1967 Oldsmobile 425 Engine Harmonic Balancer W/ Bolts on 2040-parts.com

Second Fisker Karma fire under investigation

Investigators hired by Fisker Automotive are looking into a Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sedan that caught fire on Aug. 11 in a suburb outside San Jose, Calif. This is the second instance of a fire involving a Karma in the last three months.

MOT test gets tougher for diesels

THE MOT TEST for cars with diesel engines is set to become much tougher from February 2014 due to new rules about exhaust filters. Diesel-engined cars fitted with an exhaust filter as standard when new will now be checked to make sure it is still present. Any car found to have had the filter removed will be automatically failed and required to have a new filter fitted.

Sales enthusiasm? Sports-car and luxury brands show strong market gains

Count Porsche among enthusiast and luxury brands enjoying huge sales gains this year. Sales for the German automaker are up 29 percent so far this year-one of the largest increases in the industry. Almost one-third of Porsche's total sales came from the four-door Panamera.