Idler Arm Bracket Assembly 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.

One Lap of the Web: A Mustang limo for the president, and the joy of shop class

-- We imagine that the Secret Service is currently receiving fervent and excruciatingly detailed bids from Avanti, Zimmer, and DeLorean to build the next great presidential limousine. Well, why shouldn't Ford submit one -- again? Here's a 1966 Mustang limousine in which President Camacho would look swell riding in the back.

Audi e-Tron Spyder revealed

Audi eTron Spyder We reported at the start of September that Audi were going to bring an e-Tron Spyder to Paris and we thought, ‘Yep, another showcase car without much real releveance’. But we thought wrong. The e-Tron Audi has tipped up to Paris with is actually relevant.