04 Acura Rl Driver Air Bag Tan-fits 04 Only---right-airbag No Reserve on 2040-parts.com

IIHS names safest cars for 2013

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named the safest cars for 2013, including 13 midsize sedans that qualify for a new “top safety pick+” designation. The designation is given to vehicles that earn “good” ratings for occupant protection in at least four of five tests, with no less than “acceptable” in the fifth test. A new test -- the small overlap test -- was added to assess how the vehicles perform during a front-corner collision with another vehicle or object, such as a utility pole.

IDSA's 3D-printed car design contest gets underway

Aspiring designers have the chance to see their 3D-printed car designs launched down a miniature model of a ski jump and crash in the Launch Day 2013 competition due to take place at the 2013 IDSA conference, which runs from 21-24 August. Up to five designs can be entered for free until 12 August in the competition, organized by The Industrial Designers Society of America. All submissions will then be judged for both aesthetics and for "using unique attributes of 3D printing" which will whittle them down to just 10 designs that will be printed before the launch.

Brabus Mercedes S350 Bluetec ECO PowerXtra D6S kit

Mercedes S350 BlueTEC with Brabus ECO PowerXtra D6S kit The headline is a bit of a garbled eyeful at first glance. But that’s because although Brabus are pushing their new ECO PowerXtra D6S kit already attached to the Mercedes S350 BlueTEC, it can be attached to any other Mercedes running the same V6 3.0 litre diesel lump – like the Mercedes E350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY we reviewed recently. The BRABUS ECO PowerXtra D6S is a stand-alone, plug and play device that is integrated into the CAN data bus of the car, not just a quick flash remap of the ECU.