2001 Honda Xr50 Oem Seat on 2040-parts.com

Mitsubishi weighs a 'different direction' for the Lancer Evolution

The current generation of Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s Lancer Evolution high-performance sedan appears be its last as the automaker works to refashion itself as a leader in electrified vehicles. Mitsubishi is considering a "different direction" for its rally-inspired, all-wheel-drive sport sedan as it prepares to launch eight electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles globally by 2015. The plan is fueled in part by a need to meet tougher global fuel economy and emissions regulations.

Nissan to close Michigan design studio

In a cost-cutting move, Nissan is shutting its design studio at its research-and-development complex in suburban Detroit and moving the work to its main U.S. design studio in San Diego. The design studio in Farmington Hills, Mich., opened in 2005.

Pioneer App Radio officially unveiled

Pioneer has officially unveiled the App Radio that AutoWeek told you about earlier this month. Now that it's willing to talk, Pioneer claims that the radio and audio system is "the first in-vehicle product designed to utilize the processing power, storage capacity, network connectivity and apps of the iPhone and iPod Touch as the primary source for its information and entertainment capabilities." That does sound a lot like what Mini Connected and, in a more platform-agnostic sense, Ford Sync are doing. Pioneer said it couldn't speak to the similarity of those systems, but Ted Cardenas, director of marketing for Pioneer's car-electronics division, briefed us on installation of the device and what Pioneer is doing to minimize driver distraction.