Volvo S40 Instrument Cluster 30710071 on 2040-parts.com

Alfa MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde gets a tweak and a tickle

2011 Alfa MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde - cosmetic tweaks & new toys The Alfa MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde already sits at the top of the very appealing MiTo range, but that hasn’t stopped Alfa spreading more Alfa goodness across its bows for the new 2011 model year cars. Don’t get too excited that the tickles include power upgrades – they don’t. But when the MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde already boasts one of the best Alfa engines for a long time – the 1.4-litre TB Multiair – that’s not too much of a disappointment.

Vauxhall Zafira Tourer gets new, frugal 1.6 CDTi Diesel

The Vauxhall Zafira Tourer is the first Vauxhall to get the new 1.6 CDTi Diesel engine offering 68.9mpg. Debuts at Geneva 2013. Now we get news that Vauxhall are also giving the Zafira the new 1.6 CDTI diesel with stop start – the cleanest Vauxhall diesel ever.

MIT researchers rethink electric-car batteries

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say a new battery design for electric vehicles could be a lightweight and inexpensive alternative. The goal for the team's three-year project, launched in September 2010, is to have a functioning prototype ready to be engineered as a replacement for existing electric-car batteries. At this point in the project, the prototype uses a “semi-solid flow” to separate the two functions of a battery--storing energy and discharging it when needed--into separate physical structures.