Nissan Cube 1998 Left Side Mirror Assembly [0021360] on 2040-parts.com

MINI Countryman JCW teased – heading for Geneva 2012

MINI Countryman JCW teased MINI has started the tease for the most powerful Countryman – the MINI Countryman JCW – which will debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. It’s not exactly a surprise that the MINI Countryman JCW is on the way. After all, MINI will never knowingly miss a niche sale, so producing a John Cooper Works version of the MINI SUV was always going to be highly likely.

NHTSA proposes rules for automakers to add sound to hybrids, EVs

Automakers would need to make hybrids and electric vehicles emit sound under rules that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed on Monday. The rules, ordered by Congress three years ago, are meant to protect pedestrians and bicyclists from vehicles that make little sound when using electric power. NHTSA says that designing the vehicles to make noise at speeds below 18 mph would prevent about 2,800 injuries over the life of each model year of vehicles.

Ford S-Max concept

Ford has released details of its S-Max concept ahead of its official debut at the Frankfurt motor show next month. Building on the success of the current-generation S-Max, the concept (surely more a pre-production show car than a true concept) continues the low, long and sporty twist on the SUV recipe that has made it such a hit in Europe. So it retains the monovolume outline with a soft transition from hood to windscreen and the tapered roofline.