Mitsubishi Canter 1991 Assistant Seat [5170600] on 2040-parts.com

GM shifts gears, will keep Opel

General Motors' board of directors has decided that it will keep the Opel business and restructure it, putting an end to plans to sell the European operations to auto supplier Magna International. GM said it expects the restructuring of Opel to cost $4.42 billion (3 million euros), which it says is lower than the costs associated with outside bids for the company. GM said it will soon present its restructuring plans for Opel to the German government and other governments in Europe.

BMW PAS concept (2009) teaser video

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 30 January 2009 11:15 This is BMW’s first video tease of its new PAS concept, which will be unveiled at the Geneva motor show on 3 March 2009. Unfortunately the video only features cartoon drawings and a narration that explains why BMW boffins think the PAS is a good idea. Worryingly, by the end of the video the PAS actually starts to make (a little) sense.

Toyota Hybrid-R Concept – a Yaris with 400bhp – teased for Frankfurt

The Toyota Hybrid-R Concept (pictured) is a 400bhp Yaris Hybrid heading for Frankfurt We’ve always believed that the best use for hybrid powertrains is to get extra performance without the penalty of increased fuel consumption. Toyota, on the other hand, have primarily used their impressive – if complicated and expensive – hybrid powertrains to yield improved economy and emissions from more prosaic cars like the Prius, Yaris and Auris. But now it looks like Toyota are ready to show us what hybrid technology can offer in the way of performance too, with a tease for what Toyota are calling the Hybrid-R Concept, which appears to be a Yaris with more than 400bhp on tap.