Auto Meter 7518 Phantom Ii Electric Fuel Level Gauge on 2040-parts.com

Cameras to catch illegal parking on the school run

Schools and councils across the country are turning to CCTV to enforce parking restrictions during the school run – and a new low-cost camera system is set to make this even easier in the coming months. According to reports in the Sunday Times and the Daily Mail, the new surveillance system costs as little as £16,000, and is able to record and recognise the number plates of illegally parked cars outside schools. On Bing: see pictures of parking enforcement cameras How to appeal a parking ticket The recorded footage is then sent to the local council, including evidence of the parking restriction.

Fisker battles problems as the Karma finally lurches toward launch

All Henrik Fisker wants is to build his plug-in hybrid cars and deliver them to customers--some of whom have been waiting three years since plunking down $5,000 deposits. Instead, he has been fending off criticisms aimed at his green-car company as shipments of his $103,000 Karma plug-in hybrid sedan have been delayed by cash flow troubles, regulatory snarls and a recall. But when a startup such as Fisker Automotive accepts a Department of Energy loan in a down economy, having the company tossed around like a political football comes with the territory.

First Sight: Mercedes-Benz Concept Style Coupe

The third installment of Mercedes-Benz's ‘small' car family will receive its global preview with a close-to-production concept set to debut at the Beijing motor show next week, but Car Design News has gained an early peek of the official images and details. The Concept Style Coupe heralds the much-vaunted ‘mini-CLS' compact four-door coupe production car (rumored to be dubbed BLS or CLA) that's slated to go on sale in the second half of 2013. It's based on the same new platform – called MFA for ‘Mercedes Front-wheel drive Architecture' – that has already spawned the new A- and B-Class cars.