Blog on 2040Parts

New small Jaguar (Jaguar XS) caught on video at Nurburgring

The new small Jaguar pictured testing at the Nurburgring. A replacement for the un-loved Jaguar X-type has been on Jaguar’s ‘To Do’ sheet for some time, but a new small Jaguar is now finally on the way, although it is still probably more than a year away from hitting Jaguar showrooms. But a year or so is no time in terms of new car development, so Jaguar are already out playing with prototypes of the new small Jaguar – perhaps the Jaguar XS – although they’re wearing slightly unconvincing XF clothes.

One Lap of the Web: Drifting Isderas, diesel Alfa vans and owning an M5

-- Isdera Imperator 108i. If those words mean anything to you, you've likely already clicked this link. If they don't, watch the video and get educated on an awesome hand-built German exotic from the '80s.

CAR tech: how much F1 is in the McLaren P1?

We're forever told racing tech makes for better road cars, but is that true, even in the case of the £866,000 McLaren P1? CAR tech looks at the similarities between Jenson Button's weekend racer and McLaren's hybrid supercar: Gives you wings A Formula One car wins or loses by its aero package – and the P1’s a true aero car with a mighty set-up. It has the highest amount of downforce of any road car on sale – so you couldn’t get closer to F1 with number plates if you tried.

New Ford Fiesta ST sales double expectations – production increased

Ford Fiesta ST (pictured) is selling so well Ford is having to increase production The new Ford Fiesta ST may have taken longer to get from concept to showrooms than expected, but now it’s here it’s proving to be a big hit for Ford. Ford finally managed to get the new Fiesta ST in to production in February, and at the time we commented that we thought the new ST would be a big hit with buyers. That’s down not just to how good the new Fiesta ST is, but because it comes at a very appealing price – just £17k for the regular ST and £1k more for the much better equipped ST2 – which undercuts Peugeot’s 208 GTI by £2k whilst offering similar performance but better dynamics.

Mitsubishi Shogun drops in price by up to £5,000

The Mitsubishi Shogun (pictured) drops in price We have to confess we have a big soft spot for the Mitsubishi Shogun. The Shogun is an SUV in the old sense of the word; it’s good at towing and mud and going anywhere, but it’s a bit of a boat on road. But, once you’re used to its ways, it’s very hard not to appreciate, and revel in, its strengths.

2014 Chevrolet Volt gets a $5,000 price cut

General Motors is cutting the Chevrolet Volt's price by $5,000 amid price pressure from rival electrified vehicles. The sticker price on the 2014 Volt, which will arrive at dealerships this month, will be $34,995, including an $810 destination fee. That drops the effective price to $27,495, after applying the $7,500 federal tax credit for the plug-in hybrid.

Infiniti G37 to sell alongside its Q50 replacement until 2015 model year

Infiniti has announced that the G37 sedan, which has been with us for a while, will continue alongside the all-new Q50 sedan until the 2015 model year. The 2014 Q50, ostensibly the G37's replacement, will go on sale later this week, though to keep things rolling along, Infiniti will be slashing prices on the two versions of the G37 which will continue on: the G37 Journey and the G37 Sedan AWD. The rear-wheel drive Infiniti G37 will now start at $33,455, down from $38,225, and the all-wheel drive G37 will now start at $35,055.

Volvo reveals pricing for refreshed 2014 model range

There are quite a few changes in Volvo's lineup for the 2014 model year, perhaps representing the most serious model shakeup for the automaker this decade. For starters, almost all the cars in Volvo's current U.S. lineup have been facelifted with the notable exception of the XC90 SUV, which enters its last model year before it is replaced by an all new truck.

Would you buy a Buick Park Avenue?

The last time we saw the Park Avenue stateside was in 2005, when the second-generation model departed Buick's U.S. lineup as a relic from the '90s. But just a couple years later the Park Avenue nameplate reappeared in the Chinese market to replace the Buick Royaum, an exceedingly long sedan based on an Australian-market Holden.

Audi unveils fuel sipping A3 1.6 TDI ultra

Audi has just revealed a new version of its popular A3 hatchback, this one aimed straight at fuel economy figures that'll put hybrids to shame. The new A3 1.6 TDI ultra uses just 3.2 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers as the Europeans like to put it, or 73.5 miles per U.S. gallon.

One Lap of the Web: Living with an electric motorcycle, Land Rover's Unimog and Reattas in Finland

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- The route for the 2014 Hemmings Motor news Great Race, and this year, the race is heading east.

2014 BMW 328d diesel to start at $39,525

BMW is bringing the 328d range of sedans and wagons to the U.S. to replace the departing 335d, with sales starting this fall for the 2014 model year. Both the sedan and the wagon will use the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder Twinpower turbodiesel engine producing 180 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque.

Acura NSX laps Mid-Ohio

It didn't have the production engine, nor the production exhaust (it was gloriously loud) and because there were safety vehicles on the track it wasn't able to go flat-out, but by golly there it was, a bright blue 2015 Acura NSX lapping Mid-Ohio just before the start of the Honda Indy 200. Being a production mule with any number of systems still under development, it couldn't be turned over to just any driver. So it was piloted by Jason Widmer, assistant large project leader for testing for the new NSX.

Subaru BRZ STI teased

Subaru are teasing the BRZ STI (pictured) The Subaru BRZ – the Subaru take on the Toyota GT86 – has the potential to be a lot more hardcore than its current setup allows. That has led to much speculation that Subaru will bolt a turbo on to the BRZ’s Boxer engine to produce a BRZ with something closer to the 300bhp we originally expected. In fact, at the end of 2011, Subaru in the US confirmed there would be a turbo version of the engine in the BRZ, although they fell short of actually confirming the BRZ itself would get it as an option, but at the end of 2012 we had a report that the BRZ will get the turbo engine and that it will deliver 280bhp.

Scuola Politecnica di Design and Volkswagen offer scholarships for Transportation and Car Design Masters

The Scuola Politecnica di Design and Volkswagen Group Design are offering eight scholarships for this year's Transportation and Car Design Master's program, which starts on 21 October. Aspiring designers who hold a degree in transportation design, car design or equivalent have the chance to be awarded partial and full-fee tuition waivers should they impress the examination board. The selection is based on a portfolio evaluation, an interview and the submission of a project set by the examination board to test the candidate's conceptual and technical abilities.

One-off Porsche 911 Carrera 4S celebrates 5 million Facebook fans

Porsche has built a special 911 Carrera 4S (pictured) to celebrate 5 million Facebook Fans Car makers do like to get their Facebook fans to ‘design’ a car; it’s a good way of drawing fans in to the brand and give them an idea of what floats buyers’ boats. Some are not all that impressive, but the 911 Carrera 4S Porsche has built in celebration of getting 5 million fans on Facebook – designed with input from those fans – is actually quite understated. It comes in a quite fetching shade of Aqua Blue Metallic, a set of white 20″ alloys (a bit tacky), sports suspension and exhaust, an Aerokit with big back spoiler, personalised sill plates, brushed aluminium trim inside and a plaque telling the world this is a Porsche designed by 5 million Facebook fans.

Subaru BRZ STi (2013) range-topping BRZ on the way

Subaru has revealed teasing shots of the new BRZ STi. Almost two years after Subaru previewed the BRZ via the Concept STi (pictured, right), these new shots confirm a production version is on the way – though it’s unclear if it’ll be tuned-up performance version, or merely a fettled and bodykitted refresh. Subaru BRZ STi: finally over the 200bhp mark?

VW Tiguan Match returns – costs from £23,245

The VW Tiguan Match (pictured) returns for 2013 Back in 2010, Volkswagen had a play with the Tiguan model lineup and replaced the Tiguan SE with a better equipped Tiguan Match. And history is now repeating itself. VW has decided, once again, to drop the Tiguan SE from the model lineup and replace it with the Tiguan Match which, this time, actually costs slightly less than the SE and yet boasts more equipment.

Caterham Seven to use Suzuki three-cylinder turbo power (2013)

Caterham has announced its new entry-level Seven will cost less than £17,000 and use a three-cylinder, turbocharged engine sourced from Suzuki. The new car will go on sale in the autumn of 2013, with first customer deliveries expected in November. What’s the specification of the new Caterham Seven?

New Honda NSX takes to the track (video)

The new Honda/Acura NSX (pictured) hits the track The new Honda NSX has been a decade or more in the making as Honda vacillated over whether or not to revisit their supercar odyssey with a a new NSX for the 21st century. But having shaken off the self-imposed shackles that made them believe a new Honda supercar in these more austere and ‘Green’ times would be anathema, Honda are finally powering forward with a new NSX. True, they’ve decided their new NSX needs to be’Green’ to be good, but the green-ness Honda are throwing at the new NSX actually gives it more power too, so we’re not complaining.

Mercedes SL63 AMG, David Coulthard & (blindfolded) illusionist Dynamo (video)

David Coulthard & Dynamo (pictured) in the Mercedes SL 63 AMG If there’s one man who’s made magic and illusions cool again it’s the little man from Bradford – Dynamo. His street illusions are a must watch – and usually completely unfathomable – and he’s often coaxed in a celebrity face or three to perform illusions with as it makes for more marketable TV . That combination is something Mercedes couldn’t resist as a PR vehicle, so they enlisted Dynamo, David Coulthard, a Mercedes SL63 AMG and an abandoned airfield to produce a new Dynamo illusion to promote the SL63 AMG.

Audi A3 gets more powerful 2.0 litre TDI & LED lights

The Audi A3 (pictured) gets a new 181bhp TDI and LED headlights It still seems astonishing that car makers can match really quite powerful performance with almost parsimonious fuel consumption, but modern turbo diesels and high pressure fuel injection are delivering seemingly silly combinations of performance and economy. Like the 2.0 litre diesel Audi are now offering in the new A3. The new 2.0 litre diesel, which is now available on the new A3 and Sportback (with the A3 saloon to follow) – gets a very decent 181bhp and 280lb/ft of torque, which is enough to hit 62mph in just 7.3 seconds.

Configure your dream tuk-tuk

For at least a decade, potential tuk-tuk buyers have demanded an online tool for configuring electric tuk-tuks. Recently, a Dutch firm, the Tuk Tuk Factory, has released just such a tool at myetuk.com. The site allows you to choose between four body styles and a huge range of paint schemes.

Honda, Toyota, GM set pace as sales climb 14%

U.S. light-vehicle sales -- driven by double-digit gains at six of the seven biggest automakers -- rose 14 percent in July, just below forecasts but strong enough to keep the industry's recovery on solid ground. Honda Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp.

One Lap of the Web: the Bill Thomas Cheetah, Martini Racing and the 1976 Ferrari 208 GT4

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. --You've probably seen the Martini Racing livery on everything from Formula One cars to rally cars.

Concept Car of the Week: Lancia Bertone Sibilo (1978)

The second half of the ‘70s saw automotive design fall into an era of uninspired and uninspiring economic cars finished with cheap plastic add-ons and stuffed with beige itchy fabrics. Working from the little Bertone studio in Turin, it seems Marcello Gandini didn't get the memo and carried on drawing futuristic wedgey supercars. With the Sibilo, he pushed his signature angular style to a new level of modernity.

Europe’s economic problems sees UK become biggest Ferrari market in Europe

The Ferrari F12 (pictured) helped Ferrari to strong profits in the first half of 2013 The economic crisis in the Eurozone has seen Ferrari’s sales in countries like Italy and Spain plummet, and Greece managed just one sale in 2012 (and even that came to the UK). But Ferrari have a plan to keep profitability by limiting supply and achieving stronger revenues for the sale they do make – with stuff like Ferrari’s bespoke Atelier and Tailor Made services and Classiche work adding more revenue – to keep them powering forward, and it seems to be working despite poor sales in many European countries. In fact, despite an increase of just 2.8 per cent in volume, Ferrari has managed to increase their profits in the first six months of 2013 by an impressive 20 per cent, with total sales of 3,767 and net profits of €1.22 million.

Renault kills Twingo 133 – what’s next for the little RS hot hatch?

The new Renault Twingo is only months away, so Renault has killed off production of the outgoing RS 133 model. It could spell the end of naturally aspirated Renaultsport– and be the final city-car sized export from Dieppe. Read on for the full story.

Fiat Punto Sporting arrives with revised Punto range

The Fiat Punto Sporting (pictured) ash been added to the Punto range The Fiat Punto is a bit of an anonymous Fiat that should probably sell better than it does, but with most of Fiat’s marketing efforts centered on the 500, the Punto just gets overlooked. So Fiat are trying to inject a bit more interest in the Punto by making some teaks to the range, deleting a couple of trim levels and adding a new one – the Punto Sporting. The Fiat Punto Sporting is Fiat’s take on ‘Sporty’ for the Punto with a set of side skirts, a sports suspension setup, ‘Tarmac’ finish on the dash, 16″ alloys, chrome exhaust tip and a gloss black roof.

New VW Golf GTD to cost just £199 a month. Sort of.

The VW Golf GTD (pictured) can be had for £199 a month – if you’ve got a big deposit There’s no question that car buyers are getting themselves in to new cars at affordable money thanks to the range of finance packages on offer now, including leases, PCP and contract hire. That’s good for car makers, dealers and the car buying public as it leads to more sales and more people driving modern, reliable and efficient cars. But the headline price is not always as clear cut as it seems.