340 Mopar Engine Motor on 2040-parts.com

Automakers need love, not just quality, Strategic Vision study shows

Strategic Vision, a company that studies how and why consumers make decisions, released its yearly Total Quality Index on July 12, and the results might be surprising. The study found that love--how much or what part of a car that people like--is more important than the number of problems a car has when choosing a vehicle. For example Ford, which was a quality leader in the study, received a number of complaints about its Sync system.

Bonhams' Greenwich auction will show Italian rarities

The biggest star of Bonhams' seventh annual Greenwich auction will be the 1975 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Periscopica shown above, a pristine early example of the legendary wedge with a single owner and less than 10,500 miles -- its roof carried a groove cut into the sheetmetal that allowed light to hit the rearview mirror, providing a still-laughable semblance of rearward visibility. Of course, the door is always preferable. Just 158 LP400 Countachs were ever produced, before the firm moved on in 1978 to the outrageously styled LP400S.

Hyundai ix35 launches at Frankfurt

Th Hyundai ix35 at the Frankfurt Motor Show The exterior styling is Ford Kuga by way of VW Tiguan – but somehow more convincing. With the optional 18″ wheels it looks purposeful and aggressive, but even in stock form it looks great. Passenger comfort is well taken care of with a well thought-out cabin with lots of decent quality materials, and nice features like the panoramic roof, cooled glove-box and good connectivity.