Niehoff Ff-78 Distributor Cap on 2040-parts.com

EV maker Coda trims staff

Not much more could go wrong for electric-car maker Coda, which has struggled to sell its four-door EV in the United States since officially launching it here in March. But Web reports, first seen at www.plugincars.com, say the company laid off 50 employees, or 15 percent of its workforce, last week, mostly in the sales and marketing departments. Efforts by Autoweek to contact Coda have not been successful.

Premium Sound System For Premium Lexus SUV

JAPANESE car maker Lexus has released a new version of its RX premium SUV. The firm claims that its RX 450h Advance model is even more generously equipped than before, with the added luxury of a Mark Levinson premium 7.1 surround sound system as standard. Despite the inclusion of the Lexus-bespoke audio package (that has a £1,000 list price) and a set of new-design 19-inch alloy, wheels, the price tag for the new Advance variant is unchanged, matching its predecessor at £48,495.

Chinese car maker Geely to launch in UK in 2012

Chinese car maker Geely – better known for its ownership of Volvo – will launch in the UK in late 2012. Parent company Geely International Corporation has struck a deal with Manganese Bronze Holdings to be its distributor in the UK market. MBH is the parent company of The London Taxi Company, which manufactures the iconic black cab in Coventry.