Carquest K040340 Serpentine Belt on 2040-parts.com

Fiat 500L gets a helping hand from P Diddy (video)

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs gives Fiat a helping hand with the 500L Fiat has done well to convince a trendy section of American car buyers that the Fiat 500 is a funky, cute and desirable runaround – especially if you live in the city. But having effectively put all their eggs in the 500 basket, they have the problem of convincing sceptical US car buyers that the much bigger Fiat 500L is an appealing – and much more practical – proposition for families. So Fiat has enlisted Sean Combs (P Diddy, Puff Daddy, Diddy or whatever moniker he’s using this week) to give the Fiat 500L a bit of much needed profile.

BMW 9-series concept expected to debut in Beijing

BMW will be previewing the upcoming 9-series sedan at the 2014 China Auto Show, according to German magazine Auto Motor und Sport. The extra-long-wheelbase 9-series will take on the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S600 Maybach, which itself is production ready and is set to debut in a matter of months. The 9-series will be positioned alongside the Rolls-Royce Ghost in BMW's global lineup, and is expected to feature packaging and interior appointments similar to that of the S600 Maybach while building upon the design language recently seen in the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe.

Rains Wash Out Pacific Coast Highway

California's scenic Highway 1 is closed down for at least a month after a landslide washed out a 40-foot section of the famous road just north of Big Sur. The closure is in effect from 12 miles north of Big Sur State Park at the Bixby Creek Bridge to 10 miles miles south of the Carmel River Bridge "due to a slip-out," according to the California Dept. of Transportation.