Pioneer Ca8503 Carburetor Accelerator Cable on 2040-parts.com

Bungling thief caught after stealing hire car's steering wheel

A DIM-WITTED criminal has been convicted of theft after stealing parts of a brand new Audi A3 hire car and replacing them with old bits taken from his much older Audi S3. Alexander Keating, a 23-year-old former bodyshop technician who lost his job following the conviction, stole parts as obvious as the steering wheel and gear knob from the A3 that his mum had hired after damaging her car in an accident. Keating foolishly believed no one would notice the battered old steering wheel on the otherwise shiny, new car, but sure enough the mismatched parts were spotted and the hapless bungler was caught by the car hire firm’s bespoke anti-fraud team Asset Protection Unit (APU).

Mercedes confirms electric AMG SLS

By Richard Webber First Official Pictures 17 July 2009 09:46 Mercedes’ new AMG SLS – the gullwinged  GT supercar due to appear at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show – is going electric as engineers develop an emissions-free battery powered SLS as an alternative to the 563bhp V8. The eco SLS will have an electric motor powering each wheel, producing a total of 526bhp. Needless to say, for now it remains an engineering prototype – but a spokeswoman told CAR that Mercedes was intent on putting it into production.

BMW, Daimler experiment with upscale rent-by-the-ride

Two European luxury brands are tiptoeing into car sharing, a radical move for carmakers whose business for the past 100 years has been selling to individuals. German archrivals Daimler AG and BMW AG have launched sharing programs. The automakers say the move was prompted by changing attitudes about car ownership, especially among young buyers, and increased urban congestion.