Filko F-39x Alternator Brush Set 1965-73 Ford on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes-Benz to drop the R-class in the U.S.

Mercedes-Benz will drop the slow-selling R-class wagon from its U.S. lineup after the 2012 model year. But the German automaker will continue to build the R-class at its plant in Alabama for export to other markets.

Nissan opens new design studio in Beijing

Delayed by the deadly earthquake that hit Japan earlier this year, Nissan Motor Co.'s new design center in Beijing finally received a proper opening this week, when global design chief Shiro Nakamura showed off the studio as a new source of ideas for Nissan and Infiniti. Nissan Design China, as the Beijing-based center is known, "is not a studio to just generate ideas for China," Nakamura said in an interview with Car Design News. It's equipped to handle designs of show cars and production cars for both Nissan and Infiniti brands, aimed at customers in China, as well as around the world.

SsangYong XIV-2 concept

The SsangYong XIV-2 concept – the second of its ‘eXciting user Interface Vehicles' [sic] – will make its debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show. The two-door, open-top crossover is an evolution of the I.DE.A designed XIV-1, shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year. Visually, the XIV-2 is a departure from both the previous Ssangyong KEV2 and XIV-1 concepts, with an all-new DRG featuring a simpler, more upright fascia and cleaner pulled-back headlamps – suggestive of a more production-ready front fascia.