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Demise of kei cars on the horizon?

The kei car has long been a staple of the Japanese automobile industry and its car culture. Too diminutive for Western markets, the tiny cars and trucks are a strong influencer of design in Japan. Now, as The New York Times reports, the Japanese government has hit kei cars with increases in sales tax, gasoline prices and has reduced the kei car tax break introduced to make the cars popular in the first place by 50 percent.

'Dracula' rides through Transylvania

A BRITISH man dressed as Dracula has just completed a bizarre road trip through historical Transylvania, riding a classic Ural motorbike fitted with a coffin as a sidecar. Nick Cunningham, 47, has just completed the ghoulishly good three-day journey along some of Europe’s best roads and scenery. And as if Dracula wasn’t enough for the locals to cope with, Nick’s companion for the trip, six-foot-four Nick Jackson, was dressed as Frankenstein’s Monster.

End of the road for Mercury

Mercury has stood for hot-rodding, performance, style and even feminine appeal during various points in its 72-year history. But ultimately, the failure to stand alone in the Ford Motor Co.'s family of brands spelled its demise. Mercury, a brand founded by company scion Edsel Ford, will be shuttered as Ford concentrates its efforts on the core Ford brand and luxury-level Lincolns.