07 08 09 Altima Speedometer Instrument Cluster Dash Panel Gauges 113,995 on 2040-parts.com

2012 Ford Focus ST: Paris Motor Show 2010

The 2012 Ford Focus ST gets an early showing at Paris Yes, it may be at least a year before the 2012 Ford Focus ST launches, but that’s not going to stop Ford shouting about it. And what better place to shout than in the place the car world is centred on for the next week or two – the Paris Motor Show. But really, there’s not that much new to say.

Swedish court rejects Saab creditor-protection plea; Saab will appeal

A Swedish court on Thursday rejected an application by ailing carmaker Saab for protection from creditors to give it breathing space to solve a cash crisis and get funds from Chinese investors. The Vanersborg district court in western Sweden said in a statement on its Web site that there was no reason to believe a new creditor protection process, known as a reconstruction, would work. Saab said in a statement that it is disappointed with the ruling and will appeal the decision.

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.