King Marine Stainless Steel Anchor Chain Stopper 88259 on 2040-parts.com

Why this year's UAW-Detroit 3 talks don't matter

Here's what you need to know about the current UAW contract talks with the Detroit 3: They don't really matter. Oh, sure, agreements must be reached and contracts signed. But some commentators would have you believe the Detroit 3's future competitiveness hinges on their ability to stand up to the UAW in this year's negotiations.

Mitsubishi's 600bhp EV to tackle Pikes Peak

By Damion Smy Motoring Issues 03 June 2014 17:11 Mitsubishi will enter the 2014 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb – the 92nd running of the prestigious event – with its specially built electric racecar, it announced today. The team finished second and third in the electric class at the 2013 event, and will use the same drivers – former motorcycle class winner, Greg Tracy, and Dakar-rally winner Hiroshi Masuoka – for the 12.42-mile climb to the 14,110ft summit. The bewinged Mitsubishi i-MiEV Evolution III is 4.7m long and 1.9m wide, with an electric motor at each corner to send a total of 600bhp through all four wheels.

New Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive goes in to production

The first Mercedes B-Class ED (pictured) rolls off the production line in Rastatt With the BMW i3 grabbing headlines – and flying out of showrooms – as BMW’s first electric car, Mercedes need to play catch-up with a convincing EV of their own, and that’s the new B-Class Electric Drive – an EV version of the regular B-Class – which has now gone in to production in Germany. Built alongside regular ICE versions of the B-Class at Mercedes’ Rastatt Plant, the B-Class ED (Electric Drive) looks practically the same as its more conventionally powered siblings – although the front bumper does look a bit different – and has an electric motor good for 177 bhp and 250 lb/ft of torque, can manage a scoot to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds and has a range of up to 124 miles. The range – at least the quoted range – is a chunk better than the BMW i3′s and on a par with the latest Nissan LEAF, thanks to EV technology provided by Tesla, and the wrapping of an EV drivetrain in a conventional series production car could appeal to more buyers than the ‘statement’ design of the BMW i3.