Handle Bar Clamp Billet Handlebar Suzuki B-king Gsx1300 2008-2012 Silver on 2040-parts.com

No sign of global auto meltdown at Tokyo Auto Salon

With more than 600 cars on display and a record number of exhibitors, nothing at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Salon tuner show hinted at the global economic downturn. As always, there was a great mix of styles, from hard-core, 1,000-hp, supertuned machinery to weird customized scooter tricycles. Auto manufacturers tried hard to capture the minds--if not the wallets--of the younger-than-30 crowd with customized versions of production cars, while tuners were busy persuading power junkies to choose them for their next engine modification.

The weirdest job titles in the car industry revealed

Car companies are diversifying into new areas of specialism - and this attention to detail is bringing some novel new job titles to the automotive industry. A quick browse through the recruitment pages and job ads reveals that manufacturers are hiring for strange and unusual roles. Here's a pick of the job titles we found recently.

Mitsubishi CEO pledges to stay in U.S., wants to quadruple sales

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. President Osamu Masuko says the company won't pull out of the U.S. market and that his personal mid-range sales target is 200,000 units a year, or roughly four times today's level of 50,000.