Hood Lock Assy #53510-42090 Toyota Rav4 on 2040-parts.com

Electric car lease deals are better than ever

This may be the beginning of a golden age of affordable electric cars: There are now or will soon be three electric cars available in California leasing at $199 a month, one for $249 and one for $259 a month. They are all perfectly wonderful subcompact four and five-seaters, any one of which could fit nicely into your urban or suburban lifestyle. Where else are you going to find a car for $199 a month?

Dacia prepares for its UK market D-Day

Renault may have halved its UK product range and taken a profit tumble in 2011, but its budget car subsidiary Dacia has been growing strongly with its range of no-nonsense value-for-money cars. The Dacia Duster SUV has been winning plaudits for its cheap-and-cheerful blend of practicality and value,and leads the UK market launch next month. Dacia: Renault's developing market brand heads West Dacia was founded by the Romanian government in 1966, and began with license-production of the Renault 8 (Dacia 1100) and Renault 12 (Dacia 1300).

Expert: Fisker Karma's engine packaging, not batteries, likely caused fire

A garage fire last week in suburban Houston has been linked to a Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid, but the company quickly noted that the battery remained intact and unplugged -- and did not appear to be the cause. But if not the battery, then what? More likely, poor packaging in the engine compartment and exhaust routing generated excess heat.