Mercury Marine Mercruiser 3.7 L 470 170 Hp Boat Engine Oil Pan on 2040-parts.com

BMW spends $900 million on South Carolina plant to build the X4 SUV

BMW is expanding its lineup with the X4 and growing its manufacturing base with a $900 million investment in its Spartanburg, S.C., assembly plant. "This is in response to rising global demand for the BMW X family to include the BMW X4," BMW board member Frank-Peter Arndt said. BMW says the investment will create 300 new jobs at the plant.

SAIC wins LA Auto Show Design Challenge

China's SAIC, the parent company of Roewe and MG brands (yes, Morris Garages and what used to be Rover), took the top spot in the LA Auto Show Design challenge with its Mobiliant Concept, beating other contestants like BMW DesignworksUSA, Subaru, Mazda, Changfeng, Quoros, and others. The theme for this year's challenge at the LA Auto Show was "Biomimicry & Mobility 2025: Nature's Answer to Human Challenges." Entrants were directed to propose design concepts that integrated the concept of biomimicry into transportation concepts. Quite a challenge and quite an open theme, especially when you consider that last year's theme was pretty straightforward: "Highway Patrol Vehicles in the Year 2025." In 2012 the Subaru SHARC concept took the top prize.

Why this year's UAW-Detroit 3 talks don't matter

Here's what you need to know about the current UAW contract talks with the Detroit 3: They don't really matter. Oh, sure, agreements must be reached and contracts signed. But some commentators would have you believe the Detroit 3's future competitiveness hinges on their ability to stand up to the UAW in this year's negotiations.