01 Honda Rubicon 500 Front Drive Shaft on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes-Benz has big plans for small cars

Breaking outside its American position of rear-wheel-drive luxury vehicles, Mercedes-Benz will launch its new front-wheel-drive architecture in the United States in the next three years in the form of a coupe, SUV and possibly a small wagon or compact hatchback. Joachim Schmidt, Mercedes' global sales and marketing boss, said Mercedes is developing at least four models based on its MFA, or Mercedes Front-wheel-drive Architecture. "We will introduce the next generation of our MFA family to the U.S.," Schmidt said in an interview.

Toyota Auris Hybrid emissions cut to 84g/km

We’ve long believed that car makers better serve their customers by offering ‘Green’ options as add-ons to regular car models, and adding the hybrid option from the Prius to the Auris has seen Auris sales climb steeply whilst Prius sales drop off. There’s only so many buyers who want to shout their green halo from the rooftops, so incorporating green technologies in the regular range opens up far more possibilities for a sale. Now, with the Auris Hybrid sales growing by 69 per cent year on year in the UK, Toyota has had a play to make the Auris Hybrid even more efficient.

Nissan recalls Pathfinder, Infiniti QX4 for rusted steering column

Nissan is recalling at least 195,000 Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4 SUVs sold in 20 cold-weather states and the District of Columbia to inspect steering columns for rust and corrosion. Nissan is concerned that road salt used in these cold-weather states could cause the steering columns to rust through and possibly break off. In January, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started investigating 35 reports of corrosion-related failure of the driver's-side front strut tower.