Bestop Roughrider Soft Storage Under Seat Organizer - 54131-35 on 2040-parts.com

Nissan’s EV onslaught continues with Townpod

Nissan’s Townpod will be the company’s third electric vehicle (a battery-powered version of the NV200 commercial vehicle will slot in after the Leaf) and is slated for a late 2012 arrival in the UK. Looking remarkably like a character from Pixar’s Cars film, the Townpod takes the lithium-ion battery-powered drivetrain of the Leaf and cloaks it in urban friendly sheetmetal. The long wheelbase and zero overhangs results in a huge cabin, accessed by some trick doors – rear-hinged rear doors and a vertically split rear door.

Mazda to recall more than 500,000 vehicles

Mazda plans to recall about 514,000 vehicles to repair power-steering systems that fail suddenly. The recall will affect the Mazda 3 and the Mazda 5 manufactured in Japan from 2007 to 2008, according to a report in Reuters. Currently, Mazda has filed recalls for 215,000 vehicles in the United States and more than 10,000 in China.

This day in Autoweek history: The 1976 Chevrolet Chevette

Today in Autoweek history, we look back to the week of September 20, 1975, when Corey Farley gave us a look at the new 1976 Chevrolet Chevette. The B-segment (for 1976, anyway) newcomer weighed in at a scant 1,998 pounds and carried an equally lightweight MSRP of $2,899. Farley described how the Chevette handled some of the rigors of testing, which included hauling four journalists and their camera equipment around the Black Lake testing facility in Milford, Mich.