1979 Dodge Magnum Xe T-top on 2040-parts.com

Excessive accessories are on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon

The Japanese tuning industry may finally be emerging from the economic slump if this year's Tokyo Auto Salon is an accurate barometer. The three-day spectacular--Japan's equivalent of SEMA--attracted nearly a quarter-million visitors, all eager to get a glimpse of the latest cars and the newest excessive accessories for 2011. Here's a recap: The Honda CR-Z was, without a doubt, the car of the show, and some versions were tuned to deliver up to 300 hp, thanks to turbocharging or supercharging kits.

Volvo halts production of Electric cars & question EU’s CO2 & EV targets

The Volvo C30 EV won't be going in to production Volvo has decided it will not put the C30 electric Car in to production and has called on the EU to address CO2 and EV targets. Just as many other car makers are doing, Volvo has had a small fleet of electric test cars plodding round the roads to see what they’re capable of in the real world, in Volvo’s case a fleet of electric C30s. But Volvo has decided that a production version of the C30 EV is a futile project and has revealed they will not be making a production version.

Aftermarket Car Plug-In Hybrid system developed (video)

The Department of Engineering Technology at the Middle Tennessee State University has developed a plug-in hybrid retro-fit system for cars. As hybrid cars show the world that we can get more miles to the gallon from fuel by adding in an electric motor to the mix (depending on just how that electricity is generated, of course), it was inevitable that aftermarket solutions would eventually surface. Now, the Department of Engineering Technology at the Middle Tennessee State University has popped up with what they claim is an after market plug-in hybrid system that can be added to just about any car and would cost – assuming it gets to market – around £2,000.