1958-64 5.5 Hp Evinrude/johnson Propeller Shaft P/n 305215 on 2040-parts.com

Chevrolet Cruze gets better fuel economy for the 2012 model year

The 2012 Chevrolet Cruze is making a run at its Eco brother, with a highway fuel-economy rating of 38 mpg with an automatic transmission, 2 mpg more than last it got last year. A manual transmission is now more widely available on the Cruze, according to the General Motors ordering guide. The 1LT and 2LT models will now be available with the six-speed manual, which should increase the fun quotient with the turbocharged 1.4-liter engine.

Mugen Honda CR-Z Hybrid Video ahead of Goodwood

Mugen Honda CR-Z Hybrid playing on video We reported back in April that Honda had turned to Mugen to see if they could inject anything in to the CR-Z Hybrid that might make it even remotely appealing to a driver. The plan was to take the resulting Mugen Honda CR-Z to this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, to see if the knowledgeable petrolheads that gravitate to the Goodwood Estate like moths to a Summer flame could find something to love in the Honda CR-Z, once it had had some Mugen fairy dust springled on it. We were a bit reluctant to expect anything much of the CR-Z even after Mugen had played, but we were pleasantly surprised to learn that the CR-Z would get a wider track, new suspension and brakes and a drop in weight thanks to some carbon fibre in the mix – most notably the carbon fibre bonnet.

News watch March 2011: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour Thursday 31 March 2011• US President Barack Obama has strated all US government cars and trucks purchased from 2015 must be alternative-fuel vehicles (Automotive News)• Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has denied a report in Japan's Nikkei newspaper that he is leaning towards a formal merger of Nissan and Renault (Reuters)• Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne says that Chrysler's share IPO may now take place in 2012, depending on financial progress this year (Bloomberg)Wednesday 30 March 2011• Tesla CEO Elon Musk has called a report that the EV carmaker is a takeover target 'bad analysis' and remains confident the firm will stay independent (Bloomberg)• The BBC denies that it rigged a December 2008 Top Gear TV test of the Tesla Roadster, in response to being sued by the EV carmaker (BBC News)• First Group, the UK's largest public transport operator, has announced a £160m investment in new buses, ordering 955 new buses from UK manufacturers Wrightbus and Dennis over the next two years (BBC News)• Japanese production woes look set to continue into April. Toyota expects the majority of Toyota and Lexus production on 14 April (Automotive News)• Saab production has re-started again, following a half yesterday afternoon.