1949 Buick Steering Wheel Horn Ring on 2040-parts.com

Call for ban on in-car hands-free phones

Road safety charity Brake is calling for a blanket ban on in-car hands-free phone systems. Using a hand-held phone while driving is already illegal in the UK, so a proposal to prohibit even hands-free kits would completely eradicate calling from behind the wheel. On Bing: see pictures of people using mobile phones while driving 1 in 3 use mobile phone behind the wheel A decade on from when the mobile phone ban was introduced, Brake is asking the government to assess its policy on all forms of telephone communication while driving.

Toyota Furia Concept teased ahead of Detroit Auto Show (video)

Toyota has revealed a short video teasing a new concept car for the Detroit Auto Show - the Toyota Furia Concept. Toyota are intent on convincing us they’re heading in a sportier direction with their cars, and it’s true that dynamics and styling seem to be coming to the forefront in new models. That intent is demonstrated with the latest concept from Toyota – the Toyota Furia – which gets a tease ahead of a Detroit Auto Show reveal and appears to offer a sporty-looking saloon and a name that could have come straight from a video game – cue explosions and fire to demonstrate the Furia.

Saab ends deal with Chinese investors

Saab owner Swedish Automobile scrapped a $340 million investment deal with Chinese automotive companies Zhejiang Youngman Lotus and Pang Da after they proposed a buyout, straying from the original deal. Youngman and Pang Da signed a nonbinding agreement in July to take a combined 53.9 percent stake in Swedish Automobile. The Chinese companies say circumstances have changed since that time, so the deal should too.