Emgo 42-21100 Grip Set Barrel Chrome W/cap on 2040-parts.com

Daimler takes 10 percent stake in EV maker Tesla

Daimler AG has acquired an equity stake of nearly 10 percent of California electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc., the German automaker said Tuesday. The two companies have been working together to integrate Tesla's lithium-ion battery packs and charging electronics into the first 1,000 units of Daimler's electric Smart car. Daimler said its stake in Tesla will allow the companies to collaborate even more closely on the development of battery systems, electric drive systems and in individual vehicle projects.

Ford justifies its Vignale sub-brand (video)

The Ford Mondeo Vignale (pictured). Ford’s first Vignale-badged car Earlier this month, as the Frankfurt Motor Show approached, Ford revealed that it’s going back to a sales tactic they created in the 1970s – badge-engineering their cars with a coachbuilders name to create an upmarket sub-brand. Last time Ford played this game we had almost 30 years for the Ford Ghia, a range of Ford’s mainstream models that had all the toys as standard to try and create an appealing high-end option for buyers.

2013 Ford Fiesta production starts

Ford has started to build the new 2013 Fiesta at their plant in Cologne which means the new Fiesta will be in a showroom near you soon. The facelift for the 2013 Fiesta sees the arrival of the ‘Aston Martin’ grill bolted to the front of the new Fiesta – a pitch for the AM Cygnet contract, perhaps – together with new headlights with LED running lights and a bulge up the bonnet. Small changes, but they do make the new Fiesta bolder, even though it loses some of its finesse in the process.