Mercedes C320 W203 Front Left Driver Upper Seat Frame 01 2002 2003 - 2006 :a on 2040-parts.com

Crunch watch Jan 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard, Ben Pulman and Gareth Evans Motor Industry 30 January 2009 12:39 Friday 30 January 2009• Honda is about to close the Swindon factory for four months when Friday's shifts are finished; the shutdown will affect 2500 of the 3700 staff, who will receive full pay for two months and then 60% pay for the next eight weeks (BBC News)• Porsche has announced a sharp drop in sales and likely profits. It forecasts a 27% drop in 911, Boxster, Cayman and Cayenne sales to around 34,000 units in the six months to the end of January 2009 (Financial Times, subscription required)• Ford wants Washington to do more to stimulate car sales, after posting a record loss of nearly $14.6 billion earlier this week (Detroit News)• Honda's quarterly profit has crashed by 90% – forcing the Japanese car maker to halve its annual profit target (Detroit Free Press)Thursday 29 January 2009• Ford of Europe is a bright spot in the Blue Oval's quarterly results today, making $1.06 billion pre-tax profit in 2008 (up from $997m in 2007). It's the first profit of more than $1bn since 1989 (Automotive News Europe, subscription required)• Volvo suffered a 'disastrous 2008' with a pre-tax loss of $1.46bn.

CAR's video guide to the 2010 Paris motor show

Rather than embroiling themselves in our live blogging from the 2010 Paris motor, the senior statesmen of CAR (executive editor Gavin Green, contributing editor Ben Oliver and European editor Georg Kacher) have instead retreated to the comfort of a Rolls-Royce Phantom to discuss the 2010 Paris motor show. Click on the video below to watch the three of them debate the themes, trends and stars of this year's Mondial de l'Automobile.Paris motor show 2010: the full A-Z reviewParis motor show 2010 – the CAR live blogParis motor show 2010: a reader's review    

Tiff Needell compares the 911 and F-Type

It was a mere matter of time before somebody pitted the new Jaguar F-Type against a flat-six-powered automobile from Stuttgart. And while our natural inclination would've been to choose the mid-engined, two-seat Boxster S to mash heads with the 380-horse V6 S model, the lads at Evo had Tiff Needell compare the new Jag to a 911 Carrera Cabriolet. The heavier Neunelfer is a closer power/weight match to the F-Type.