97 Chevy Suburban 1500 Fuse Box 854355 on 2040-parts.com

New techniques cut cost of carbon fiber

Carbon fiber, once so costly that it was the preferred material only for fighter planes and supercars, is catching the attention of weight-conscious automakers. Carbon fiber's cost is falling dramatically, thanks to production advances that let suppliers speed the material's finicky, and costly, curing process. One technological breakthrough that makes carbon-fiber auto parts more affordable may come from a process used to make carbon-fiber golf clubs.

Fuel protests halt Spanish car production

By Dimitri Pesin Motoring Issues 16 June 2008 10:25 Fuel protests in Europe triggered by the soaring cost of fuel have drastically reduced car production in Spain this month.  Last week's truck blockades and fuel depot pickets in Madrid caused car plants around the country to cut production. Seat, Citroen Peugeot, Ford, Nissan, Renault and Mercedes-Benz all have factories in Spain and most said they were affected.Seat production slashed by 40 percentSeat said its main Martorell plant was operating at 40 percent capacity, with production of the Leon and Altea models severely affected. However, the protests won’t delay sales of the new Ibiza, a spokesman promised, and assembly of cars in the factory is expected to return to normal this week.

Win 'epic family playdate' from Hyundai

To promote the new seven-passenger Santa Fe, Pinterest campaign in which consumers can "pin" their way to winning an "epic" family playdate -- similar to the one featured in its register online and then create a Pinterest board titled, "Hyundai's epic playdate weekend," within their personal Pinterest account. Next they need to pin their favorite picture from the Hyundai Santa Fe board. Lastly, contestants are asked to pin at least four pics of their ideal "epic playdate" destinations or activities.