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

EV maker Coda trims staff

Not much more could go wrong for electric-car maker Coda, which has struggled to sell its four-door EV in the United States since officially launching it here in March. But Web reports, first seen at www.plugincars.com, say the company laid off 50 employees, or 15 percent of its workforce, last week, mostly in the sales and marketing departments. Efforts by Autoweek to contact Coda have not been successful.

Forget high beams -- lasers are coming

Audi has kicked off 2014 with the unveiling of an updated version of its Sport quattro concept car -- as first revealed at last year's Frankfurt motor show. Set to underpin the German carmaker's stand at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the latest incarnation of the bullish-looking two-door coupe showcases distinctively styled matrix LED headlamps with new laser light technology that, Audi officials suggest, will soon begin appearing on regular production models as a high-cost option. Already confirmed for the Audi R18 that will compete at the Le Mans 24-hour race later this year, the new headlamps use matrix LEDs and an aperture mask for low-beam mode.

2014 Nissan GT-R Special Edition priced at $106,590

Nissan is introducing the GT-R Special Edition for 2014, slathered in Midnight opal black paint. Only 50 units will be available in the United States, 100 worldwide. The Special Edition, which is based on the Premium model, gets the unique paint, dry carbon-fiber rear spoiler, and forged aluminum wheels with a “hyper-titanium” coating.