Horstman #35 Chain 60 Tooth Go Kart Racing Sprocket Gear on 2040-parts.com

2012 Nissan NV hauls the goods

On the vehicular-evolutionary chart, full-size cargo vans haven't progressed much beyond the shag-carpeted, porthole-windowed, rolling disco lounges of the 1970s. Not a bad thing for obvious reasons, unless you're a tradesman or anyone else whose business requires a heavy-duty box on wheels to haul tools, equipment or goods. Enter the 2012 Nissan NV (Nissan Van), directed at what Nissan found was the least-satisfied segment of automotive customers.

Ford B-Max (2012) - first photos of the production car

Ford will slide the covers off this production B-Max mini MPV at the 2012 Geneva motor show. It's little changed from 2011's B-Max concept car. The B-Max essentially replaces the fuddy-duddy (but quite strong-selling) Fusion in Europe and is one of the key reasons why we're not getting the EcoSport baby SUV shown at the Delhi motor show in January 2012.

Mercedes signs joint venture to build carbonfibre parts

Not to be outdone by BMW’s joint venture with the SGL Group to manufacturer commercially viable carbonfibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) for the electric Megacity Vehicle, Mercedes has announced a joint venture with Japanese company Toray Industries to manufacturer and market its on CFRP automotive parts. The deal was signed in Germany today, with Toray taking a 50.1% stake, Daimler holding 44.9% and the remaining 5% being taken by other shareholders. The two companies started working together in March 2010, and while Toray has been working on the materials and moulding processes, Merc has designed the automotive parts and the technologies to join the parts together.