Factory Effex - 16-11270 - Metal Mulisha Graphic Kit on 2040-parts.com

Honda introduces GEAR concept in Montreal

We already know that Europe often gets better cars than we do in the United States, but now Canada is getting in on the action, too. At the press days of the Montreal International Auto Show, the Japanese company introduced the Honda GEAR Concept. The car is reportedly inspired by fixed-gear bicycles -- gag me with a spoon -- and Honda says it's simple, utilitarian, but also customizable.

Ford Mondeo facelift (2011): first news and photos

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 25 June 2010 12:40 Ford has just issued these first pictures of the new, facelifted for 2011 Ford Mondeo. The revised Mondeo will be shown at the 2010 Moscow motor show in late August and will arrive in UK showrooms in October 2010.What's new on the 2011 Ford Mondeo?This is the first time we've seen the full-fat 237bhp 2.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine in the Mondeo; a 200bhp version of the same turbo four will also be offered; and a new 198bhp 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCI engine also joins the ranks.The range-topping 237bhp EcoBoost engine has a CO2 rating 179g/km of CO2 and comes with only one transmission option – Ford's twin-clutch Powershift 'box. Finally, Ford is catching up with the rampant roll-out of DSG gearboxes at rival mass-market specialists Volkswagen.Mondeo styling is fettled all round, too, with a more modern iteration of Ford's kinetic design borrowing cues from the S-Max et al for a crisper look.

Book Review: Car Guys vs Bean Counters

Designers are the surprise heroes of a new book by former General Motors vice chairman Robert Lutz, called Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business. "The real car guys are in design," Lutz told me during his recent book tour.