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

Excessive accessories are on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon

The Japanese tuning industry may finally be emerging from the economic slump if this year's Tokyo Auto Salon is an accurate barometer. The three-day spectacular--Japan's equivalent of SEMA--attracted nearly a quarter-million visitors, all eager to get a glimpse of the latest cars and the newest excessive accessories for 2011. Here's a recap: The Honda CR-Z was, without a doubt, the car of the show, and some versions were tuned to deliver up to 300 hp, thanks to turbocharging or supercharging kits.

Renault spy scandal: Former COO 'had to leave'

Patrick Pelata fell on his sword to save his boss and friend -- and maybe his company. Pelata, often called one of the industry's best product strategists, was part of a small team of executives Carlos Ghosn brought to Nissan Motor Co. in 1999 after Renault bought a controlling stake in the Japanese company.

Microsoft demos Apple CarPlay rival

The battle between Microsoft and Apple is being fought on the desktop, on the smartphone and now in the car. At its Build 2014 developer conference, held earlier this month in San Francisco, Microsoft demoed an early version of Windows In The Car, its response to Apple's CarPlay system we saw at the Geneva Show back in March. As you'd expect, In The Car's design follows the look of Microsoft's latest Windows and Window Phone operating system pretty closely.