2006 Mercedes Benz R-class Original Owner Manual Set With The Comand Operation's on 2040-parts.com

Ford Galaxy MPV spied stateside

Autoweek reader and frequent spy-shot contributor Spencer Abbott sends these photos of what appears to be a Ford Galaxy MPV -- or minivan, as we typically call the vehicles stateside -- testing in metropolitan Detroit. The Galaxy received a facelift in 2010, and that appears to be what we're seeing in these photos. Your guess is as good as ours as to why the vehicle was out and about near Ford's Dearborn, Mich., headquarters.

GM to double size of battery lab

General Motors says it will spend $8 million to double the size of its Global Battery Systems Lab, which the company claims is the largest and most technologically advanced automotive battery lab in the United States. GM says the expansion will speed up the development of hybrid and electric vehicles, such as the upcoming Chevrolet Volt, by improving on-site testing of battery cells and systems. When finished, the lab will be 30,000 square feet bigger than it is now, for a 63,000-square-foot total.

Honda – made in the UK

Honda's new TV ad focuses on its UK manufacturing Car makers have had a torrid time in the last year or so. And the natural reaction has been to cut costs where they can. That has seen a downturn in the advertising budgets available to car makers, which in the end will be self-defeating.