial, photo and communication design as well as transportation design projects. The nine graduating students from the Transportation Design department, headed by Professor Dr. Othmar Wickenheiser, presented projects of sponsored by Audi, BMW, Ford, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, while continuing students showed proposals for concepts sponsored by Mercedes-Benz trucks (entitled 'Dirty Business'), Lamborghini (themed 'Raw Material') and Semcon.

Rolls-Royce Ghost V-Specification dialed up to 593-hp

Just before a refreshed Rolls-Royce Ghost debuts at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the British automaker has rolled out a performance edition of its "entry level" sedan with 593-hp underhood. The standard Ghost sedan wasn't exactly short on power until the announcement of the V-Specification version -- the company's 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine produces 563-hp and 575 lb-ft of stump-pulling torque in standard form. Yes, gone are the days when Rolls-Royce declined to disclose exact power figures and simply listed their powerplants' output as "adequate." Now Rolls-Royce is forced to compete in this cutthroat market with its performance stats, it seems.