National Oil Seals 223400 Steering Gear Seal on 2040-parts.com

BMW-Toyota partnership may yield hybrid Z4, new Supra

The BMW-Toyota sports-car lash-up has been reported on for a couple of years now, but new information from a report in the U.K.'s Autocar sheds more light on the future of the BMW Z4 and what this year's Toyota FT-1 concept will ultimately herald. Like the current Z4, its predecessor and the Z3 before it, as well as every generation of Supra, the new platform will feature a front-mounted gasoline engine. From there, things look to be diverging wildly as technology marches forward.

Why carmakers say no to battery swapping

There's a strange disconnect surrounding Better Place, the company best known for its plan to extend the range of electric vehicles by relying on speedy battery swaps. Automotive executives are nearly unanimous in dismissing the idea. With the conspicuous exception of Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, rarely does an executive express interest.

Hyundai Genesis, Ford F-150 win awards at the Detroit auto show

On Sunday of the Detroit Auto Show, Hyundai Genesis won the 2009 North American Car of the Year award, nipping the Ford Flex by a miniscule nine-point margin. The redesigned Ford F-150 pickup, the odds-on favorite in the truck category, was named 2009 North American Truck of the Year. Genesis beat out the Flex and the third-place finisher, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, despite being the first Korean car ever nominated for the award.