89-95 Spirit Corner/signal Light Lamp Driver Oe Style 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.

Do Traffic Lights Hold The Key To Saving Fuel?

SUPERMARKET fuel price cuts may come and go, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to achieve longer lasting savings. German car maker Audi thinks it may have the answer, as it’s developed a system that ‘talks’ to traffic lights. The goal is to save fuel by alerting drivers to when lights change so they can slow down, plus prime a car’s engine stop-start system when a change from red to green is imminent.

Nissan’s EV onslaught continues with Townpod

Nissan’s Townpod will be the company’s third electric vehicle (a battery-powered version of the NV200 commercial vehicle will slot in after the Leaf) and is slated for a late 2012 arrival in the UK. Looking remarkably like a character from Pixar’s Cars film, the Townpod takes the lithium-ion battery-powered drivetrain of the Leaf and cloaks it in urban friendly sheetmetal. The long wheelbase and zero overhangs results in a huge cabin, accessed by some trick doors – rear-hinged rear doors and a vertically split rear door.