Multi-function Car Steering Wheel Lock Pedal Brake/clutch Anti-theft Device on 2040-parts.com

First Sight: Smart Fortwo and Forfour

"Dress-down Wednesday," remarked a colleague as Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche walked on stage wearing jeans and no tie. While it was a hot day in Berlin, Zetsche's excuse for his informal attire was the occasion – the new Smart is here. Its prospective owners, he explained – young, urban consumers with an active lifestyle, not the typical members of corporate Germany – adhere to a different, if similarly rigid etiquette.

Transmissions gone wild!

If you've been car shopping recently, or just paying attention to Autoweek car reviews, you've noticed that the six-speed automatic -- de rigueur as recently as a year ago -- suddenly has ratio envy. The new hotness? Eight- and nine-speed automatic transmissions.

2013 Honda CR-Z hybrid gets power boost

The slow-selling Honda CR-Z hybrid hatchback gets a new lithium-ion battery pack and more-powerful electric for the 2013 model year. The change from a nickel metal hydride battery pack helps boost output from the hybrid powertrain's electric motor from 10 kilowatts to 15 kilowatts. The powertrain's combined output is now rated at 130 hp at 6,000 rpm, up 8 hp from the 2012 model.