Volvo launches the new range of accessories to boost your normal car into a Polestar performance vehicle.

Polestar introduces a whole new line of high-performance products in the form of Polestar Performance Parts, offering even more driving pleasure to Volvo drivers.

Polestar Performance Parts offers a wide range of extensively developed enhancements for the Volvo S60, V40, V60 and XC60 models to begin with, including chassis parts, wheels, exhaust, interior and exterior details, and more.

"We have received strong feedback over a long period of time from customers all over the world regarding Polestar Performance Parts. We are delighted to be able to meet the demand, starting from today. This is a product improving on the already strong base of Volvo cars in terms of performance, handling and driving pleasure," said Niels Möller, Chief Operating Officer of Polestar.

All Polestar Performance Parts are designed under the philosophy "Made to Perform", fully utilising the 20-year motorsport experience of the engineers and racing drivers from Polestar and its motorsport partner Cyan Racing.

"What we learned on the racing circuits with our colleagues at Cyan Racing is that championships are not won in a single lap. The secret of our success on the tracks is in creating balanced and precise cars that are predictable for the driver to control in all situations. 

Lessons learned on the tracks are transferred directly into the development of our road cars and performance products. The new range of Polestar Performance Parts is no exception – they are designed and developed with the very same philosophy," said Henrik Fries, R&D Director of Polestar.

The Polestar Performance Parts can be purchased as a complete package, including chassis parts, wheels and tyres, intake and exhaust, as well as exterior and interior parts. All of these components will together create a more compelling driving experience, especially in combination with the Polestar Performance Optimisation, and can be bought in separate packages as well.

All Polestar Performance Parts are developed and tested together with Volvo Cars to the same high standards as all other products. This process ensures a perfect fit and finish, with no impact on the Volvo factory warranty, while most importantly increasing driving pleasure.

The Polestar Performance Parts will be available from participating Volvo dealers in April. Prices are yet to be announced. Further Volvo models will be included in the Polestar Performance Parts range in due course.

USA - MOPAR, the sports division of FCA waves it wand over the new FIAT 500X, Not bad, not bad at all.

• More than 100 Mopar accessories available for the new 2016 Fiat 500X
• A 2016 Fiat 500X augmented with select Mopar accessories to be displayed at the Los Angeles Auto Show
• Mopar quality products customize the exterior and interior of the 2016 Fiat 500X

The all-new 2016 Fiat 500X provides owners plenty of opportunity to customize the compact crossover, but an assist from Mopar is taking personalization possibilities to the “X-treme.” FCA’s service, parts and customer-care brand will offer more than 100 accessories to help make the latest addition to the FIAT line-up in North America uniquely yours.

The iconic Italian style, functionality, performance and all-wheel drive confidence of the 2016 Fiat 500X on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show is augmented with a healthy selection of prototype and production Mopar accessories.

“Already available in five trim models and 12 exterior colors, the additional option of more than 100 Mopar accessories from which to choose provides unlimited potential for  giving the all-new 2016 Fiat 500X a distinct, unique personality,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO — Mopar Service, Parts and Customer Care. “The Fiat 500X with added Mopar accessories showcased at the Los Angeles Auto Show is just the latest example of how Mopar is dedicated to offering quality-tested products for new vehicles.”

The exterior of the 2016 Fiat 500X displayed at the Los Angeles Auto Show is accented with red hood and roof graphics, with red and grey body side graphics. The comfortable five-seater, with world-class craftsmanship and superior ride and handling, rolls on Pirelli tires, wrapped around prototype satin black 18-inch Mopar wheels decorated with production FIAT center caps. Custom exterior touches include Satin Black “wings” on the chrome rear and front badges and a gloss black painted exhaust tip.

Heading inside, the seats of the Moparized Fiat 500X are wrapped in Tuscany Katzkin Leather, with the steering wheel and shifter boot trimmed with red accent stitching. Additional black trim highlights the interior, and a bright pedal kit and rear cargo organizer emblazoned with the FIAT logo also are pulled from the Mopar catalog.

Some of the more than 100 Mopar accessories available for the new 2016 Fiat 500X include:

Graphics Packages: More than 20 different exterior graphics packages will be available at launch to personalize the Fiat 500X.

Wheels: Owners can choose from 18-inch wheels in three different color options to dress up the new compact crossover.

Racks & Carriers: For bikes, skis, snowboards, luggage and more, Mopar offers a variety of racks and carriers to fit the new Fiat 500X.

Katzkin Seats: Owners can transform the interior of their Fiat 500X with premium leather Katzkin seats.

Cargo Management: Accessories including cargo trays and more are available to help secure items, protecting against spills, dirt, grease and grime.

EVTS: The Mopar Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS) is a state-of-the-art GPS-enabled stolen vehicle recovery system that helps protect the vehicle, along with additional available security features.

Splash Guards: Designed to fit the contours of the Fiat 500X, splash guards provide added protection from road debris and stone chips.

Slush Mats: Customers can keep their vehicle’s interior pristine with slush mats that feature molded, deep ribs to protect a vehicle’s carpet and keep it clean by trapping and holding water, snow and mud.

Mopar Brand

Mopar (a simple contraction of the words Motor and PARts) was trademarked in 1937 with the launch of an antifreeze product but truly made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era. From Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use, the brand soon expanded to include technical service and customer support.

Today, Mopar is FCA’s service, parts and customer-care brand and distributes more than 500,000 parts and accessories in more than 130 markets, integrating service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for FCA brands.

Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for FCA vehicles – a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at www.mopar.com.

Mopar-first Features

Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:

• Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with customers
• Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format. First to offer complete vehicle-information kits in Spanish
• Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
• Wireless charging: first to introduce in-vehicle wireless charging for portable devices
• Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters
• wiAdvisor: first to provide factory-connected tablet technology in the service lane for instant vehicle diagnosis
• wiTech: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network
• 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car

USA - Recall #7 - 2014 Kia Cadenza, possible fracture of wheels in poor road conditions.

SUMMARY:

Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2014 Cadenza vehicles manufactured February 1, 2013, through August 27, 2013, and equipped with 19" non-chrome aluminum wheels. The wheels on the affected vehicles may fracture from impacts such as large, deep potholes.

CONSEQUENCE:

A wheel fracture could cause the circular rim to separate, resulting in a loss of tire pressure, increasing the risk of a crash.

REMEDY:

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the wheels with new wheels, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in June 2014. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC107.

NOTES:

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Pothole damages claims rise by 750% due to failure to repair roads.

• Winter floods create surge in compensation claims to affected councils in Jan/Feb
• Somerset Council claims in Jan/Feb 2014 up 750% against Nov/Dec 2013
• New pothole signage could be installed on damaged stretches of road as a temporary warning system for road users
• Signage would only need prevent 2-3 incidents to cover costs versus £100s in garage bills and compensation payments

Councils in the areas worst hit by the winter storms are now facing a different kind of flood – a rising swell of automotive compensation claims – according to campaign website, Potholes.co.uk.

While homeowners seek compensation for damage to their houses, road users are also demanding remuneration for car axle, wheel and suspension faults caused by pothole-ridden stretches of saturated roads.

In one county – deluged Somerset – claims spiked at 204 in January / February from just 24 in November / December, a massive 750% increase in cases.

The same worrying trend has been spotted in some of the other regions worst hit by flooding at the start of this year. Surrey County Council reported a 353% increase and admitted that an “unprecedented number of claims” meant that there was still a backlog of claims waiting to go on to the system, meaning the statistics will only get worse.

In Dorset, one of the worst hit flood areas, the County Council saw claims for pothole damage increase from 85 in November/December to 193 in January/February – up 127%. In January the county experienced up to 290mm of rain in some areas – almost three times the average expected at that time of year.

Worcester floods hit record levels in February and claims to the County Council also rose 400% from 25 in November/December to 125 in January/February.

To draw attention to the ongoing problem with the crumbling roads, Potholes.co.uk has unveiled a new design for temporary signage that could be adopted to warn motorists and other road users about pothole-ridden stretches of road.

Pothole damage to cars in the UK creates an estimated annual repair bill of £730million and continues to increase each year, according to research by Potholes.co.uk and Warranty Direct.

As the UK emerges from some of the most destructive winter floods on record, hundreds of roads across the country have been left saturated and crumbling, accelerating existing deterioration and creating the perfect conditions for a pothole plague.

Warranty Direct managing director, David Gerrans, said: “With potholed stretches of road affecting many road users on a daily basis, there’s now real cause to create dedicated signage. Let’s give people a fighting chance of avoiding unnecessary garage bills or even personal injury.

“If road signs can warn of falling rocks from above then why not craters from below? The average bill for pothole damage now runs at £247, so a sign only needs stop a couple of incidents to justify the expenditure. The embarrassment will be for the Government in just how many signs need to be put up – there’s one pothole for every mile of road by some estimates.”

As a result of the heavy rainfall damaging roads, campaign website Potholes.co.uk had more than 1500 potholes reported across the UK in January and February alone, by motorists who had either damaged their vehicles or were trying to warn others of the hazards.

One site visitor reported hitting a submerged pothole whilst driving back from Elstead towards Puttenham. With rain water making the deep crater almost invisible, they drove through it cracking their alloy and bursting the tyre in the process.

Increasing numbers of visitors have also reported how they are warning other drivers by placing traffic cones in or next to the affected road surface. Potholes.co.uk is concerned that these good citizens are putting themselves at risk from passing traffic in the process.

One motorist in Hampshire damaged two tyres when they hit a pothole. They have since taken it upon themselves to mark the hazard with a traffic cone.

Even London Mayor Boris Johnson isn’t immune to the perils of potholes. In his Telegraph column (16/02/14), the cycling enthusiast admitted to being thrown from his handlebars and writing off his bike when he struck a road defect hidden by rainwater whilst riding up Whitehall in London.

Warranty Direct found that claims for axle and suspension damage, a common result of hitting potholes at speed, increased 22% between 2012 and 2013. Axle and suspension faults currently represent around 10.1% of all claims handled by the company – in 2010 this was just 4% – a 159% rise in cases.

While the average repair bill for pothole-induced axle or suspension damage is £247, Warranty Direct and Potholes.co.uk have identified recent claims as high as £2,700. The average cost for a council to repair a single pothole is only around £52^[1].

If your vehicle has been damaged as a result of a pothole, you may be entitled to compensation from your council. Visit www.potholes.co.uk/claims/how_to_claim for more information.

Limited Edition Alfa's hit the showrooms

• Alfa Romeo launches ‘special series’ Giulietta Collezione
• Only model in segment with a contrasting roof as standard
• Premium styling with chrome and titanium detailing
• Alfa Giulietta range starts from £18,265 OTR

Alfa Romeo has introduced a special series Collezione range to its Giulietta line-up. The Alfa Giulietta Collezione features a distinctive contrast roof as standard – unique in the class – together with premium body styling, elegant interior touches, dynamic powerplants and upgraded specification. The Limited Edition Collezione range is priced from just £18,265 OTR.

The Alfa Giulietta Collezione is available in three signature Alfa colours; Solid Black, Alfa Red and Ghiaccio White, all featuring a contrasting roof as standard. The Solid Black models are complimented with a matte magnesio grey roof whilst the Alfa Red and Ghiaccio White models feature a solid black roof.

Completing the dynamic look are 17 inch Titanium finish alloy wheels, titanium effect wing mirrors and darkened headlight surrounds and chrome door handles.

Contrasting on the inside as well as the outside, the Alfa Giulietta Collezione features new black and red competizione cloth upholstery – a distinctive fabric with contrasting stitching and titanium finish inserts on the door inserts, central console and dashboard. For driver comfort and air conditioning and Blue&Me come as standard on the Collezione.

The special series is powered by a choice of four engines – a 1.4 TB 120bhp or 1.4 TB MultiAir 170 bhp petrol and 1.6 JTDM-2 105 bhp and 2.0 JTDM-2 140 bhp diesels. Emissions are from just 114g/km CO2 and fuel economy is up to 64.2mpg on a combined cycle. Peace of mind comes as standard with a  three year unlimited mileage warranty and five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.

The Alfa Giulietta Collezione range is priced from just £18,265 OTR with competitive financing packages on PCP from just £209 per month & 1.9% APR Representative^. Plus £1500 Alfa Romeo Deposit Contribution^^.

Damien Dally, Head of Brand, Alfa Romeo UK said; ‘The Collezione badge first appeared on the Alfa 147, and as with that model, it’s a signature that denotes style, dynamism and distinction. The Alfa Guilietta Collezione range goes the extra mile in styling and performance. With an impressive specification, including that unique contrasting roof, this special series stands out from the crowd, appealing to the heart and head.’