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

June sales get a pick-me-up from pickups

If there's a bright spot in June's tepid light-vehicle sales, it came from an unlikely segment. After slumping for several years as the economy tanked and gas prices spiked, pickup demand is rising faster than the overall sales gains of most automakers--serving as a pillar once again during the industry's fledgling recovery. And most of the buyers returning to showrooms are pickup enthusiasts, automakers say.

Enter the Autoweek Big Game Giveaway!

What better way to spend some holiday free time than flat-out on the virtual limit. We're giving away copies of F1 2011 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Forza Motorsport 4 for Xbox and Dirt 3 for both systems. We also have an Xbox wireless steering wheel bundled with Forza 4, and the grand prize is a Dirt 3-branded Playseat, a Kinect special-edition Xbox 360 250 GB and copies of F1 2011 and Dirt 3.

Ford reportedly to shut down Mercury

The Mercury brand, rumored to be on the verge of death several times over the past decade, would be shut down under a plan being prepared for Ford Motor Co.'s board of directors, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. Citing two executives who have knowledge of the plan but asked not to be identified, the news service said the plan would be submitted to Ford's board in July. How quickly Mercury would be shut down depends how quickly the automaker can convince Lincoln Mercury dealers to close or merge with a Ford-brand dealership, the report said.