Denso 234-4153 Oxygen Sensor on 2040-parts.com

VW to intro Passat BlueMotion Concept at Detroit auto show

While performance heads are anxiously awaiting the North American debut of the hot-heat Mk VII Golf R at the Detroit auto show, Volkswagen's Passat BlueMotion Concept offers never-before technology in the Yank/Canuck family sedan segment: a four-pot motor with cylinder deactivation. Based on the EA211 1.4L turbo motor we sampled last year in the Euro-market Audi A3 sedan, the Passat BlueMotion Concept's engine is capable of shutting down the middle two cylinders during cruise, and features the Jetta Hybrid's gearbox, a twin-clutch unit capable of decoupling from the engine during off-throttle coasting. In the Passat's application, the 1.4 puts out 150 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque; VW suggests its highway fuel economy will stand at 42 mpg.

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.

Maserati GranCabrio MC, Maserati Levante & Maserati Ghibli: Paris 2012

Maserati has revealed the GranCabrio MC at Paris 2012 and revealed new names joining the current Maserati line-up – Levante & Ghibli. The GranCabrio MC is, more or less, the open-topped version of the GranTurismo MC Stradale and gets the same powertrain setup, with a 453hp, 4.7 litre V8 with 520NM of torque. But it doesn’t get the automated manual of the  GranTurismo MC and instead gets a more ‘comfortable’ regular auto ‘box.