Nissan Cima 2001 Coil Spring [9557551] on 2040-parts.com

Will your next new car stop itself?

Last week in Park City, Utah, a group of us were discussing the chutzpah that some manufacturers have in charging hundreds of dollars for outboard mirrors that dip downward when the vehicle's placed in reverse. The consensus was, “Since the electric motors in the mirrors are already there, and the computers know the car's set to back up, it's only a line of code. A very expensive line of code.” The European Union seems to be thinking along the same lines.

'Special Cars by Pininfarina' model car collection announced

12 1:43-scale models of Pininfarina's most famous cars will be shown as part of the International Toy Fair in Nuremburg. Fans of the carrozeria will get the chance to reflect on some of the most beautiful cars of the modern era in miniature form in the ‘Special Cars by Pininfarina' exhibition. "I have personally chosen the models that now form part of the ‘Special Cars by Pininfarina' collection to give to car fans like myself the chance to live the Pininfarina legend to the full," said Pininfarina Group chairman Paolo Pininfarina.

Infiniti Q50 hit by steer-by-wire recall in the US

Infiniti has issued a recall notice in the US for a small number of Q50 models fitted with the firm’s new Direct Adaptive Steering system. This is a ‘steer-by-wire’ steering system that only has a mechanical link between the steering wheel and the wheels as a back-up. The rest of the time the steering is operated by electronics, rather than a direct connection.