1966 Chevy Impala Ss Radiator Fan Shrould on 2040-parts.com

Design Essay: BMW i – Setting the industry agenda for the next decade

Many have already dismissed BMW i as a radical experiment too far ahead of its time, but looking beyond the glossy carbon fiber facade reveals three ways it will change the automotive landscape during the next decade: 1. Re-define the EV category Despite Tesla, Nissan, GM, Renault and Toyota all operating in the EV space, global sales in 2012 totaled just 54,000. Many put this down to high-cost and range anxiety, but another key factor is nearly always overlooked.

17,000 solar panels to power Toyota’s Derbyshire plant

Toyota’s manufacturing plant at Burnaston in Derbyshire, where the Auris and Avensis are built, will install the biggest solar panel system yet seen in a UK car plant.  British Gas, which will stump up the £10 million cost of installing the solar panels, and Toyota are working together to save 2000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year. Once the solar panels are installed, they claim it will save enough energy to build approximately 7000 cars a year.

Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato Sanction II Coupé up for grabs at Bonhams sale

Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato Sanction II The Aston Martin sale at Newport Pagnell in May has one of the four Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Sanction II Coupés ever built up for sale. The Ferrari 250 GTO may have shown the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato a clean pair of heels on track and gone on to be perhaps the most expensive car on the planet. But the truth is the Aston Martin is far more beautiful.