Volkswagen Jetta Engine Brain Box Electronic Control Module; 1.8l (turbo Gas), on 2040-parts.com

Driven: Volkswagen Passat CC GT

Elegant and refined. Forty years ago these two words would not have been used to describe the Beetles bought in droves by the counterculture in the US; a symbol of the hippy movement and the definitive people's car, designed at a time when Germany sought to put people in motion. With the Passat CC, however, Volkswagen is indeed making a sharp move away from the ‘volks wagen', and these two words rolled off the tongues of those who saw the car in all three countries we drove through on our winter holiday.

Bentley-designed Santa’s sleigh

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 17 December 2008 14:30 We reckon Father Christmas is probably a bit of a Bentley guy: he has a large number of miles to cover in speed and in great comfort – and he needs something big and plush to look after all those presents. What better solution than something mixing the design class of a Bentley with the snow-covering ability of a downhill toboggan? Bentley designers John Paul Gregory imagined a futuristic Santa Azure Sleigh (complete with rifled tailpipes and exposed Bentley Blitzen powerplant), while Yunwoo Jeong turned the Continental GTC cabrio into a sleigh with quad-outrigged headlamps and begoggled Santa.

Lexus confirms plans for baby IS

By Ben Pulman Motor Industry 22 October 2008 14:15 Lexus has officially confirmed it will build a BMW 1-series rival. Speaking to the German media, European company MD Tadashi Arashima told reporters: 'We will offer a Lexus in the compact class'. He explained that Lexus needed 'smaller and more efficient vehicles' in the face of European CO2 regulations.