97 98 99 00 01 02 Escort L. Side View Mirror Power 1523100 on 2040-parts.com

RCA team helps develop all-electric London taxi proposal

The Royal College of Art's Vehicle Design program and the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design have collaboratedwith Turkish car manufacturer Karsan to develop a proposal for the first all-electric London taxi. An RCA team – co-led by Professor Dale Harrow and the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design's deputy director Rama Gheerawo – has been working with Karsan and its consultancy Hexagon Studio for over a year and to develop a public transport vehicle to suit Londoners of all ages and abilities. The team analyzed a current London taxi in a ‘co-creation workshop' and conducted interviews with taxi drivers, which showed many are over 65 and frequently spend the entire working day inside their cabs.

Camouflaged Cadillac ELR spotted on the road

Autoweek reader Josh Lindquist recently snapped these photos of what may be a camouflaged Cadillac ELR cruising around metropolitan Detroit. While the photos don't show the car from every angle, its lines are strikingly similar to those on the ELR featured on Cadillac's official Web site. The ELR first appeared as the Cadillac Converj concept in 2009.

Smart's $99 loan deal has big balloon payment at end

Hoping to benefit from the federal cash-for-guzzlers program, Smart USA has set up a $99 monthly payment for buyers who use their $4,500 rebate. But there's a catch--and a hefty balloon payment disclosed only as a note to an asterisk in Smart's press information announcing the offer. The Smart financing is for $99 a month for 36 months, with a balloon payment of $6,667 due at the end.