Flat Head Ford V8 Heads on 2040-parts.com

New options make Prius pricey

High-tech features and luxury options will push the redesigned Toyota Prius into new territory--namely, $30,000-plus. The 2010 Prius hybrid will offer options found on luxury cars: systems that automatically park the car in a parallel parking space and slow the vehicle when a crash is likely. But Toyota is aware of a new competitor--the 2010 Honda Insight, a hybrid that is a little smaller and expected to be less expensive than the Prius.

Video: FiDU technology creating lightweight, inflatable metal structures

This short video, featuring designer Oskar Zieta, details the process and design possibilities behind products developed with FiDU (Freie Innendruck Umformung – "free internal pressure forming") technology. Zieta, a Polish designer, explains how the lightweight yet robust metal appears as a soft object yet when you touch it you realize that it is actually a hard metal. "Working with FIDU technology is similar to carving clay," Zieta explains.

Tesla recalls Roadster for short in power cable, fire risk

Tesla Motors is recalling its electric Roadster 2.0 and 2.5 models because a power cable may short and catch fire. The 12-volt cable, located behind the right-front headlight, could rub against the carbon-fiber paneling causing the cable to short, begin smoking and possibly catch fire, Tesla said. The cable is part of a backup system that powers the headlights, taillights, turn signals and airbags if the primary 12-volt cable fails.