Gabriel Fleet Line Shock Absorber #a85337 on 2040-parts.com

Essay: Variable Degrees of Translucency

Car door panels and fenders are generally made of steel, sometimes of aluminum or plastic composites, and you can't see through them. Car windows, on the other hand, are made of a transparent sandwich of glass and plastic - and you can see through them. But in the future there will be variable degrees of transparency: translucent elements where once there were none, traditional window areas that will have opaque elements and graduated progressions from opaque to see-through.

Redesigned 2014 Lexus IS base price increases

Lexus has set the base price of the 2014 IS compact sport sedan at $36,845, including shipping, an increase of $885 from its predecessor, Lexus said. In contrast, the top-level IS 350 with all-wheel drive starts at $42,595, including shipping, which is 2.1 percent lower than the model it replaces, Lexus said in a statement this week. The pricing makes good on Lexus' guarantee to keep the base price attainable for consumers “by narrowing the gap between the 250 and 350,” a Lexus spokesman said.

VW Passat Bluemotion 2 (2008) unveiled

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 03 November 2008 10:50 Volkswagen has opened up its order books on its new Passat Bluemotion 2, it’s cleanest and greenest Passat yet. Replacing the current Bluemotion model, the Mk2 Bluemotion is powered by a 110bhp 2.0-litre common rail diesel that’s been recalibrated with a lower idle rate and fitted with a switchable start/stop system to cut emissions and boost economy. When it arrives here in January, the Passat will post a combined economy figure of 57.6mpg and a CO2 rating of 128 g/km - useful savings compared to the outgoing 1.9-litre 105bhp BlueMotion model (55.4mpg and 136 g/km).