Dutton-lainson 6400 Swivel Type Tongue Jack on 2040-parts.com

Will your next new car stop itself?

Last week in Park City, Utah, a group of us were discussing the chutzpah that some manufacturers have in charging hundreds of dollars for outboard mirrors that dip downward when the vehicle's placed in reverse. The consensus was, “Since the electric motors in the mirrors are already there, and the computers know the car's set to back up, it's only a line of code. A very expensive line of code.” The European Union seems to be thinking along the same lines.

GMC Granite concept (w/ Video)

The biggest surprise at the 2010 NAIAS was GMC's Granite concept - a design that expands (or rather contracts) the truck/crossover brand's 'professional grade' philosophy to a compact hatchback aimed at urban hipsters and early adopters. Conceived by Frank Saucedo's Advanced Design team in California and then built at GM's Design Center in Detroit, the Granite combines the basic proportions of the Nissan Cube and Scion xB with a military/industrial feel inspired by the current G-Star and Diesel fashion lines. Watch the videos to the left to see the young international design team present the rationale behind the new concept, and read our opinion of the Granite in our 2010 Detroit Auto Show Highlights.

Citroen C-Buggy

Citroen will show their latest concept in Spain at the Madrid Motor Show next week. Chopping the roof off last year's C-AirPlay brings the concept closer the Smart Crossblade seen in 2001, and proposes a potential direction for a more leisure-orientated supermini. Just as open-cars are philosophically opposed to closed ones, Citroen has carried this equation through to the trim as well: the gray exterior of the C-Buggy contrasts with the white of the C-AirPlay, while the green interior inverts its forbear?s rouge.