Mercedes S430 Left Column Switch Cruise Control W220 on 2040-parts.com

Design Review: Smart For-US concept

First seen NAIAS 2012 Design studio Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios, Sindelfingen, Germany Type 2-seat pickup Dimensions (L | W | H) 3,547 | 1,506 | 1,701 mm Wheel size 18-inch ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Daimler’s Smart brand has bombed in the US market since its introduction in 2008. That first year proved modestly successful, with 25,000 units sold but since then sales have fallen off a cliff, with just 5,927 shifted in 2010. Seeing the ForTwo dicing with big-foot pickups and Hummer limos in Vegas, it’s easy to see why something has been lost in translation.

How the Honda Civic got a fast makeover

Jay Guzowski was getting more nervous by the day. As senior product planner for the redesign of the 2012 Honda Civic, Guzowski was shepherding the compact car from design freeze to market. But as he listened to others around the American Honda conference table -- with a year to go before the car's on-sale date -- he heard a disturbing refrain: The upcoming Civic was not good enough.

VW take control at Italdesign Giugiaro through Lamborghini.

Maserati Merak - by Giugiaro Perhaps it makes sense politically for an Italian company to takeover another, but the outcome is the same – VW has taken a majority stake in Italdesign Giugiaro – 90.1% – through its Italian subsidiary Lamborghini Holdings S.p.A. Just as we expected. And there’s a lot of sense in this move by VW – even if they are going back on their stated intent to end the acquisitions – as there’s a strong history with Giugiaro.