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

Toyota aims for a comeback, shuffles execs

Toyota, unveiling a new business plan to double operating profit by 2015, will remove its head of North America from a downsized board and promote Canada chief Ray Tanguay to be its highest non-Japanese executive. Yoshi Inaba, 65, continues to lead Toyota North America and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. while becoming one of 18 directors to lose board seats.

This could be your first autonomous vehicle

While Google's autonomous fleet of robot cars prowls Silicon Valley and gets all the press, the first, or one of the first, truly autonomous vehicles you may ride in could be something like this: The humble, people-moving Navia. Developed by a French company called Induct, the Navia is ringed with laser beams (not frickin' laser beams. Ed.) that help it navigate through city streets or college campuses without the aid of a track in the ground, a rail or even GPS (GPS is not accurate enough, Induct says).

University students learn product development at Eco Car Challenge

The Eco Car Challenge spring workshop had a flavor of cutting-edge environmental technologies in advanced prototypes--developed by students. The event, at the Environmental Protection Agency's laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich., allowed journalists to get behind the wheel of these test cars. It was part of a competition among 16 North American universities to design, develop and build vehicles that are forward-looking yet practical.