Mercruiser Alpha Gen 2 Trim Pin Shaft Oem 17-815953a01 on 2040-parts.com

Oh, puh-leeze: Lighten up, people

Rarely do I come to the defense of a competitive member of the fourth estate, but the people at Car and Driver are getting the hooey knocked out of them by everyone from "professional media representatives" to the NASCAR faithful. What was CD's egregious sin? Its editors concocted an April Fool's joke with them good ol' boys Chrysler and General Motors as its punchline.

New Honda Civic Black Edition launches

New Honda Civic Black Edition launches The Honda Civic in normal guise – as opposed to the Type R – might not be the most inspiring car on the market, but it offers a convincing package nonetheless of great quality and decent looks and, in the latest Civic, better ride and better handling. As a Ford Focus and VW Golf competitor, the Civic perhaps suffers from a slightly boring image, which would explain why Honda has launched the Civic Black Edition with a meaner look to entice buyers who want a Civic that looks a bit less an older generation car. There are no power upgrades, suspension tweaks or promise of more dynamism from the Civic Black Edition, but it does get exterior gloss black elements and black side skirts and rear bumper, together with gloss black roof spoiler, integrated covers for the door mirrors and a gloss black fuel filler lid.

Fiat to build a 'baby' Jeep, Fiat derivative in Italy

Fiat will build a "baby" Jeep in Italy to sell in Europe and possibly also the United States, two company sources told Automotive News Europe. The new Jeep will be smaller than the Patriot and Compass. The model will be produced in Fiat's home plant of Mirafiori in Turin, alongside a similar vehicle for the Fiat brand that will replace the Sedici and an Alfa Romeo subcompact car for sale in Europe and North America.