Volkswagen Iphone Charger on 2040-parts.com

Who's Where: Dave Rand resigns from Changan Automobile

Dave Rand, the former General Motors Design Chief, has resigned from the Chinese State-owned automaker after joining the company last October. Rand's resignation, which was made official last week, follows that of his senior at Changan, Ken Ma who stepped down as Vice President of Design earlier this year. It is not clear precisely why both men have decided to leave the Chinese carmaker, but several people familiar with the situation have said that both Rand and Ma's departures are connected with Changan Auto's recent financial difficulties.

Bentley SUV to get W12 engine

The Bentley SUV will get a W12 engine option Back in July we had the talkative Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer musing that Bentley will produce the ultimate luxury SUV, with plans to take the underpinnings from sister company Porsche’s Cayenne and make the most opulent SUV on the planet. The plan for a Bentley SUV has been around for a while, but the perception by car makers that big SUVs were unpalatable to the general public in these eco-obsessed times meant plans by many car makers to build an SUV were left to gather dust on the shelves. But those car makers who chose to ignore the brickbats directed at big SUVs have proved that there is big demand for luxury monsters (the Cayenne has turned in to Porsche’s biggest cash cow) and that the anti-SUV lobby was simply a very small bunch of eco-mentalists making headlines.

Citroen C5 Cross Tourer adds an ‘Allroad’ version to the C5 Estate

The new Citroen C5 Cross Tourer (pictured) debuts at Geneva We’ve said it before, but for many car buyers a full-blown SUV or Crossover is a step too far. A more rufty-tufty estate car is a much better option. That’s why Audi has had its Allroad options for a long time and why we’re seeing more and more of these butch estates – like the new Skoda Octavia Scout – as car buyers look to fill every possible niche.