Vaico V10-9725 on 2040-parts.com

Keyless ignition trends toward standardization

A federal plan to require automakers to standardize keyless ignition systems in the wake of Toyota's unintended acceleration problems is likely to mirror industry guidelines issued in January, an automaker group said. Large automakers except Toyota said they already comply with the guidelines crafted by SAE International or plan to do so. These "recommended practices'' seek to counter the variation, driver confusion and safety problems that have ensued since automakers started installing push-button ignition in luxury models.

Scuola Politecnica di Design Milan 2008

The Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan, Italy, held the annual exhibition of its Master's course in Transportation Design this past June. Done in collaboration with Alfa Romeo, this year's final presentation was attended by Lorenzo Ramaciotti, Head of Styling for Fiat Group Automobiles and Maserati. The final thesis projects presented by the 15 students on the course answered a brief to design the next flagship sedan from Alfa Romeo.

Renault Clio GT Line costs £17,395

The Renault Clio GT Line (pictured) is a bit of a sheep in Wolf’s clothing There’s one big problem when car makers build hot hatches with go-faster bits bolted on and decent amounts of power and performance, and that’s that the demographic hot hatches appeal to are the ones least likely to be able to afford insurance premiums on a pocket rocket. Which is why we get the Renault Clio GT Line. Looking for all the world like a Clio that could take on the RenaultSport Clio 200, the Clio GT Line in fact has a 1.2 TCe petrol engine lurking under the bonnet, with a more modest 118bhp, 0-62mph of 9.9 seconds, 54.3mpg and emissions of 120g/km.