2005-2010 Honda Odyssey New *factory* Cross Bar Set Oem on 2040-parts.com

2013 Volkswagen Beetle diesel starts at $24,065

The diesel-powered 2013 Volkswagen Beetle will carry a sticker price of $24,065 including $770 in destination charges when it arrives in dealerships in August. It will be the first diesel Bug to hit the United States since 2006. The 2.0-liter turbocharged oil burner will join the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine and the 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine in the lineup.

German new car sales drop 11 per cent – pre-reg accounts for 33.5 per cent

New car sales in Germany dropped by 11 per cent in September with pre-reg cars accounting for over a third of all sales. That drop of 11 per cent in Germany is despite deep discount offers – an average of 12.2 per cent in September – with even the previously invincible Mercedes and VW having to offer discounts of up to €3k, despite which VW’s sales fell by 20 per cent in Germany and Mercedes by 12 per cent. What’s perhaps most interesting about the decline in car sales in Germany is the number of pre-reg cars sold (pre reg cars are cars registered by dealers to hit sales targets and then sold at a discount of up to 25 per cent).

Chris Economaki was one of the good guys

I'm really going to miss Chris Economaki, who died this morning around midnight, 91 years young. Elsewhere on this site, you'll find writer Leo Levine's excellent tribute to Chris. In it, he pays compliments to Chris such as “he left a hole in the motorsports firmament that can never be filled.