Ford Factory Trailer Brake Controller on 2040-parts.com

Design Contest: NDA wins 2009 LA Design Challenge

A future where environmentalists and car enthusiasts - not to mention sober-minded adults and thrill-seeking young people - all coexist in harmony just might be possible with Nissan's V2G concept vehicle. The hypothetical design study, which runs on a futuristic grid of electric roadways but can also be customized for 'off grid' joy riding, won the 2009 LA Auto Show Design Challenge for the way it embodies this year's 'Youthmobile 2030' theme. The focus was to create vehicles that would appeal to a generation of young drivers raised on cell phones and social media.

'400,000 children in smoky cars'

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of children travel in smoke-filled cars every week, a charity has warned. The British Lung Foundation (BLF) estimates that in England more than 430,000 children aged 11 to 15 are exposed to second hand smoke in cars each week. The charity, which conducted analysis on official NHS data, said that 185,000 children of the same age are exposed to smoke while in the family car on "most days", if not every day.

Opel product chief Weber quits to take job with yet-unnamed rival

Frank Weber, the German-born engineer who helped lead development of the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera hybrids, is leaving General Motors' Opel unit to work for an as-yet unnamed competitor. Weber has been Opel's product chief since November 2009. His departure was reported Thursday by Automotive News Europe and confirmed by company sources.