Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Center stack is new high-stakes battleground; showdown with safety regulators looms

For auto suppliers and gadget companies eager to get a piece of the auto industry, the hottest chunk of vehicle real estate now is the center stack. That corridor of interior space, running from the driver's right hip up through the center of the cockpit to the bottom of the windshield, has become a California gold rush of opportunity. But it is less so for traditional suppliers of molded plastics, cables, levers, buttons and radios.

Porsche Panamera hits the heights in Shanghai

A Porsche Panamera on its way to the 94th floor of the World Financial Centre in Shanghai [ad#ad-1] The stories of car makers doing daft things with cars to garner a bit of publicity have been rarer of late. Which, considering the sombre mood of car makers and the car buying public in recent months, is no real surprise. Even Motor Shows have been relatively sombre affairs (the Detroit Motor Show was particularly muted in 2009), but China is still booming, and the Shanghai Motor Show has been pretty much an old fashioned, glitzy affair.

Volkswagen Golf Estate Bluemotion stars at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

2013 is the year of the Golf – and at this year’s 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, there’s even more for Volkswagen to shout about with its super-frugal Golf Estate Bluemotion. The current MK7 VW Golf is the 2013 World Car of the Year, and in 2013 Volkswagen has already released the brilliant Golf GTI, practical Golf Estate and ultra-efficient Golf Bluemotion. And alongside the hot Golf R also here at Frankfurt 2013 is this, the Golf Estate Bluemotion.