Monroe Monro-matic Plus Strut 801340 on 2040-parts.com

Car thieves are putting luxury vehicles in their crosshairs

The National Insurance Crime Bureau database released a report of the top-10 most stolen luxury cars in the United States from 2009 to 2012, and Mercedes-Benz to be most in the line of fire. Three Mercedes models made the list: the Mercedes-Benz C-class, E-class and S-class. At least the thieves have good taste.

Volkswagen Brands – enough for now

VW boss Martin Winterkorn says Volkswagen has enough brands Volkswagen seems to be on a world domination plan. Audi is expanding with every passing day and the VW Group (Auto Union to be) has an unrivalled list of brands under its umbrella, including Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti and of course VW itself. It also recently effectively took control of Porsche (after the failed efforts by Porsche to take control of VW) and has just announced a near 20% stake in Suzuki.

Maserati Levante SUV won't be imported from Detroit after all

For years, we've been hearing that the upcoming Maserati Levante SUV -- which debuted as the Maserati Kubang -- would be built at Chrysler's Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit. The prospect of a high-dollar luxury crossover coming out of the gritty Motor City was intriguing, but the scheme made a certain sense -- the Levante is built on the same platform as the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Unfortunately, it's not gonna happen.