Harley Davidson Aermacchi Ceriani Race Handlebar Clamp 56110-70r Nos Jp on 2040-parts.com

GM posts $6 billion loss, burns $10.2 billion in cash as sales fall

General Motors, facing a June 1 U.S. restructuring deadline to avoid bankruptcy, posted a $6 billion net loss in the first quarter and burned through $10.2 billion in cash as global auto sales plunged. GM had $11.6 in cash reserves on March 31, down from $14.2 billion at the end of the fourth quarter.

Mercedes B55 (2011) - a ballistic V8 B-class

Mercedes' tuning arm AMG has not yet ventured into sensible B-class territory, but a bunch of Merc trainees in Germany has come up with this: the B55. It's a V8-powered B-class, complete with AMG-spec 383bhp 5.5-litre V8 mounted up front and driving an old W210 E-class rear axle. Sounds like a promising skunkworks special, derived from an old B200 CDI hack that was kicking about the training centre.

Videos: Chris Bangle shares his views on design and the future of car design

Chris Bangle is a man that needs no introduction on these pages. Both revered and castigated, Bangle's work has undoubtedly been influential for a generation of designers. His unconventional practices – employed at a time when design was still largely segregated from other departments during the development process – yielded many avantgarde and contentious designs, but Bangle's fundamental understanding of the design process, creative vision and desire for change can never be cast in doubt. While Bangle shares his views on the future of the car in the video to the right, the video to the left provides an insight into the former BMW design chief's thought processes and gives us a glimpse into his home and studio in the Piedmont region of northern Italy.