Suzuki Wagon R 1996 Left Side Mirror Assembly [6013600] on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes-Benz introduces nine-speed automatic gearbox

Mercedes-Benz has quietly slipped a new nine-speed automatic into its lineup as standard equipment on the European market E350 BlueTec. The new in-house produced unit, known internally under the name 9G-Tronic, has long been slated for selected Mercedes-Benz models. However, its existence was officially denied until the weekend, when Mercedes-Benz's German language website configurator went live with various updates for the E-class lineup -- including an entry signaling the 9G-Tronic is now available on the standard rear-wheel drive E350 BlueTec in place of the older seven-speed.

Volvo S60 Polestar goes in to production

It sounded like a plan to put it in to production – even if it would probably need twin turbos to make it nicely wieldy on the road – and that’s exactly what Volvo and Polestar have done. The Volvo S60 Polestar has gone in to limited production, initially for the Australian market, but instead of the mighty 508bhp of the concept it has to make do with a more pedestrian 350bhp, little more than the V60 we reviewed last year with the Polestar upgrade. But the extra power is enough to get the production S60 Polestar to 62mph in 4.9 seconds and, thanks to tweaks to the suspension, brakes and aerodynamics, the S60 Polestar looks like it will be able to handle the power quite well.

2015 Michelin Challenge Design Automotive Press Association design panel

The Automotive Press Association (APA) Design Panel is the first of several milestones in the annual Michelin Challenge Design (MCD) calendar of events. In keeping with the 2015 MCD Theme of Drive Your Passion: Engaging Senses, Soul and Emotion, this year's panel discussion focused the importance of passion in vehicle design in the high-tech, highly-constrained future. Hosted on 7 May 2014 at the Detroit Athletic Club, over 80 people attended the APA members-only event sponsored by Michelin Challenge Design.