Acdelco 15-40144 Fan Clutch on 2040-parts.com

General Motors says Magna's Opel bid has obstacles, RHJ's is easier to accept

General Motors Co. says a bid for Opel from Magna International faces hurdles while a rival offer from Belgian investor RHJ International would be easier to accept. Writing on GM Europe's Web site, John Smith, GM's chief negotiator for the Opel sale, says Magna's bid "contained elements around intellectual property and our Russian operations that simply could not be implemented." He adds: "GM has partners in other parts of the world who have joint ownership of these assets ...

How safe are new minicars?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently tested a total of 11 minicars in its relatively new small-overlap crash test, and the Chevrolet Spark was the only one to earn an Acceptable rating. The small-overlap crash test was instituted in 2012 with the goal of better replicating real-life car crashes, most of which don't follow the pattern of traditional government crash tests. Instead of a car hitting a stationary object with 100 percent of its front making contact, the small-overlap test examines how a car behaves in a frontal impact at 40 mph where only a quarter of the car's front hits an object.

65 years of Land Rover

If there's any marque to which the overused “iconic” applies, it is Land Rover: A snapshot of a weathered Series I in the Serengeti never fails to trigger dreams of adventure. Since production began in 1948, Land Rover has evolved from a postwar workhorse into a plush but capable luxury SUV. Still, it's reassuring to know that your Landie will have you covered if you decide to take the wild way home.