Battery Cable Standard A87-2dbb on 2040-parts.com

IIHS names safest cars for 2013

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named the safest cars for 2013, including 13 midsize sedans that qualify for a new “top safety pick+” designation. The designation is given to vehicles that earn “good” ratings for occupant protection in at least four of five tests, with no less than “acceptable” in the fifth test. A new test -- the small overlap test -- was added to assess how the vehicles perform during a front-corner collision with another vehicle or object, such as a utility pole.

R8 e-tron electric supercar will be built, Audi says

The Audi R8 e-tron is back on: Audi has backtracked on an earlier decision to cancel production of the zero-emission supercar and will now push ahead with small-scale production two-seater, Autoweek can confirm. The decision is part of a number of sweeping changes made to Audi's research and engineering operations since the arrival of its new head, Ulrich Hackenberg. Citing recent advances in lithium-ion battery technology that has reportedly increased its range from an original 134 miles to close to 250 miles, high-ranking insiders at Audi's headquarters in Germany suggest the R8 e-tron will now go into limited production during the latter half of 2014.

Lincoln's big ad is a FAIL, LOL, OMG

The automotive punditsphere mocked Lincoln's "Steer The Script" campaign when it was announced, in typical teaser form, a few months ago. Well, here it is -- what's essentially the culmination of Lincoln's hopes and dreams; its big comeback splash to the largest American audience of the year, distilled into a breathtaking work of staggering incompetence. Sometimes, the pundits are right.