Honda Goldwing Factory Tool Kit on 2040-parts.com

Experts predict nine-, 10-speed transmissions to dominate in North America

In March, luxury maker Land Rover proudly told an audience at the Geneva auto show that it would soon bring to market the industry's first nine-speed transmission. One month later, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors announced that they would jointly develop 10-speeds.

Skoda Yeti facelift for 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

Skoda will debut a facelifted Yeti compact SUV at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. This doesn’t exactly sound like major news, but it does represent potentially dangerous ground for the Czech brand: the Yeti is one the best-loved cars on sale in the UK –　so the task of refreshing it can’t have been an easy one. Nonetheless, Skoda has not only chosen to give the Yeti a makeover, it will also offer the car in two distinct variants for the first time – one aimed at urban drivers and the other at more adventurous types.

GM to slash global vehicle platforms by more than half, to 14, by 2018

General Motors says it will cut the number of vehicle platforms it uses globally by more than half over the next decade, in a bid to reduce complexity and save on product-development costs. “More of our components will be common, and more of our vehicles will be on global architectures,” GM CEO Dan Akerson told analysts on Tuesday. His remarks came as GM kicked off a series of presentations online, billed as its 2011 Global Business Conference.