Hughes Performance 43-35 Torque Converter on 2040-parts.com

Crunch watch Dec 08: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard and Simon Stiel Motor Industry 31 December 2008 14:05 Wednesday 31 December 2008• GMAC, GM's finance arm, said it would immediately revise its criteria for providing loans, after the US government bail-out of the General's credit arm. It will now supply credit for anyone with a score of 621 or more on the Fico scale, the scale used to assess Amercian customers' creditworthiness (Financial Times)• The news means that 80% of US consumers would now qualify for a loan from GMAC – which should improve sales in the depressed US market (Detroit News)• Chrysler is being lambasted for taking out full-page adverts in the American national press thanking the nation for supporting its auto industry. But critics point out this is a fresh waste of bail-out resources, as pages in the Wall Street Journal – one of the titles in which the ad ran – reportedly cost up to $264,000.

Nissan's London taxi to be assembled in Coventry

NISSAN has announced that final assembly of its new NV200-based London taxi will take place in Coventry, contributing to a £6 million investment in a brand new facility. ADV Manufacturing will undertake the final production stage before each unit then heads for the streets of the English capital. Andy Palmer, Chief Planning Officer and Executive Vice President of Nissan Motor Corporation, revealed the news as part of his address to students at Coventry University, where he was delivering the prestigious Bugatti Lecture on the future of motoring.

One Lap of the Web: The fabulous Lockheed Buick Electra, and how to change a tire

-- Did you know Zagato once designed some concept cars for Volvo? Ah, there's nothing more romantic than that blend of Italian passion and Swedish melancholic efficiency. The first car came about in 1969 and was named the GTZ, and its obscurity might owe to being hidden in favor of more popular Zagato GTZs.