2004 Seadoo Gtx 4 Tec Exhaust Manifold on 2040-parts.com

Audi set to buy Ducati for $1.1 billion

News wire reports in Europe on Tuesday said Audi is poised to buy Ialian motorcycle maker Ducati from owner Investindustrial for about $1.1 billion (860 million euros). Audi has reached an agreement with Investindustrial to buy the maker of luxury motorbikes, with VW's supervisory board set to approve the deal on Wednesday, said a person familiar with the details, who declined to be identified discussing the private negotiations. Audi and Investindustrial declined to comment.

Volkswagen demonstrates self-driving car

Flying cars might still be on the drawing board, but automakers are making progress toward futuristic advances in driving. The latest example from Volkswagen is a car that can essentially drive itself. Volkswagen presented its Temporary Auto Pilot (TAP) system this week at the European Union research project HAVEit (Highly Automated Vehicles for Intelligent Transport).

Ford touts electric range, speed of plug-in C-Max Energi hybrid

Ford's C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid wagon will be able to hit 85 mph on battery power alone, the automaker said Tuesday. The C-Max Energi can also travel 20 miles on electric power. The driver can put the powertrain into one of three modes, via a button on the center stack: -- EV Now, which runs the vehicle on the lithium-ion battery pack until it is depleted.