2009 Vespa Lx V 150 Speedometer (1,490 Miles) Guage Cluster on 2040-parts.com

Art Center Summit 2009

The Art Center Summit, now in its third year, has finally seen the rest of the world catch up with its preoccupations. Initially conceived in 2006-07 to bring government, academic, and business leaders to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, to discuss issues related to mobility and sustainability, the summit has benefited from the financial turmoil that has recently gripped the world. Previously, the event was highly speculative and appealed mainly to designers working in the advanced mobility community; this year, the summit occurred against a backdrop of meltdown in the US auto industry, chaos in the global financial sector, and a growing realization - supported by the incoming Obama administration - that energy and transportation policy will form a key part of a Green future.

BMW 9-series concept expected to debut in Beijing

BMW will be previewing the upcoming 9-series sedan at the 2014 China Auto Show, according to German magazine Auto Motor und Sport. The extra-long-wheelbase 9-series will take on the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S600 Maybach, which itself is production ready and is set to debut in a matter of months. The 9-series will be positioned alongside the Rolls-Royce Ghost in BMW's global lineup, and is expected to feature packaging and interior appointments similar to that of the S600 Maybach while building upon the design language recently seen in the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe.

UK New car sales hit 394,806 in March 2013

The latest figures from the SMMT show that new car registrations in the UK in March 2013 hit 394,806, up 5.9 per cent over March 2012. The seemingly inexorable rise in new car registrations in the UK is continuing, with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reporting sales in March 2013 up 5.9 per cent on March 2012, with a total of 394,086 cars registered. These figures mean that new car registrations have grown for thirteen consecutive month and are now at their highest level since the Government introduced the Scrappage scheme in 2010 to try and breathe new life in to the market and encourage buyers to opt for low emission cars.