2004 Yamaha Yzf600 Yzf 600 Touring Oem Seat on 2040-parts.com

Center stack is new high-stakes battleground; showdown with safety regulators looms

For auto suppliers and gadget companies eager to get a piece of the auto industry, the hottest chunk of vehicle real estate now is the center stack. That corridor of interior space, running from the driver's right hip up through the center of the cockpit to the bottom of the windshield, has become a California gold rush of opportunity. But it is less so for traditional suppliers of molded plastics, cables, levers, buttons and radios.

2015 Subaru WRX STI pictures leaked before Detroit reveal

Pictures of the upcoming 2015 Subaru WRX STI leaked online at Zero 2 Turbo on Wednesday. The top Impreza looks tough, sporting classic gold wheels, a high wing and a rally-blue paint job. Details haven't been revealed yet, but we expect the new STI to have nearly the same power as last year's: about 300 hp from a 2.5-liter boxer four.

Mercedes-Benz has big plans for small cars

Breaking outside its American position of rear-wheel-drive luxury vehicles, Mercedes-Benz will launch its new front-wheel-drive architecture in the United States in the next three years in the form of a coupe, SUV and possibly a small wagon or compact hatchback. Joachim Schmidt, Mercedes' global sales and marketing boss, said Mercedes is developing at least four models based on its MFA, or Mercedes Front-wheel-drive Architecture. "We will introduce the next generation of our MFA family to the U.S.," Schmidt said in an interview.