Four Seasons 157335 A/c Compressor on 2040-parts.com

Demise of kei cars on the horizon?

The kei car has long been a staple of the Japanese automobile industry and its car culture. Too diminutive for Western markets, the tiny cars and trucks are a strong influencer of design in Japan. Now, as The New York Times reports, the Japanese government has hit kei cars with increases in sales tax, gasoline prices and has reduced the kei car tax break introduced to make the cars popular in the first place by 50 percent.

Apple announces 'iOS in the Car' hands-free system

Apple has announced the next generation of in-car iPhone integration with its latest software update, iOS 7, named 'iOS in the Car'. Next year will see carmakers including Honda, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, Ferrari, Chevy, Infiniti, Kia, Hyundai, Volvo, Jaguar, and Acura offering Apple's new iOS in the Car system, developed to let drivers use key iPhone functions via the dashboard screen. Drivers will be able to make phone calls, play music, display Apple Maps and receive iMessages either by using the car's controls or through voice commands to Apple's voice-recognition program, Siri, which can also read iMessages aloud and write new messages as part of Apple's Eyes Free feature set.

Toyota FT-86 Open Concept

Further images and details of Toyota's FT-86 Open concept have been revealed ahead of its unveiling at next week's Geneva motor show. The FT-86, a rear-wheel-drive sports convertible, previews a potential future development of the GT86 sports coupe. Toyota is using the concept, which measures in at 4,240mm long, 1,775mm wide, 1,270mm high sitting on a wheelbase of 2,570mm, to gauge public reaction while carrying out engineering tests on a prototype.