Mr. Gasket 1204 Collector/header Muffler Gaskets on 2040-parts.com

Center stack is new high-stakes battleground; showdown with safety regulators looms

For auto suppliers and gadget companies eager to get a piece of the auto industry, the hottest chunk of vehicle real estate now is the center stack. That corridor of interior space, running from the driver's right hip up through the center of the cockpit to the bottom of the windshield, has become a California gold rush of opportunity. But it is less so for traditional suppliers of molded plastics, cables, levers, buttons and radios.

Study proves men prefer cars to women

MEN FEEL more emotion when looking at beautiful car design than they do when looking at beautiful women, new research has discovered. To coincide with the launch of its new Concept Coupe, Volvo carried out the study to see exactly what makes men and women tick when it comes to aesthetics. Images of the Concept Coupe, which has been designed to create a much more ‘expressive’ link to potential customers’ emotions, were shown to individuals who were wearing brain activity-measuring equipment in sequence with images of old or ‘ugly’ cars, crying and happy babies, plus images of people traditionally considered to be ‘beautiful’.

2014 Cadillac XTS adds new twin-turbo V6

Cadillac is adding a new 420-hp, twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 as an option for its XTS sedan for 2014. General Motors unveiled the engine back in March, confirming that it will be an option on the new-for-2014 Cadillac CTS, and recent Cadillac press materials confirm that the engine option will be expanded to the XTS. The all-aluminum engine makes use of direct-injection technology and is the highest-output V6 in GM history.