Harken Track End Cap on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes-Benz introduces nine-speed automatic gearbox

Mercedes-Benz has quietly slipped a new nine-speed automatic into its lineup as standard equipment on the European market E350 BlueTec. The new in-house produced unit, known internally under the name 9G-Tronic, has long been slated for selected Mercedes-Benz models. However, its existence was officially denied until the weekend, when Mercedes-Benz's German language website configurator went live with various updates for the E-class lineup -- including an entry signaling the 9G-Tronic is now available on the standard rear-wheel drive E350 BlueTec in place of the older seven-speed.

Film Friday: 'Styling and the Experimental Car' takes us from Da Vinci to the Ford Mustang

Last time we popped into the Ford Design Studios, it was the late 1960s and everyone was strung out on black turtlenecks and jazz flute. We're traveling a few years further back in time today, but Ford Design Studios remains our destination. "Styling and the Experimental Car," released in 1964, doesn't start off like a modern promo piece might.

Toyota i-Road – a three-wheel EV for Geneva 2013

The Toyota i-Road Concept has been revealed ahead of the Geneva Motor Show. It’s a three-wheeled EV designed as an urban transport solution. But if there is a way to make EVs acceptable to car buyers it’s to offer an alternative to the normal ICE car that works in specific and appropriate locations better than a full-sized ICE car can, not to try and make a normal car run on electricity.