Cushman Eagle Seat on 2040-parts.com

Tis the season

It's time to once again show the world your giving spirit. The annual Championship Auto Racing Auxiliary (CARA) auction of racing items—cool stuff gathered during the 2012 racing season—is underway. The CARA auction is run in association with Autoweek and can be found here, at autoweek.com.

Obama sought Ghosn to run GM, ex-car czar says

The Obama Administration initially wanted Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn to run GM after Rick Wagoner was ousted in 2009, and repeatedly pressed Fiat to put up cash for a stake in Chrysler, according to an upcoming book about the government bailout of General Motors and Chrysler. Steven Rattner, President Obama's auto adviser who steered the government's $85 billion bailout of GM and Chrysler, is about to publish a tell-all account about his six-month stint inside the White House. The Detroit News, Washington Post and Huffington Post obtained draft copies of the book--"Overhaul: An Insider's Account of the Obama Administration's Emergency Rescue of the Auto Industry." It is scheduled to be published Oct.

Redesigned Ford Focus expected to get 40 mpg highway

The redesigned 2012 Ford Focus will get an estimated 40 mpg in highway driving with an all-aluminum 2.0-liter engine mated to a six-speed, dual dry-clutch automatic transmission. The normally aspirated engine combines variable camshaft timing and high-pressure direct fuel injection to crank out 160 hp and 146 lb-ft of torque. That compares with 140 hp and 136 lb-ft from the aluminum 2.0-liter engine used in the current-generation Focus.