Autolite Ar3911 Spark Plug on 2040-parts.com

Volvo XC90 gets a facelift for 2012 – just

2012 Volvo XC90 Facelift - very minor tweaks The Volvo XC90 has been with us for the best part of a decade without any major changes, thanks mainly to Ford pulling the plug on a new XC90 a few years ago. But the outlook is much brighter since the Chinese took the reins at Volvo and we’re certain there’s a new XC90 ready to surface in 2012. But for now Volvo has decided to give the current XC90 a bit of a tweak to take it through to the launch of an all new model.

Four in 10 'can't read maps'

ALMOST four in 10 drivers don't know how to read a traditional map, according to new research by sat-nav manufacturer Garmin. A study of 2,000 Brits revealed that 39% admit to not knowing what they're doing with old-fashioned navigation, but the true figure could well be higher than that when taking into account those who believe they can read a map but have either never tried or never proved it. A worrying 16% say that they are 'heavily reliant' on sat-nav in their cars in order to get anywhere – even to places they regularly visit.

Mercedes touts future safety with research vehicle

In 1980, when several automakers began to use airbags, there were people who thought that cars couldn't possibly get any safer. Karl-Heinz Baumann, a safety researcher at Mercedes-Benz AG in Stuttgart, was not one of them. "We said, 'No, it cannot be all,' and we kept doing more research." The results of that research are presented on the company's most recent Experimental Safety Vehicle (ESV), on display now in the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart.