Acon-o-mizer on 2040-parts.com

Nissan works to fix Leaf start-up glitch

Nissan is looking into a problem with the Leaf electric car. Some owners say the Leaf has sometimes failed to start--or power up or boot up? We're not sure what you call what happens when you push the button on an EV.

2014 Porsche Cayman gets a performance-testing iPhone app

To promote the new 2014 Cayman, Porsche has cooked up an iPhone app called “Cayman Code of the Curve.” You're probably already rolling your eyes at the prospect of another automaker app that is little more than a downloadable advertisement, but this seems to be something different -- the app is designed to record your driving performance in real-time and then share results with friends. Porsche enthusiast site flatsixes.com has an exclusive first look at the app, which is still in development but is reported to be coming “soon.” Based on preliminary screenshots provided by Porsche, the app instructs users to set up a variety of courses -- cone slalom, autocross and reaction-time challenge courses are shown -- then uses the iPhone's internal accelerometer and GPS receiver to track and record your performance. You'll also be able to use the app's “record your curve” function to share favorite drives with friends on Facebook.

Chrysler first-quarter profits down

Chrysler Group said net income fell to $166 million in the first quarter as costs of two large product launches crimped the automaker's seventh consecutive quarterly profit. Profit fell 65 percent from the $473 million posted during the same quarter of 2012, Chrysler said in a statement today. First-quarter revenues dropped 6 percent to $15.4 billion.