Mercury Bravo Sterndrive U Joint Yoke Oem#864244a01 on 2040-parts.com

Porsche Panameras with 300-hp V6 to arrive in the United States in June

The six-cylinder siblings of the V8 Porsche Panamera will hit U.S. shores in June, packing 300 hp and starting at $75,375 for the rear-wheel-drive model. The all-wheel-drive version, called the Panamera 4, starts at $79,875, including destination charges.

Maserati Levante SUV confirmed for 2015 – Alfieri could arrive in 2016

The Maserati Levante SUV (pictured) will arrive in 2015 Fiat’s plans top revive the Maserati brand are off to a good start after sales grew strongly last year to more than 22,500 cars in the first nine months with the new Quattroporte and new Ghibli contributing strongly to those figures. But with a target of 50,000 sales a year, Maserati need new models too and the next in line for production is the Maserati Levante SUV, which Sergio Marchionne has now confirmed will arrive in production guise in 2015. It was expected the Levante would be a re-working of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, but with the Grand Cherokee selling in droves – and with a desire to make the Levante as ‘Italian’ as possible – it now looks like the Levante will get a version of the platform underpinning the Ghibli and use Maserati’s own 4WD system.

Volkswagen plans 4 million cars from one platform

Volkswagen is pushing the global-platform concept to a level unprecedented in the auto industry, introducing a modular platform this summer that eventually will be the basis of microcars, sedans, crossovers and SUVs for its four largest brands. While automakers now share platforms across brands and sometimes even segments, the VW initiative that starts this summer is far more ambitious than anything seen so far. By 2017, some analysts estimate, the MQB platform that debuts with the Audi A3 eventually will be used in 4 million units a year--close to half of VW's annual production.