Merc to revive straight six, plus 4cyl and smaller V8s

Mercedes has just signed off a new engine family which will see most full-sized Mercs in future run four-cylinders, downsized V8s and… straight sixes. A friendly Mercedes engineer recently met CAR to disclose the engine plans for future models, including the surprise disclosure that Merc plans to switch to straight sixes, like its rivals over in Munich.  It's fair to say I almost choked on my breakfast croissant when I found out the details of the next MB engine generation which has just been signed off for release in 2015. Mercedes' future four-cylinder engines Again, there will be a family of new low-cost fours, and the big-bore V8s will be replaced by a series of downsized turbocharged 4.0-litre units.

Audi A6 Avant (2011) first official pictures

This is the new Audi A6 Avant, a crucial new model for Audi UK as the current car makes up 43% of A6 sales here in Blighty. The new Audi A6 Avant is bigger, lighter and better all round than the model it replaces. Important stuff first – how big is the boot on the new Audi A6 Avant? We’ll get there in a moment, but first let’s mention the optional ‘gesture-controlled’ boot lid.

CDN launches Studio Photos

Car Design News is today launching 'Studio Photos', an extensive new library of high quality car photos taken in a photography studio. Developed in conjunction with automotive design research consultancy Car Men, it is a unique CDN member service created specifically as a visual benchmarking tool for design studios and consultancies who require directly comparable photos of production cars. Most designers or researchers will be familiar with the task of quickly finding good images of specific cars, details of some new model's tail lamp, or the side view of a particular class-leading competitor.