05 Ford Escape Chassis Ecm 121480 on 2040-parts.com

Now it’s the SEAT Mii’s turn to get an auto ‘box

The SEAT Mii City car has followed in the footsteps of the VW Up! by adding an auto gearbox option, but only on the Mii 1.0 75PS SE. The SEAT Mii is the Spanish version of the VW Up!

One Lap of the Web: It Ain't Easy Being Front-Engined

-- Twitter friend @dudehugs is a Weird Twitter savant and a curator of goofy license plates. To archive the world's silliest vanity plates, you have to understand your subject, comprehensively -- which is why his daily driver Ford Focus has a Louisiana plate that says "KANYE." Thusly inspired, someone decided to chronicle whether every state had a vanity plate dedicated to the notable fishstick connoisseur and hip-hop artist Kanye West: The United Plates of Kanye diligently checks DMV records to see if someone's driving around with KANYE proudly emblazoned. So far, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, and Nevada have their own mini Yeezys.

Michelin Challenge Design announces 2014 theme: ‘Driven/Undriven: The Duality of Tomorrow’s Automobiles’

Michelin has announced the theme for the 2014 Michelin Challenge Design competition – ‘Driven/Undriven: The Duality of Tomorrow's Automobiles'. Participants will explore the human-to-vehicle connection, focusing on how this can evolve automotive design. The exploration of autonomous vehicles has gathered pace in recent years, with Toyota displaying its autonomous Lexus car at the recent CES in Las Vegas, while other carmakers and even Google have been investing heavily in the concept.