1964-1966 Ford Mercury Exhaust Manifolds on 2040-parts.com

Kia Naimo concept

As the Seoul Motor Show starts today, Thursday 31st March, Kia is debuting the Naimo all-electric concept. The concept takes its name from the Korean word ‘Ne-mo' meaning square shape - something that lends itself to the Naimo's aesthetic. The crossover utility vehicle, or CUV, was conceived by Kia's international design team in Seoul and is characterized by its ‘simple lines and solid, muscular stance.' The simple overall design sports such interjecting details as the wrap-around windscreen and asymmetric sunroof.  This mixture of simple and complex is a reference to the common traits of many traditional Korean arts and crafts.  The Naimo's interior was designed to evoke a strong sense of tranquility and features hand-crafted materials throughout such as Korean oak on the floor and door cards, with "Han-ji" paper being used for the head lining. Juxtaposing these traditional elements are modern features such as the transparent organic led display instrument panel.

Consumer Reports' Luddites strike again

I am a technological wizard. At least that's the conclusion to which I've come after reading the January issue of Consumer Reports, which calls Cadillac CUE, the automaker's new infotainment system, “maddening.” After all, I had figured out CUE in a matter of minutes while acclimating myself to our Best of the Best ATS sedan last month. CUE, short for Cadillac User Experience, uses a touch-sensitive screen, capacitive switches and tactile, vibrating feedback to help drivers perform various functions.

BMW set to go front-wheel drive

BMW chairman Norbert Reithofer has confirmed that the German carmaker will introduce a new front-wheel-drive entry-level model positioned and priced below the existing 1-series as part of plans to help increase part sharing and to bolster the potential for production savings between the BMW and Mini brands, thus bringing an end to the era of rear- and four-wheel-drive-only BMW models. Speaking to AutoWeek at the Geneva motor show, Reithofer said internal BMW studies revealed that despite the downturn in the world's economy, there was continued demand for what he described as "premium vehicles" in the small-car class, before officially acknowledging plans that will see BMW produce a rival to the recently unveiled Audi A1 and a new Smart Forfour presently under development at Mercedes-Benz. "We will be extending the BMW and Mini brands into the small-car segment with new models and variants," he said.