Mustang 1969-1970 Trunk Latch Striker / Catch on 2040-parts.com

Chevrolet Cruze gets better fuel economy for the 2012 model year

The 2012 Chevrolet Cruze is making a run at its Eco brother, with a highway fuel-economy rating of 38 mpg with an automatic transmission, 2 mpg more than last it got last year. A manual transmission is now more widely available on the Cruze, according to the General Motors ordering guide. The 1LT and 2LT models will now be available with the six-speed manual, which should increase the fun quotient with the turbocharged 1.4-liter engine.

2012 Porsche Carrera & Carrera S Cabriolet revealed

2012 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet It’s only five minutes since the 2012 Porsche 911 arrived – well, Frankfurt in September – but already we’ve got the reveal of the 2012 Porsche 911 Cabriolet in Carrera and Carrera S guises, ahead of a debut at Detroit in January 2012. The stand-out feature of the 911 Cabrio – over and above the stand out features of the 2012 911 – is its new trick folding soft-top. Porsche has designed a new folding roof for the 2012 Cabriolet, which features a fabric-skinned composite panel for the top and back bits of the roof and magnesium in the frame, giving a much smoother appearance than a traditional folding roof.

Honda P-NUT Concept at LA

The Honda P-NUT at the LA Motor Show This is another of those ‘Lets see what we can make’ type concepts with probably precious little chance of being made. But the Honda ‘Personal-Neo Urban Transport’ – or Honda P-NUT – does make for an interesting micro city car concept. The P-NUT is a three-seat (which sounds great in principle, but all 3-seat cars – McLaren F1 included – are a pain for the driver to get in and out) concept with masses of angular lines and glass, designed to be offered with one of three powertrains – a petrol, petrol-electric hybrid or pure EV.