Atp 102154 Harmonic Balancer-engine Harmonic Balancer on 2040-parts.com

BMWism.com compiles definitive history of BMW designers

BMW fansite, BMWism.com, has compiled a definitive history of the company's key designers throughout the ages. The list tracks the brand's creatives, from Lucien Rosengart in 1881, right up to Magnus Aspegren, now Director of the Singapore Studio of BMW Group Designworks USA. It also unearths some great images from the company's vaults.

Volt, Leaf win top safety rating in crash test

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf electric cars won the highest safety ratings in crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, putting them in the top 57 percent of models tested so far this year. About 80 of 140 vehicles tested among 2011-2012 models have received the Institute's "top safety pick," the group's award for state-of-the-art crash protection that exceeds federal safety rules, Institute spokesman Russ Rader said. The Volt and Leaf received a "good" rating -- the highest of four rankings -- on each of four crash tests, said the Institute, which is funded by auto insurers including State Farm, All-State and Geico.

Alias announces StudioTools 12, ImageStudio 2 and Portfolio Wall 2

 Alias has announced that it will release the latest versions of its leading industrial design software Alias StudioTools 12, Alias ImageStudio 2, and Alias PortfolioWall 2 in November. The new releases are aimed at accelerating the automotive design process and improve concept design, model evaluation, design review, and production modeling. The StudioTools family, which includes DesignStudio, Studio, AutoStudio and SurfaceStudio, delivers a full digital design workflow in a single package, from 2D concept sketching to production surface modeling.