Yamaha Xl 1200 Xl1200 Pv 66v Front Seat Assembly 1999 on 2040-parts.com

New car sales accelerate again

NEW CAR SALES could be back to pre-recession levels by the end of this year after a good start to 2014. Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show there were 176,820 new vehicles registered in April - an 8.2% rise on the same month last year. Last month's figure took the total for the year so far to 864,942 - a 12.5% increase on the first four months of 2013.

Maserati SUV concept car: the leaked first photo?

Maserati will show an SUV concept car like this at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show. It's the long-awaited Maserati 4x4 shown in thinly veiled show car guise; you can expect something very similar on London and Cheshire driveways from 2013. Based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the 2013 Maser SUV will have totally new bodywork and a bespoke interior.

Contest: LA Design Challenge 2007

Audi Virtuea Quattro Designed at the Volkswagen/Audi Design Center California by Heather Shaw, Jae Min, Mattijs Van Tuijl, Karl Strahlendorf and Christian Schoen; the Virtuea Quattro is a single-seat autonomous driving machine. It functions as a solid unit at its core, while providing a myriad of possible holographic exteriors stored in a library and accessible through the vehicle's 'interactive holographic interface'.  Powered by hydrogen, the vehicle combines artificial intelligence with avenues of self-expression. The Virtuea's holographic exterior provides a variety of possibilities, allowing the driver to select from the most innovative designs from one minute to the next.