2004 Audi A6 17438 Miles Speedometer Instrument Cluster Gauges 881775 on 2040-parts.com

CES: Cranking up Harman's QuantumLogic 3D surround-sound system

Yesterday we reported how Audi was readying a lavish 3D sound experience with 23 speakers and 1,400 watts of goosebump-inducing audio power. Not to be outdone, Harman had been quietly developing a system of its own: Quantum Logic 3D brings together 25 speakers and more than 2,000 watts of Tubthumping power to a new car near you, like driving inside Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Sitting inside the demonstration BMW 7-Series that Harman painstakingly lifted into the Studio at the Palms, Global Audio Engineering vice president Phil Muzio explained, "great music is delivered in stereo, yet our consumer research indicates that people enjoy surround sound." QuantumLogic 3D's surround sound expands beyond the boundaries of the vehicle's cabin, providing "a sense of detail and spatial placement that you don't get in stereo." Five height component speakers mounted in the corners of the headliner, and above the rearview mirror, elevates audio beyond the confines of the roof, "almost like you're in a convertible," said Muzio.

Make like a tree and Leaf: We drive Nissan's coming electric vehicle

From behind the wheel, the production version of the Nissan Leaf electric car is smooth and silent, feels nearly friction-free and offers all the prodigious torque inherent in an electric car. That's what we found after a short drive around Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday. The body you see in the photo is a Versa.

Saab secures investment from China et al

China's Hawtai Automotive invest €150 million in Saab As you can’t have failed to notice, Saab has stopped production because it’s run out of money. And despite the best efforts of Vladimir Antonov to throw money at Saab, the EIB and the Swedish Debt Office seemed unwilling to move quickly to allow Saab to get back in to production. But things they are a-changing.