2001 Oldsmobile Aurora Automatic Transmission 2490994 on 2040-parts.com

New Mercedes SL 400 replaces SL 350

The new Mercedes SL 400 (pictured) replaces the old SL 350 It’s a little over two years since the latest Mercedes SL arrived, and Mercedes has now decided to add a little zest to sales by dropping the old SL 350 and replacing it with a new Mercedes SL 400. The new SL 400 gets its power from the new E400 which means a twin-turbo 3.0 litre V6 with 328bhp and 354 lb/ft of torque – 26bhp and 81 lb/ft more than the old SL 350 – enough to let the SL 400 scoot to 62 mph in 5.2 seconds – 0.7s better than the 350 -= and on to a limited top speed of 155 mph. The new SL 400 has to make do with Mercedes tried and tested 7-speed auto – despite a new 9-speed now being available in Mercedes’ arsenal – which gives the SL 400 official economy of 38.6 mpg and emissions of 172g/km – not that you’ll come close in the real world.

GM and Bezalel Academy of Art and Design develop Windows of Opportunity smart glass tech [w/video]

General Motors' Research and Development has collaborated with Bezalel Academy of Art and Design's Future Lab students to conceptualize new ways in which rear seat passengers – who traditionally feel disconnected from their environment – have a richer experience on the road. The result is the Windows of Opportunity project, a series of applications developed by the Bezalel students and built into full-size prototypes using multi-touch and gesture sensing surfaces developed by ClickEye. The projects were: – Otto an animated character projected over passing scenery that responds to real-time car performance, weather and landscape.

Mercedes-Benz B-Class

The rather unloved yet brilliantly packaged Mercedes B-Class will enter its second generation at next month's Frankfurt motor show. Gone, sadly, is the ingenious sandwich floor construction, replaced by a conventional front-drive platform. The result is a reduction in height by 48mm to 1557mm, while length has grown by 89mm and width by 11mm.