Blaupunkt Lexington Sqr 46 on 2040-parts.com

Automotive X Prize teams begin performance testing in Michigan

The 28 teams competing in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize will begin performance testing this week at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich. The teams are vying for $10 million in prizes, which will be awarded to consumer-friendly vehicles that exceed 100 mpg. This week begins the first of the three on-track performance testing stages: shakedown, knockout qualifying and finals.

New 2102 Aston Martin V8 Vantage on video

2102 Aston Martin V8 Vantage on video in Paris Having debuted the 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage changes for 2012 in February, Aston Martin has now captured the new V8 Vantage on video in Paris. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage promised so much when it first arrived that we couldn’t help being just a little bit disappointed in the new, smaller Aston designed to beat the 911 at its own game. It looked glorious – a given with any Aston Martin – and it sounded wonderful, especially when you gave it its head, but it just didn’t go as well as expected.

Nissan Sentra wrings out 1 mpg more to sweeten payout

Engineers at Nissan Motor Co. are scurrying to eke another mile or two per gallon out of their vehicles to win customers who come looking for federal cash-for-guzzlers money. "We want as many of our products as possible to pop up on the shopping list," Nissan North America spokesman Brian Brockman says.