Bosch Bsh 13694 - Oxygen (o2) Sensor on 2040-parts.com

Demise of kei cars on the horizon?

The kei car has long been a staple of the Japanese automobile industry and its car culture. Too diminutive for Western markets, the tiny cars and trucks are a strong influencer of design in Japan. Now, as The New York Times reports, the Japanese government has hit kei cars with increases in sales tax, gasoline prices and has reduced the kei car tax break introduced to make the cars popular in the first place by 50 percent.

BMW M6 Gran Coupe: Price from £97,490 (+ video)

The new BMW M6 Gran Coupe - officially revealed this week – will cost from £97,490 when it goes on sale in May 2013. The M6 Gran Coupe gets the same, very convincing, looks of the regular Gran Coupes, but with added visual butchness thanks to a front spoiler, flared wheelarches, side skirts, rear diffuser and a carbon fibre roof. That promised aggression is reinforced by the M6 Gran Coupe’s powerplant that comes from the M6 and M5 with a 4.4 litre twin turbo V8 delivering 553bhp and 50lb/ft of torque – available from 1,500 to 5,750rpm – which is enough to get the M6 Gran Coupe to 62mph in 4.2 seconds.

Tomorrow’s safety equipment

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 18 June 2007 08:48 The next generation of safety systems will take even more control away from the driver, read road signs – and even slam the brakes on for you in an emergency stop. Forget science fiction, this is science fact. CAR Online is reporting from Bosch’s annual technology seminar all week – and we’ve had the lowdown from the world’s biggest components supplier on what safety innovations are around the corner.