Martin Aluminum Directional Spoke Trailer Tire & Asmbly on 2040-parts.com

Report: Interior Motives China Conference 2009 - Day 1

Interior Motives returned once more to the exciting city of Shanghai for its second China design conference, themed ‘China: Changing the landscape of car design'. Held straight after the first Shanghai auto show press day - a day topped off by the Car Design Night, attended by some 300 or so designers - this two-day event saw 27 of the world's foremost car design experts and nearly 250 delegates gather together to debate the future of Chinese car design. Session 1 - Harnessing design awareness Tony Williams, UK design director of China's biggest carmaker, SAIC, kicked off the session by explaining how trend research was finding more savvy and confident Chinese consumers who want their character reflected in the products they buy and "cars they want rather than just need".

Mini unveils next-generation hardtop

The wraps are off the all-new, third-generation Mini hardtop. Updates include renewed exterior styling, lots of gee-whiz electronics inside, and a new fuel-efficient, three-cylinder turbo engine under the hood as the base engine. “On the inside is where you see the revolutionary aspect,” said Jim McDowell, vice president, Mini of the Americas.

Arizona auctions: Scottsdale sales net an estimated $157 million

WITH VIDEO -- Five days of sales staged by auto auction companies in the Phoenix area pulled in a combined estimated total of $157 million, according to Hagerty Insurance. The five companies staging auctions--Barrett-Jackson, Gooding & Co., RM Auctions, Russo and Steele and Silver Auctions--offered 2,887 lots for sale and sold 2,325 of them, an 81 percent sell-through rate. A 2006 Ferrari FXX Evoluzione at the Gooding auction was listed as the top single sale with a price of $2.09 million, Hagerty said.